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SolidarityTuesday, December 18, 2007
Matthew 1:20-25
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph listened. His best intentions had been to get away from Mary as fast as he could, convinced as he was that she was unfaithful to him even before their marriage. His family must have been outraged. He probably had a hard time sleeping the night the angel came. What would I have done? It's so easy to explain away the stuff dreams are made of, especially when the pressure's high during the day. Dreams are the time when I do the most processing, so all kinds of craziness is on display. I have to get it out of my system before going back into the world. But maybe I've never had a dream like this one. At any rate, Joseph didn't hesitate to obey the voice he'd heard. Was he tempted to ignore it? Did his family or friends try to sway his mind after he told them what he planned to do? They wouldn't even get to celebrate their wedding in the normal way - no wine, no party, no sex ... Joseph and Mary had all they needed: direction from the Lord that they both wanted to follow. They followed together. And Jesus would soon be born. Thank you, Lord, for putting us with one another when we need you the most. |
The list of Joseph's (and Jesus') ancestors includes some bold sinners. But these are often just the people who learn best how to listen to God. In the desperate straits they create for themselves, that's all they can do.