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Gospel: Matthew 1: 18-24
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 conceive 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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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On my desk where I pray, I keep a small figurine of Saint Joseph. He’s asleep on his side in a green, homespun robe, half covered in a blanket – fading red on one side and mustard yellow on the other. His dark brown hair and full beard speak of an older, mature man.
Of course, his eyes are tightly shut, as he slips into a dream.
Sometimes, I wonder, is Joseph just dozing off, unaware that his life is about to take another unexpected turn? Is he in the middle of that dream, when the angel appears and miraculously consoles him?
Or is he processing what just happened with his eyes closed, resting, stealing a few more precious hours of sleep before sunrise, knowing that when he wakes, Mary and this mystery child are moving in?
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If Joseph writes this dream off as just that – a dream, an imaginary tale, a fictional slip from reality – and he makes his way down to the courthouse to file his divorce papers, then this whole story is over.
Mary will be an outcast, reduced to a life of begging or stealing. Her child will be forever seen as illegitimate. And Isaiah’s ancient prophecy of a king coming from David’s line will go unfulfilled.
According to Matthew, Joseph’s consent is as important as Mary’s. God needs Mary’s womb in order to become Man, but he needs Joseph to give him a name and a home.
Thus, the Christmas story is not just about God becoming flesh or Mary’s fiat, but it’s also about Joseph, a just man accepting what is unjust, naming, owning, and blessing a divine mess.
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The night the angel appeared to him in a dream, Joseph was in real pain. Mysteriously, God allowed it. Even worse, it seems God wove this detail into his divine plan, knowing the risk, shock, and steps Joseph would have to take in order to bring Christ safely into this world.
Joseph would have to journey from being an unsuspecting participant in salvation history to an active one. He would have to embrace the very thing he feared – scandal.
So much for karma.
Poor Joseph.
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His heartache and doubt ran so deep that he, too, needed divine intervention in order to accept God’s plan. As he goes to sleep that providential night, Joseph does so experiencing what other Saints have called, “a dark night of the soul.”
The belief or feeling that God has abandoned you.
So, the angel appears to Joseph in a dream, while he is defenseless. When sleeping, we cannot fight back, yell, question, or argue with God. We can only listen and receive.
Fortunately, Joseph awakens as a different man with his plans to divorce Mary foiled by grace. But his “yes” also speaks volumes about his faith, his character, and his conviction.
Even when he felt freshly betrayed – not only by his bride, but also by God – Joseph was willing to change directions and pivot into the unknown.
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No wonder the angel’s first words to Joseph were, “do not be afraid.” Similar words appear in the Bible more than 300 times, making them, perhaps, the most common words God uses when speaking to humanity.
“Do not be afraid.”
Do not be afraid when God’s plans for your life look entirely different than yours. Do not be afraid when you don’t understand certain life events, when others don’t understand, or when the only foundation you have to stand upon is an angel consoling you in a dream.
Do not be afraid to accept unwanted people into your life, to love someone, even your child, who enters this world unexpectedly, or who turns out to be different than you had hoped or imagined.
Do not be afraid to risk your reputation, to be changed by grace, to open your heart and home to people who challenge you, or to let others take center stage.
Do not be afraid to surrender to mystery, to accept what appears to be scandal, or to challenge your understanding of God.
Do not divorce yourself from the mess. Embrace it.
That may be the very place where God is found.
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Joseph’s story of heartbreak, surprise, surrender, and triumphant faith is also our story… Like him, we seek to live upright lives, we desire to do God’s will. But we can also struggle to understand. As God says through the prophet Isaiah, “My ways are not your ways.”
This Christmas may God grant us the grace to embrace the unknown, to pivot into mystery, to welcome the Christ-child – and his plans – into our lives.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
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Image credits: (1) The Dream of Saint Joseph, Philippe de Campaigne (2) Fontanini Sleeping Saint Joseph (3) Saint Joseph and the Christ Child, Guido Reni