The Sacrifice of saying YES: 4th Sunday of Advent

4^TH SUNDAY OF ADVENT: GOSPEL

Matthew 1:18-24

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.  Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”.

All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Emmanuel” (which means “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Gospel Reflection - by Theresita Joseph

About a week ago, amidst mindlessly scrolling through Facebook newsfeeds, I came across this picture of an unfamiliar Nativity scene. Baby Jesus resting in the arms of St Joseph, whilst his Mother Mary is by his side, softly sleeping. It touched me because it reminded me of the somewhat 'unsung hero' role of St Joseph as Jesus’ father, and of the reciprocal love shared between St Joseph and Mother Mary as the Holy Family.

Growing up, I have been fortunate to have a loving dad who was by my side from day 1. My dad is my role model and my best friend, and witnessing his kindness, honesty and devotion to my mum has taught me so much about the beauty of marriage and parenthood. I’ve recently started to think about how too, Jesus must have shared such a close bond of love with his earthly father St Joseph. St Joseph truly cared for Jesus; he watched and helped him grow from a fragile baby into a young boy and then later into a man just like him. Indeed, much of Jesus’ human nature and qualities would have been inspired by St Joseph, as it was God Himself who chose St Joseph to be His father.

In today’s Gospel reading, St Matthew reminds us what we should learn about real compassion and commitment to God through St Joseph. I’m sure St Joseph was pretty excited to be married to Mary until he found out that she was already pregnant with a child that was impossible to have been his. He must have felt hurt, embarrassed, even angry. Yet despite this, St Joseph did not want to let Mary come into any danger by exposing her to the public, where according to the law at the time would be accused of adultery and stoned, so he instead decided for her to be let of quietly.

Through this decision, St Joseph proved his merciful and forgiving nature that had made him God’s choice to be the son of Jesus. We then see that after his visitation from the Angel of the Lord, St Joseph chooses to completely believe, and out of complete trust, surrenders his own desires and plans to God. Not only this, but he immediately acts upon what he has been told; and takes Mary as his wife. St Joseph demonstrates how to let God use his life as a vessel for others; little did he know what God had in store for him and Mary, and indeed for future generations, yet it was his first YES that allowed all to be possible.

Think about future moments that you might still be excitedly waiting for – your ideal job, your wedding day, your first home or your first child. Moments that you continually picture in your head, hoping that they turn out exactly how you would desire them to. What if God was to come in and change them? God doesn’t promise that what we want will happen, but He does promise us that His plans are always for good and to bring us hope (Jeremiah 29:11). Are we prepared to let God into our dreams and let them be done according to his plan, even if they do not turn out how we want? Do we truly believe that God has a better plan in store for us, even if we can’t see or understand it?

So, in the final few days before Christmas Day, take time to reflect upon the mystery of Christ’s birth which God had so beautifully planned out, and the inspirational Holy family that Jesus was born into. Pray to be more like St Joseph; to have the courage to put aside our own desires in place for God’s will for us, and to carry them out full of kindness and love. Let us enter into this Christmas season (and new decade!) with open hearts and open minds; ready to let God surprise us with the joy He is waiting to share with us.