Mt. 1: 18-24
We are on the last Sunday of the advent. We have been preparing to receive Jesus into our hearts with a holy longing. Do you believe in dreams? When we glance through the Bible, we see a number of occasions wherein, God communicates to his loved ones also through dreams. In the book of Genesis, we come across the great dreamer of the Old Testament – Joseph, the son of Jacob. God reveals his will to him through his dreams, how he would be the provider and the protector of his people in the future. Similarly in the New Testament, it is recorded that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph twice and made him the protector and the provider of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
Why did God reveal Himself to these two men? Specifically, why did the angel appear to St. Joseph with the message of God? We also have to take into consideration the background behind the revelation of the angel to Joseph. It was the most uncertain moment of his life because his fiancée Mary was carrying a child without his knowledge. It is beyond words to express the mental agony this man might have undergone at this juncture of his life. It is difficult for us to imagine such a tensed moment even after two thousand years. Nonetheless, all knew that they had not started to live together as husband and wife. According to normal human thinking, it was a breach of trust from the part of Mary. Anyhow, he did not want to humiliate Mary and also leave her to such a barbarous punishment of stoning her to death. He decides to leave her secretly, that is the best possible expression of a gentleman at this moment.
He also had to pay a big prize for this magnanimity because he has to abandon all the savings of his life time and move to another land. In this moment of uncertainty and moral dilemma, the angel appears to him and conveys the message that Mary is conceived by the Holy Spirit and that he need not be afraid to take her home as his wife. At once Joseph obeys the angel, surrendering himself to the will of God. Similar to Mary’s fiat to the Word of God announced by the angel, Joseph too says yes to the will of God. Soon after her fiat, she goes to serve Elizabeth. In the same manner, soon after his fiat, Joseph serves Jesus and Mary in an edifying manner, without any complaints as a provider and the protector of the Holy family.
As we are in the last phase of advent journey let us attune our ears to the Word of God like Joseph; let us listen to God and act accordingly to his word, let us not be afraid to take Mary home, because she has Jesus and definitely she would lead us to him. Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas with Jesus, Mary, and Joseph…