St Matthew 1: 18 – 25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’,
which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Reflection
Joseph is rather a shadowy figure in the Bible. In Matthew’s gospel he appears in the stories at the time of Jesus’s birth, and again when Herod dies, and he has a dream about returning from Egypt. In Luke’s gospel, he is also mentioned when Jesus goes missing in the temple. He never speaks, but receives messages in dreams and obeys each one. We don’t know what he thinks or says.
I have a lot of sympathy for him. Betrothed to Mary, he is devastated to find that she is expecting a child that isn’t his. While considering how to end the betrothal, he dreams of an angel telling him to marry Mary because the child is from the Holy Spirit– and he is obedient. But I can’t help thinking that there were times when he wondered if it was true.
I imagine Joseph, left alone with the baby in the middle of the night after the shepherds had left, while Mary slept. Responding to the child’s cries, he picks him up and cradles him in his arms. The events of the last few months have been overwhelming: the betrothal, the pregnancy, the dream from God, the birth, the shepherds… Could this tiny vulnerable baby really be the Son of God? Why would God choose Mary and Joseph to be parents to His Son? Could Joseph be a good father to a child that was not his? So many questions!
I see Joseph looking at Jesus and sensing the love and peace of God – the deepest experience of love that he had ever had. What had seemed unbelievable he now recognised as truth. Joseph believed.
Finally, I see Joseph praying to God from his heart – perhaps for the very first time. He prayed for the strength to be the father on earth that Jesus needed as he grew. And Joseph fell in love with his Son.
Prayer
Help us, like Joseph, to see the baby in the manger and recognise the deep peace and love of God, coming into our lives. Help us to be open to your word, coming to us in our dreams or in our listening, so that we can recognise your plan for our lives. Help us to receive Your love and to share it with all those around us this Christmas time. Amen