Joseph

The Fourth Sunday of Advent
Today’s Readings: [Click here]

Today, on this fourth and last Sunday of Advent, we hear the story of how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. In Matthew’s gospel passage, Joseph is the central character, but in general, the Scriptures don’t tell us very much about him. We know that he took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod. We know that he was a carpenter who most likely taught his trade to Jesus. We know that he brought his family to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve. Then we hear nothing more of Joseph. He probably died sometime between the trip to Jerusalem and the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry some 18 years later.

In today’s gospel account, Joseph is portrayed as a kind and sympathetic man—one who is definitely aware of God’s active presence in his life and Mary’s. In some ways, Joseph reminds me of many young, unmarried men today who have pregnant girlfriends. This was not his biological baby, and quite frankly, Mary’s explanation about how the Holy Spirit impregnated her had to sound farfetched and impossible. But Joseph was obviously devoted to Mary. Even when he believed that she had been unfaithful to him, he didn’t want to cause a scandal or embarrass her. So he wrestled with her story and almost left her. But he sensed God in a powerful dream, which told him to stay with Mary and the remarkable child. In the end, with peaceful humility, he accepted the assurances of the angel of God about Mary’s unborn child—and of course, Joseph received tremendous blessings and graces as a result.

As the Christ child grew up, Joseph clearly made a big impression on him as a devoted father. When Jesus described his special relationship with God, he modeled it on the closest human relationship he had experienced—his bond with Joseph. Jesus often called God “Father”—or in the Hebrew of his day, “Abba,” which is best translated as “Daddy.” “Abba” is probably exactly the name he called Joseph.

The Hebrew writers of the Old Testament hardly ever used the word “Father” to refer to God. Even God’s closest human friends—Abraham, Moses, David—treated the Lord with fear, trembling and a respectful distance… not the kind of familiarity that is implicit in the name “Daddy.” So Jesus’ use of the name “Father” for God—the same name that he called Joseph—was actually quite an honor. It just shows how much love and esteem he had for Joseph. It meant that Jesus saw something of the love of God in the love of Joseph.

There’s a powerful lesson for us in the story of Joseph—a lesson that is especially appropriate as we approach the miracle of Christmas. Very simply, if we are willing to turn to God in faith, even when things look unsolvable, impossible or downright crazy, he is going to surprise us with amazing blessings. When you try to put yourself in Joseph’s sandals and reflect on what he must have been thinking and dealing with, it really inspires hope. God does love us deeply. He is going to take care of us no matter what.

Maybe you saw the article in The Catholic Post this week by Father Jerry Pilon. He wrote about that tragic shooting at the shopping mall in Omaha 2½ weeks ago, and he made a point about how sad it was that Robert Hawkins, the 19-year-old shooter, was so devoid of hope and self-worth that he could see no other way out of his misery than the course he took. Imagine if Joseph had felt that way and had Mary stoned to death. Our world—absent Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary—would be a very different place… assuming we were even still here!

So the thing to cling to is that no matter how bleak or catastrophic or desperate a situation might seem, we must have hope that God will find a way to bring love, peace and blessing out of it. When all is said and done, God will never, ever let us down.

We also know that God is famous for using all of us as his instruments. I’m sure we have all been blessed with people in our life like Joseph who make a difference… who inspire us to be a better person… who reveal to us something of God’s nature. It may be a parent, an aunt or uncle, a friend, a grandparent, a teacher, a priest, a coach, a colleague… Today, as we prepare for Christmas, it would be good to thank God for sending them into our life and to pray for those special people, asking the Lord to open our hearts to the goodness of God that they reveal.

Emmanuel, God with Us! How blessed we are to know you and to experience your constant love. Be with us now and prepare our hearts for your coming at Christmas.