December 18/Third Thursday of Advent
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. ~ Matt. 1.24
What is God asking of me? This is one of the central questions we may put forward in prayer, as we listen in the still silence for the voice of God in our lives. Often, we find that God’s plan is well underway well before we have grasped it: human comprehension lags behind divine implementation! And the divine plan, when we do see it emerging, doesn’t always suit us. We want to conquer cities: God gives us a village. We aspire to hit home runs; God asks us to bunt to advance another player. We want to live a quiet life out of the fray; God drags us into the beehive of civic, professional, or ministerial activity. In today’s Gospel, Joseph simply wished to extricate himself from a complicated situation that he had not asked for: Mary’s unexpected and untimely pregnancy. He came up with a plan that he thought would spare both Mary and him great embarrassment: a quiet parting of the ways rather than a public divorce, to which he was entitled by Jewish law. But God had a different idea, and communicated it to Joseph through a dream. The angel did not lay out every detail of what was to come; he interpreted Joseph’s marriage to Mary in the context of God’s saving work, and asked Joseph to play his part in that work. Being “a righteous man,” and trusting in God, Joseph heeded the divine command. So God operates in our lives, too, leading us in directions we do not always understand, and asking us to trust his guiding hand as He assigns us our unique role in the story of salvation.
Loving God, Shepherd me beyond my doubts and fears to take up the work you have assigned me. Amen.
For today’s readings, click here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121825.cfm
To hear “The Hands That First Held Mary’s Child” (words by Thomas Troeger, music by Daniel Forrest), click here for audio and lyrics, which are worth a look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dXR4Flt-zY&list=RD6dXR4Flt-zY&start_radio=1
