THE WORD
FIRST READING: Is 7,10-14
Again the LORD spoke to Ahaz: Ask for a sign from the LORD, your God; let it be deep as Sheol, or high as the sky! But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask! I will not tempt the LORD!” Then he said: Listen, house of David! Is it not enough that you weary human beings? Must you also weary my God? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign; the young woman, pregnant and about to bear a son, shall name him Emmanuel.
SECOND READING: Rm 1,1-7
Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles, among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ; to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
GOSPEL: Mt 1,18-24
Now 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 be with child 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.
IN OTHER WORDS
St. Joseph is many things. He’s been labeled as the quintessential “silent man” by virtue of the fact that he never speaks in the Bible; He is also said to have been a hard-working person, one who lets his hands do the talking rather than his mouth; also he’s been hailed as the “chaste” spouse of the most Holy Virgin Mary.
The Gospel today could add to the wealth of reflections that we already have about the kind of person that Joseph was.
As I read the Gospel account and picture Joseph in there I remember something written in some wall which says, “I am cool, I am calm and I have a plan”. I think St. Joseph could very well have written those about himself. COOL.
The angel appeared to him in a dream. I would like to believe that this means Joseph was sleeping.
I remember one professor sharing a story in class where he said that one of the most outstanding traits of Alexander the Great was that even at the height of a “red alert” he could sleep, therefore he was always rested and fresh for action. When I have problems and tasks to do, I get so nervous that sleeping is impossible. Joseph had a big problem; that he could sleep speaks volume about him. CALM.
He was about to get married. He must have prepared for it already…then he found out that his lady love was pregnant and that he had absolutely nothing to do with it! I don’t think anybody would have blamed him if he reported Mary to the authorities or at least spit out something nasty against her. Instead in all calmness he tried to figure out a win-win situation for everybody! HE HAD A PLAN.
Because he was cool and calm he was able to come out with a plan. Many people when faced with extreme difficulties would say they blacked out, lost all reason, and just “swung and hoped they would hit something”.
Coolness, calmness and planning are marks of greatness. And one who surrenders them in favor of a “higher plan” is a fool, “a fool for Christ”, a saint. St. Joseph, Pray for us.
- Fr. Dante Barril, SVD | Rome Italy
The Word in other words 2016
An annual project of Logos Publications, The WORD in Other Words Bible Diary contains daily scripture readings and reflections written by priest, brothers, and sisters of the three congregations founded by St. Arnold Janssen (the SVD, SSpS, and SSpSAP). It hopes to serve as a daily companion to readers who continually seek the correlation of the Word of God and human experience.
