BIBLE STUDY #24

FOURTH SUNDAY OF ADVENT

DECEMBER 19, 2010

Gospel                     Matthew 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, 
but before they lived together, 
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame, 
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit 
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, 
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel, 
which means “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him 
and took his wife into his home.

The Gospel of the Lord

Reflection

The main character in today’s gospel is our parish patron, St. Joseph. He is the silent saint – his words are not recorded in scripture.  He is told that his wife has conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit that she will bear a son, and he is to name him Jesus (Yeshiva in Hebrew, Jesus in Greek). We see that this is to be done to fulfill prophecy: Behold the virgin shall bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

In the bible study for the Second Sunday of Advent (December 5, 2010) I talked about the necessity in Matthew’s Gospel that Jesus fulfills all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Here is another instance of that. It was thought that Moses was conceived miraculously. And in the book of Jubilees, it suggests that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, conceived miraculously. This motif of miraculous birth has to do not with nature but with the function of the person so conceived. Just as Isaac would be the Patriarch who establishes Israel, and Moses is the Law giver, Jesus is both the New Isaac because he establishes God’s new covenant with the people and the new (and improved) Moses because he not only gives new law as Moses did, as the son of God he also creates new law, as befits the divine son of God. Therefore, Jesus also had to be conceived miraculously.

Do you think that Joseph believed this whole story of a miraculous conception by the power of the Spirit? Would any of you husbands believe it if this were told it to you by your wife? I don’t think so, and neither did Joseph. The gospel never says that he disliked her, but it seems to indicate that he still loved her. Why? Because he was trying to protect her.  He didn’t want to expose her to shame, so he was going to divorce her quietly.

Here is a man in the throes of a dilemma.  He obviously thinks she has been unfaithful and he doesn’t want to marry her; but he loves and tries to protect her.  I personally don’t think he was satisfied with his decision, but I think he sees no better way out.

Then an angel appears to him in a dream and confirms Mary’s story. I always felt that it was at this point that Joseph felt a great deal of relief because now he knows the truth about Mary and he can marry her, which is what he wanted in the first place. Hearing the story from Mary only made it unbelievable, but hearing it from an angel, a messenger of god, made it believable.

Neither Joseph nor Mary completely understood the ramifications of saying yes to God, but they were willing to believe God and go ahead with what God wanted, regardless of what it may cost.

Because Joseph believed his dream, and therefore he believed Mary’s dream, the savior was born into the world that changed the course of human history. Jesus was born into the world as Emmanuel, God with us. He is the one to die and rise for our sins so we can attain eternal life.

The thing that always strikes me about Joseph and Mary is that they didn’t do anything we normally associate with greatness or great saints: they didn’t write anything; they didn’t found a religious community; they never participated in a social service program; they weren’t mystics or people who taught others to pray; they weren’t great preachers nor were they great teachers; they were parents who used their gifts and talents to build up the kingdom. That’s all God is asking us to do. He will take our gifts and talents and transform them into something great. God knows how to use our gifts and talents better than we do.

As Joseph believed in his dream, and in Mary’s dream, something wonderful happened: the birth of Jesus. Wonderful things happen when we believe in our dreams an din the dreams of others.

This Christmas, you will be spending a lot of money on gifts, some appreciated and some put in closets. But the best gift we can bring is to believe in someone’s dreams. Whether it’s your children, your siblings, your parents, your friends, we need to believe in someone’s dreams, and encourage them as much as possible. Love encompasses encouragement and attitude. When we know that other people love and believe in us, it gives strength all out of proportion to accomplish our goals.

Imagine what could happen if we believed in our dreams like Mary and Joseph?

Fr. Phil