his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was
found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man,
and in no way did he want to disgrace her.
While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived
by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his
people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.
Reflect
In all of Scripture, no words are attributed to Saint Joseph, even in these readings for his feast
day. But, silent or not, Joseph is an excellent model for everyone who wants to follow a godly
path.
First, Joseph remains open to God’s action in his life and is receptive to what God asks of him.
Second, Joseph listens to the Lord, attentive and responsive. Finally, Joseph actually does what
God asks him to do, from creating a home for Mary and Jesus in Nazareth to fleeing to Egypt to
protect them from Herod’s plans to kill the holy child.
We can – and should – follow Joseph’s example. We can create space in our lives
to rest in silence, listening for the voice of God. Creating space to listen may require
more effort than we expect in our noise-drenched world. Having listened with attention
and openness, we can ask God for the courage and grace we need to do what he asks of us.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023