Here is the text of the reflection I shared with the community gathered in prayer, a few thoughts about the person of Saint Joseph who made a rare appearance in today's gospel.
At the beginning of the Advent season, the scriptures invited us to wake from our sleep, and today, toward the end of Advent, Saint Matthew presents us with one of the rare appearances of Saint Joseph who literally wakes up from his sleep with a new sense of purpose.
I tend to think of Joseph as the quiet one. The scriptures do not recount any of his words, almost as though he never had any words worth uttering, yet I know some people (perhaps you do too), who are often quiet, but are very profound. I have the feeling that Joseph of Nazareth was one of these people. He was a righteous man, no doubt a well-respected person in the village. He had learned the art of wood crafting most probably from his own father, and was used to spending many hours at a time surrounded by his tools, covered in sawdust and daydreaming about his future. His hands were probably calloused and rough but deep within, his heart was pure.
Can you imagine the look on his face when Mary told him about her encounter with the Angel? What thoughts would have been running through his mind? This child within her was not his. Did he even believe the explanation that Mary gave? The angel had told her: The spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. They were betrothed, promised to each other, but not yet married. Could it be that this beautiful woman who he had known all his life, who he knew would one day be his wife, had betrayed him? The Jewish customs permitted him to expose her infidelity and to break the bond of betrothal if he so chose, but he cared her too much. He was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace and so planned to dismiss her quietly. How many Joseph’s are there in our world today? We don’t often hear stories told in public about the struggle that young men face when their girlfriends discover that they are pregnant. How many Josephs have we known, and what measures are we willing to take in order to help them to deal with the questions that arise? Do we even consider the possibility of prayer, prayer to Saint Joseph for wisdom and guidance? Do we wonder about God’s will, and whether there is a deeper plan being revealed in such cases, or is faith simply something to be considered only on Sundays within the walls of a church?
Mary wasn’t the only one in Nazareth to be visited by an angel. In the depth of his confusion, just as he had come to a decision about breaking off their betrothal, Joseph too had an encounter with an angel. The scriptures say that it took place in a dream. Have you ever gone to bed with questions on your mind … the questions that need to be pondered before suitable answers are found? Have you ever had a dream in which the answers to those questions seem to be simple and obvious? Do you ever wake up from such a dream and know exactly what needs to be done, or does the clarity of the dream fade when physical eyes are opened? Joseph heard the counsel of the angel: Do not be afraid. The angel said nothing about other challenges that he, that they would have to face, but Joseph knew that somehow, this woman to whom he would be married was chosen, and that he was being given the task of caring for her, of caring for the child she bore. He carried this secret with him for the rest of his life. He never spoke of it in public, yet because of that dream, he knew that he was being given the privilege of fulfilling a prophecy that had been spoken centuries before: the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (God with us!)
Because God chose to live with his people both Mary and Joseph were visited by angels. Each of them was invited to cooperate with God’s plan for salvation. Each of them could have said no, and things might have been very different if they had. Saint Paul and the other apostles were also in turn called to do their part. They too could have refused the invitation. Even today, we have been entrusted with the task of telling others about the faith we have received, about the story of a young couple who once learned wisdom from angels, and about the wisdom that God wants to share with us. The question is, are we willing to accept the invitation to proclaim this good news?
The quiet one speaks
At the beginning of the Advent season, the scriptures invited us to wake from our sleep, and today, toward the end of Advent, Saint Matthew presents us with one of the rare appearances of Saint Joseph who literally wakes up from his sleep with a new sense of purpose.
I tend to think of Joseph as the quiet one. The scriptures do not recount any of his words, almost as though he never had any words worth uttering, yet I know some people (perhaps you do too), who are often quiet, but are very profound. I have the feeling that Joseph of Nazareth was one of these people. He was a righteous man, no doubt a well-respected person in the village. He had learned the art of wood crafting most probably from his own father, and was used to spending many hours at a time surrounded by his tools, covered in sawdust and daydreaming about his future. His hands were probably calloused and rough but deep within, his heart was pure.
Can you imagine the look on his face when Mary told him about her encounter with the Angel? What thoughts would have been running through his mind? This child within her was not his. Did he even believe the explanation that Mary gave? The angel had told her: The spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. They were betrothed, promised to each other, but not yet married. Could it be that this beautiful woman who he had known all his life, who he knew would one day be his wife, had betrayed him? The Jewish customs permitted him to expose her infidelity and to break the bond of betrothal if he so chose, but he cared her too much. He was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace and so planned to dismiss her quietly. How many Joseph’s are there in our world today? We don’t often hear stories told in public about the struggle that young men face when their girlfriends discover that they are pregnant. How many Josephs have we known, and what measures are we willing to take in order to help them to deal with the questions that arise? Do we even consider the possibility of prayer, prayer to Saint Joseph for wisdom and guidance? Do we wonder about God’s will, and whether there is a deeper plan being revealed in such cases, or is faith simply something to be considered only on Sundays within the walls of a church?
Mary wasn’t the only one in Nazareth to be visited by an angel. In the depth of his confusion, just as he had come to a decision about breaking off their betrothal, Joseph too had an encounter with an angel. The scriptures say that it took place in a dream. Have you ever gone to bed with questions on your mind … the questions that need to be pondered before suitable answers are found? Have you ever had a dream in which the answers to those questions seem to be simple and obvious? Do you ever wake up from such a dream and know exactly what needs to be done, or does the clarity of the dream fade when physical eyes are opened? Joseph heard the counsel of the angel: Do not be afraid. The angel said nothing about other challenges that he, that they would have to face, but Joseph knew that somehow, this woman to whom he would be married was chosen, and that he was being given the task of caring for her, of caring for the child she bore. He carried this secret with him for the rest of his life. He never spoke of it in public, yet because of that dream, he knew that he was being given the privilege of fulfilling a prophecy that had been spoken centuries before: the young woman is with child and shall bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel (God with us!)
Because God chose to live with his people both Mary and Joseph were visited by angels. Each of them was invited to cooperate with God’s plan for salvation. Each of them could have said no, and things might have been very different if they had. Saint Paul and the other apostles were also in turn called to do their part. They too could have refused the invitation. Even today, we have been entrusted with the task of telling others about the faith we have received, about the story of a young couple who once learned wisdom from angels, and about the wisdom that God wants to share with us. The question is, are we willing to accept the invitation to proclaim this good news?
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