Today I'd like to focus on a somewhat under-appreciated hero of the Christmas story, and that hero is St. Joseph. Yes, he is always included in Nativity sets etc., but I would suggest that we don't truly appreciate the role he plays in the birth of Christ. We have a fair amount of songs about Mary or from her perspective (some of which I like, some of which...I don't) and rightly so, but how many songs do we have from the very unique perspective of St. Joseph?
Joseph is entrusted with the extraordinarily unique task of protecting Mary and the baby Jesus. In today's Gospel the angel Gabriel appears to him to say, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife." When Jospeh discovers that Mary is with child and decides to divorce her quietly, we tend to interpret that action as Joseph suspecting Mary of infidelity and divorcing her out of his disappointment with her. However, therefore is an alternative interpretation which suggests that Joseph did in fact believe that Mary was telling the truth and that he wanted to divorce her because he felt himself to be unworthy. This interpretation makes more sense of the angel's words, "Do not be afraid". This poor humble carpenter is suddenly entrusted with the great task of protecting the Son of God and his mother. But he is always quick to rise to the occasion and follow God's will, in wherever it leads him and in whatever it asks of him.
Today I'd like to invite you to consider the unique role of St. Joseph and ask him to help you prepare for the coming of Christ this Christmas. He is a perfect example of how God likes to take the humble and the lowly and do great things with them. If we approach the coming of Christ with a humble heart like St. Joseph, willing to go wherever he leads, God can do great things with us too. This Christmas, let St. Joseph show you how to stay close to the Son of God and to his His mother, as he so intimately was.
Pax Vobiscum
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