Jacob was the father of
Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth
of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but
before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph
her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to
shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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.” When
Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his
wife into his home.
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My
Reflections:
When
Saint Joseph discovered that Mary was already pregnant he decided to quietly divorce
the Blessed Mother. Why quietly divorce? Why not broadcast it to their whole
community so that Mary will be embarrassed and severely punished by stoning to death.
Joseph decided
to quietly divorce Mary because deep in his heart he already loved the Blessed
Mother. Deep in his humble and righteous heart Joseph already loved the baby in
the womb of Mary. That is why Joseph wanted to quietly divorce Mary so that
Mary and the baby Jesus would avoid the punishment of death by stoning. But his
plan did not push through for the simple reason that Joseph listened to the
angel of the Lord. Who told him that the Blessed Mother conceived by the grace
of the Holy Spirit.
The love
that Saint Joseph exercised towards the Blessed Mother and the baby Jesus must
also be the love that we must always give to our family. We must at all times first
take into consideration the welfare of our family more than our own selfish
interest.
In his
heart Saint Joseph was always quietly praying for guidance and enlightenment. This may be
the reason why he never said a single word. He was always waiting for
the voice of God to tell him what to do during that critical moment of his
life. Humility,
selfless love, obedience and prayerful silence these are the values of Saint
Joseph.
Are we like Saint Joseph? Or do we have some of these values of Saint Joseph?
Are we like Saint Joseph? Or do we have some of these values of Saint Joseph?
