Fourth Sunday of Advent
Mt 1: 18-24
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 fulfill 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,
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Accepting the Unplanned
In our Gospel today, Joseph hears the voice of an angel in a dream calling him to accept Mary into his home. Joseph was planning to divorce Mary quietly, but after this dream he takes on the unexpected task of helping to raise the prophesied Messiah. This was not what Joseph imagined for his life. This was not the plan. And yet, Scripture tells us that he embraced his role in our salvation story, trusting and following a voice from a dream.
Clearly, Joseph had courage and faith. All of us are called in our own way to be like Joseph, to accept that God has a will for us beyond our plans, beyond the future that we imagine for ourselves. At times we are called to embrace the unexpected and to follow the voices of the angels speaking in the silent movements of our hearts.
—Fr. Louis Hotop, SJ, serves in ministry to migrants in the Brownsville (Texas) Diocese on the U.S.-Mexico border. He is a member of the Jesuits USA Central and Southern Province.
Prayer
Help me, Lord, to be open to your call even at unexpected times. Give me a heart like Joseph – understanding, courageous, and generous – so that I may be ready to do your will. Amen.
—Fr. Louis Hotop, SJ