Advent is Joseph’s Story

 Advent is Joseph’s Story.

Joseph is a good, virtuous man, a righteous man… 

·      a man who didn’t want to disgrace his pregnant fiancee’. 

·      a man visited by an angel of the Lord in a dream three times.  

·      a man who cared for his wife as she gave birth to the son of God. 

·      a man who protected his Divine son by traveling to Egypt

Advent is Joseph’s Story.

I wonder what Joseph thought when he realized Mary was pregnant.  The marriage was likely arranged and while waiting to be married Mary lets him know she is carrying a child. He plans to be respectful of Mary and not disgrace her but definitely plans to set her aside rather than pretend the child is his until he is visited by an angel of the Lord in a dream. Joseph awoke from his dream and said “Yes!”  to God by taking Mary as his wife.

Have you ever encountered an angel in a dream?  That must have been awe inspiring and intense and somehow very comforting to Joseph.  I wonder if deep inside he thought “Why Me?  Really?  Me? I am just a regular guy.”  The thing is God knew his beautiful heart.  God entrusted God’s son to this human man.  So often we don’t see our worth in the same way that the Holy One sees our infinite worth.  Can you imagine the trust placed in Joseph?  Advent is Joseph’s story. 

I imagine Joseph’s face at the moment Mary gave birth to Jesus.  A moment filled with hope and promise, the moment Joseph met his son, God’s son, Mary’s son. In this grace-filled moment Joseph became a dad in the most human of ways.  He cared for Jesus, protected him, loved him.

Advent is Joseph’s story.

Matthew 1. The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah[i] 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. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
    and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son;[j] and he named him Jesus.

Matthew 2:13-23

The Escape to Egypt

13 Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 Then Joseph[a] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”…

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 20 “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” 21 Then Joseph[d] got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. 23 There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazorean.”

New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition