 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. " All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us."
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
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Reflection:
I wonder how my parents-in-law must have felt when my wife and I announced that we want to get married . They said; 'Ok, let's do it later in the year'. But I said, 'No it must be done as soon as possible'. Their faces were in a complete surprise and they asked me why. In a shy but dignified voice I said; ' Your daughter is already pregnant!'
They were in silence afterwards. I look downward waiting for yell and punch from an angry parents for doing such a thing to their beloved and eldest daughter. Luckily, I never received any angry reactions from them. But in humility and acceptance of my fault, I apologized to them and beg for forgiveness. I love their daughter very much that I will do anything to keep her away from disgrace and scandal.
In the gospel, we heard the story of Joseph who was bethrode to Mary. In Jewish custom, if you are bethrode to somebody, you must be pure until the day of your marriage. This never happened to Joseph. Mary must have told him that she is pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
If you will put yourself in Joseph's situation what would be your initial reaction? Of course you'll get angry or do anything harmful to get even. That's the worst thing that could ever happen to a man bound for marriage. But Joseph's different. He's not a violent man and still consider the fate of Mary. In Jewish tradition, if you are found guilty of a relationship out of wedlock, you will be stoned to death. This is a street justice that doesn'nt require judicial proceedings to proved innocence. It's the Law of Moses and Joseph must have had that in mind. Being an upright man, He decided to divorced Mary silently.
In the end, God send an angel to Joseph in a dream to explain all this things to him. The angel enlightened Joseph about these things and that he is bound to partake in the redemptive mission of his son to be. He must protect Mary at all cost as like protecting God himself.
Sometimes, we have so many questions about things that happened in our lives. Our impulses, many times, led us to do unrightful things on ourselves and others. We always come out with the wrong decisions that in the end we always regret. We do acts without careful thinking. The gospel invites us to be more rational like Saint Joseph. Doing things according to God's will. Be patient and seek God's wisdom through prayers.
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