"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." Mt 1:24
How many of us would be willing to listen to a dream and take a pregnant woman into our homes as our wife? Joseph did and 2000 years later we continue to ask what kind of faith he had that enabled him to do this.
Joseph must have been a prayerful man accustomed to quiet reflection and a centered Jewish life. Nothing else makes sense. It would not have surprised us to learn that Joseph completely rejected Mary for being pregnant by another man, but this is not the case. Matthew's gospel assures us that before his dream Joseph was prepared to put Mary aside quietly, to divorce her without much rancor or vindictiveness, and after the dream he welcomes her, lives with her, leads her, nearing the end of her pregnancy, to his own town in order to register with the Roman authorities.
In his submission to the God of his dreams Joseph becomes an icon of obedience and submission, and a challenge to all of us who are tested by life's twists and turns and tempted, in our pain, to turn away from God, family and faith. That Joseph accepts a role about which he knew little because he was convinced that God was asking him for the total gift of his life reminds all of us not to be afraid, but to seek in prayer and reflection what it is that God has planned for us.
Today, accept life as it unfolds.
What helps you accept life's changes and upsets?
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