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 be with child 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.
On this feast of the Nativity (Birth) of Mary I have added one more line to the gospel, which is neglected in the Lectionary: Joseph’s response to the Angel’s message. Unafraid, he took his wife into his home. No one should be afraid to take the Mother of Jesus into their heart or home.
I have often discovered that I thought I knew someone pretty well, until I met their family. Watching their interaction revealed a whole new understanding and appreciation of my friend.
I think of that marvelous accident a year or two ago, widely reported on social media and then in traditional news. A fellow -- a well-placed mucky-muck in an important government position -- working at home was making his report via teleconference, when his two small children burst screaming into the room. Right behind them came their mother who rushed them from the room. For a long moment the fellow didn’t know what to do; he had to collect himself and resume his report. But in the interval the world had seen a father and his children’s confident affection for him.
We might think we know Jesus but to know his human nature we have to appreciate his mother and her presence. Mary is never shown in the gospels as overbearing or controlling; there is in her no challenge or comparison to his singular authority. She doesn’t seem to be his mentor or teacher beyond the ordinary responsibilities of a mother.
But she is nonetheless a strong, self-confident person who appears at the beginning of his life, in the middle, at the end, and after his death and resurrection.
Some might argue she is simply a symbolic person but that might be said of anyone, even of Jesus. The mother of Jesus is not so easily dismissed.
In today’s gospel story, concerning Joseph’s dilemma and its resolution, Mary appears as a young woman in trouble. “Before they lived together, she was found with child…” But the congregation which hears this proclamation is immediately reassured, “…through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Whether she or anyone else knows that secret might not be clear. (The reader of Saint Luke’s Gospel, of course, knows but that is a different gospel and we’re looking at Saint Matthew’s.) The mystery is revealed to Joseph in a most unusual dream, a dream powerful and persuasive. Because he is Joseph in the mode of Joseph the Patriarch, he immediately knows the meaning of the dream. He hears the word of God and keeps it. He takes her into his home. In another Gospel, Jesus's beloved disciple will again take her into his home, which is precisely what the true disciple must do.
When I visit a Catholic family, seeing her statue in a corner or picture on the wall, I know immediately, Mary lives in this home.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.