28d • Chapel
A Prayer Reflection for the Fourth Week of Advent
The Prince of Peace Watches Over Us Fourth Sunday of Advent – December 21, 2025
Theme: Love – "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." (Matthew 1:23)
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ—active duty service members, retired and disabled veterans, and your beloved families—
In this final week of Advent, as the fourth candle flickers with the light of divine love, we stand on the threshold of Christmas. The Church invites us to contemplate God's boundless love made flesh in the Incarnation: the Eternal Word becoming a vulnerable child, entering our world not with the thunder of armies, but with the quiet cry of a newborn in a humble stable. "God is with us"—Emmanuel—a promise fulfilled in Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
For those who have known the watchfulness of duty—the long nights on guard, the vigilant patrols in distant lands, the sacrifices made to shield the innocent—this season echoes deeply. You have stood sentinel for freedom, bearing the weight of vigilance so others might sleep in safety. In your service, you reflect the watchful love of St. Joseph, who in today's Gospel guarded the Holy Family, trusting God's angel in the midst of uncertainty. Like Joseph, you have faced trials with quiet courage, protecting those entrusted to your care.
Yet Advent reminds us that true peace is not won by human strength alone. The Prophet Isaiah foretells a sign: a virgin shall bear a son, Emmanuel, who brings a peace surpassing all understanding—a peace that calms the storms of war, heals the wounds of body and soul, and reunites families separated by deployment or distance.
In your lives, marked by valor and endurance, contemplate this mystery: The God who commands the stars watches over you with infinite tenderness. He knows the hidden scars of battle, the ache of separation, the quiet prayers whispered in foxholes or hospital rooms. He comes not as a distant commander, but as a Child, inviting you to lay down your burdens at the manger.
A Contemplative Prayer
O Emmanuel, God-with-us,
Prince of Peace who calms every storm,
You who stood watch over humanity from the cradle to the Cross—
Look upon your servants who have stood watch for us.
Grant strength to those on active duty,
far from home this Christmas,
that they may feel Your presence in the silence of the night watch.
Comfort retired and disabled veterans,
bearing the enduring echoes of service,
heal their wounds seen and unseen,
and surround them with the peace that only You can give.
Bless their families—the spouses who keep vigil at home,
the children who await a parent's return,
the loved ones who carry shared sacrifices—
unite them in Your unbreakable love.
As we light this fourth candle of love,
inflame our hearts with hope for a world renewed,
where swords are beaten into plowshares,
and Your kingdom of justice and peace reigns forever.
Mary, Mother of the Prince of Peace,
St. Joseph, guardian and protector,
St. Michael the Archangel, defender in battle—
intercede for these faithful warriors and their families. May the coming Christ Child
bring you the deepest joy of Christmas: the assurance that God is truly with you, now and always. Amen.
Pause in silence... Imagine the Holy Family under your watchful care, and entrust your own family to theirs. As Christmas dawns, carry this light of love into the new year, knowing that the One who watches over Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps (Psalm 121).
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A Prayer Reflection for the Fourth Week of Advent
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