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 discredit 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.”
All this happened in order to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: The virgin will
conceive and bear a son, and he will be called Emmanuel which means: God-with-us. When
Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his wife to
his home. He did not have any marital relations with her. When she gave birth to a son, Joseph
gave him the name of Jesus.
Reflect
In these final days of Advent, we turn our attention from the coming of the Lord and his kingdom
at the end of time to his coming to earth as a human being in his birth in Bethlehem. Our readings
look at the events leading up to Jesus’ birth. Today we hear the story of the angel’s announcement
to Joseph in a dream.
In a few short verses, Matthew tells us everything we need to know about Joseph so that he can
serve as a model for our own discipleship. Joseph is faithful to the covenant, following God’s Law
and living justly. He is kind, desiring to protect Mary’s reputation and save her from shame.
Joseph is attentive to the Lord, listening for his word. Joseph is a man of action, following the
angel’s instructions without delay, selflessly accepting Mary and Jesus into his home with love and
compassion. May we, like Joseph, strive to be righteous, faithful, kind, attentive, and compassionate
so that we can make Christ a home in our hearts.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023