The meaning of the day
St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke is quoted in the St. Louis Post today.
"An important point in Matthew's Gospel, said Burke, is the connection of the name Emmanuel with the name Jesus, or Yeshua in Hebrew, which means "he who saves." Immediately after the angel of the Lord tells Joseph to name his son Jesus, the author quotes the Emmanuel passage from Isaiah.
"Jesus did not come just to be with us during his years of life on Earth, but he suffered, died, and remains with us always," the archbishop said. "God becomes man in order to save us, and that message is why the names Emmanuel and Jesus are connected by Matthew."
http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/religion/story/86BD06150256580D862573BB0082BD06?OpenDocument