Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25
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. 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. He had no relations with her until she bore a son and he
named him Jesus.
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Reflection:
What would
have happened if Joseph did not listen to the angel of God?
Mary could have died violently by way of stoning
because, during that time, death by stoning was the punishment for those caught
cheating on their betrothed husband. But Joseph listened to the voice of the
angel of God, who told him that the fruit of Mary’s womb was brought to her by
the Holy Spirit.
We see humility in Joseph, we see obedience and love
for God in Joseph and we also see the great love of Joseph for Mary. Deep in
his heart Joseph loved Mary to the deepest core of his being. Mary was his
everything so to speak and Joseph loved Mary more than his life. If Joseph did
not love Mary more than his life, he could have easily left Mary and told the
authorities about her out of wedlock pregnancy.
Aside from Joseph’s love for Mary, Joseph also loved
God for if he did not love God he could have simply brushed aside the angel of
God and move on with his plan of divorcing Mary. But Joseph loved God this is
the reason why he listened to the voice of God coursed through an Angel.
In the Sacrament of Matrimony the voice of
God is an ever present guiding light that couples must always follow. God tells
the couples to stay with the Marriage covenant no matter the challenges until
mortal death breaks it. Of course no marriage is made in heaven, husbands and wives
have their own shortcomings.
However, if couples would make the humility, the
commitment, the love of God and the holiness of both Joseph and Mary their role
model in their married life. There would be no divorce; no deception and
lies.
What would remain is love, love that is humble, love that is truthful and love that is forgiving and eternal. – Marino J. Dasmarinas
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