“There must be a time of day when the man who makes plans forgets his plans and acts as if he had no plans at all.” (Thomas Merton; No Man is An Island, cited by Gerard Straub: Falling Silent).
In next Sunday’s gospel (Matthew 1:18-25) Joseph is centerstage. He appears to be at that momentous “time of day” when plans get changed to “no plans,” but simply God’s will! Seemingly in control of his plan, he thought he would marry Mary, his betrothed, and move her into his home when he chose to do so. Then his plan got thwarted. Joseph discovered that his betrothed was pregnant prior to their sexual union. Did she commit adultery? If she did, she would be publicly stoned. But being a “righteous man,” Joseph’s new plan was to discretely divorce Mary. Then he was surprised by God’s glorious intervention.
An unnamed angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and presented him with an incredible, life-changing challenge. Can you, Joseph, trust that Mary’s pregnancy is the action of our Divine God and not human sexual activity? Can you trust that through Mary’s pregnancy our transcendent God is intervening in humanity’s history in a new, powerful way? Can you trust in the nearness of the prophetic promise; “the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel”? Can you trust that our Divine God will through Mary, come in human form as “God with us”? If Joseph could imagine these incredible possibilities, then he would heed the angel’s word, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.”
Presented with this sacred vocation, Joseph humbly said yes to God. In his yes, we see an intermingling of God’s action and Joseph’s faith. God who chose Mary to bear the Christ child, chose Joseph to be the earthly father. God knew their faith. When the angel, Gabriel, appeared to Mary and announced she would be the bearer of the Christ-child, Mary submissively responded, “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38). Joseph spoke no words of assent but demonstrated his interior trust by his external obedience to God. Courageously, “he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife ...” Our life of faith is expressed more powerfully in our actions than words only.
By Joseph’s humble trust and submission, God used him to point toward the breaking-in of the New Covenant. If Joseph, motivated by a compassionate heart, defied the legalistic Old Covenant law, how much more would the coming of the Incarnate Christ express God’s New Covenant relationship of love, mercy, and grace! By His Incarnation, we are opened to the gift of eternal salvation for He is unconditional love. Ironically, Joseph, the carpenter by trade later taught Jesus how to build with wood and nail. These same implements were later used to build the cross on which Jesus sacrificially gave His life in love. God’s ways and God’s plans are wiser than our own. They are perfect!
As we celebrate the fourth Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of LOVE. May we not only trust that there is “a God,” but submissively entrust our lives to God and God’s plans. God loves us with an everlasting love and as we trust God, we experience true Advent hope, peace, joy, and LOVE! Amen.
