Joseph

Today is the feast day of St. Joseph, husband of Mary.

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, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. - Matthew 1:18-25

We hardly know much about Joseph.  He is only briefly mentioned in Luke and John, and not at all in Mark, and we wouldn't know anything about him at all if it wasn't for Mary.

Joseph provides us with an example of how our lives intersect with God and His plans for the world.  He has no intention of being in the spotlight, and yet he finds himself dealing with a difficult decision.

I suspect that he would have been more than a little hurt and embarrassed that the young woman he chose for his wife would become pregnant.  And who would have thought that such a situation would be God's work?

Discovering that God's hand is in this doesn't make it any easier for Joseph.  When he accepts his role as protector of Mary and surrogate father of Jesus, it changes his life.

The story of Joseph indicates to me that all of us have a role to play in serving God and one another.  It may not be a central role, but more a supporting one, and yet it will change our lives and possibly our plans as well.

When Joseph says yes to God's plan, his work begins. 

We don't know how many times Joseph doubted he was doing the right thing, or if he wanted to quit and disappear.  These are the types of feelings we may have when called by God to do His work.

So, Joseph represents all of us who find ourselves close to God's work, not front and center, but on the sidelines, in supporting roles.  We too are important to bringing about change in the world.

Joseph reminds us to be open to saying yes to God, and when we have doubts, to rely on God for help.

So, let us be like Joseph today, and be eager to say yes to God.  It can and will change us.

More to come...