"HUMBLE JOSEPH"
(a
reflection on Matthew 1:18-24, 4th Advent A)
by: Deacon Paul
Rooney
Joseph’s
response to God can lead us in many, many directions, but today I would like to
focus on just two points. The context,
of course, is Joseph’s humble submission of his will to God’s will in all
things, which is what one would expect of someone called "righteous."
There
is a Dominican mystic from the 14th century that is often quoted,
because his words capture so well our own participation in this process of
submitting to God's will. His name is
Meister Eckhart, and he asks the questions that we all ought to consider. First he asks: “What good is it to me for the
Creator to give birth to his Son if I do not also give birth to him in my time and my culture?” Both Mary’s “Yes” (that brought Christ to
the world), and Joseph's "Yes" (that gave a perfect example of
unconditional trust in God)—those two events are not just “memory events” (such as recalling that Babe Ruth or Michael
Jordan set records to remember).
Instead, they ought to lead us to ponder how to imitate them: how can I
bring Christ to the daily world that I live in and participate in? Do I reflect Christ in what I say and do?
A
second question that Meister Eckhart asks: “What good is it to me if this eternal birth
of the divine Son . . . does not take place within myself?” When God comes to dwell within us at our
Baptism, we are empowered to live the Christ-life, one oriented to loving God
and Neighbor. Do I see that orientation in my own heart, or am I still oriented to selfishness? Do I humbly submit to all of the teachings of the Church, or do I pick and choose?
In
summary: like Joseph and Mary, have I truly given an unqualified “Yes” to Jesus in my own life? Is the submission of my will to God
unconditional?
St.
Joseph, patron of family life, pray for us!
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