Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
This Week’s Intention: For all who are standing up for justice, especially those who are persecuted for their courage, that God will continue to strengthen them and that their sacrifices may bear redeeming fruit.
Today’s Gospel | Matthew 1:16,18-21,24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
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.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
Lenten Reflection
There currently is a series of television commercials for a credit card company in which different people try to explain to sales representatives why they do not like taking risks or being surprised. Their fears are traced back to events in their lives that are either so unlikely or so outrageous that they can be played for laughs. However, none of them are even remotely as unlikely or outrageous as what a man named Joseph faces in the Gospels’ nativity narratives. What’s more, no one in the accounts is kidding.
Much has been said about Joseph’s experience of being asked to marry the woman who would give birth to the son of God. Understandably, the greatest attention is given to his willingness to do it. How much faith it must have taken for him first to survive the shock of such an unexpected occurrence, and then to find it within himself to say yes to it. Yet, there is more. Looking deeper, there is another powerful lesson for us about why faith is so challenging and so important.
While the words “believe” and “faith” are often used interchangeably in everyday usage, it could be argued that they are substantively different in their spiritual context. The difference there would be that deep faith is the disposition to believe what one is not prepared to believe. In other words, true faith requires coming to terms with God’s love as surprise. Somehow, Joseph knew to do that, which enabled him to recognize God in the midst of what the world would call absurdity. That recognition in Joseph is what moved him to accept God’s will, just as that same recognition in others moved and continues to move them to accept God’s son.
Saint John of the Cross once suggested, “If a man wishes to be sure of the road he treads on, he must close his eyes and walk in the dark.” Being convinced and being faith-filled are not always the same thing. The path of discipleship often will call us to journeys that we never expected to make or even know how to make. Lent is a good time to reflect on how much our faith is truly a trust in God’s ways, and especially how welcoming we are of his penchant for surprise.
Prayer
Eternal Father, on this day in Lent, we pray that you bless us with the quiet humility of St. Joseph. Give us clear minds and open hearts to see you and to know you, even when you come to us in the most surprising of ways. Let us never be hardened to your presence or to the wonder of your love at work among us, so that we always will recognize you in each other and in the blessings of each day. Heal us by your Spirit and fill us with zeal for being the face of your compassion to others. We ask this of you who lives and reigns with your Son and the Holy Spirit, one god forever and ever. Amen.
St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us.
Live Jesus in our hearts forever.