St. Joseph, the Silent Character in the Mystery of Incarnation

Fourth Sunday of Advent – 22 December 2019

Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24

The event of Annunciation is always associated with Mary, the feast of which is celebrated on 25 March every year.  What we heard in the Gospel just now is also the event of Annunciation, the recipient of the Good News this time being St. Joseph.  The Mystery of Incarnation cannot be understood fully without the person of St. Joseph. Our preparation for the event of Christmas is not complete without a reflection on the exemplary and inspiring St. Joseph.

In as much as Angel Gabriel, Mary of Nazareth and John the Baptist are the integral figures of the Nativity of Jesus our Lord, St. Joseph too is an essential person whose role we cannot ignore. This is the reason, as just a few days before the Solemnity of Christmas, St. Joseph is presented to us for our reflection.

The Gospel writer before narrating the details of the Annunciation event, describes the character of St. Joseph. Who is St. Joseph? Joseph is the husband of Mary. Joseph is a righteous man. Joseph does not want to put Mary to Shame. Joseph wants to divorce Mary quietly. What a positive description of St. Joseph here! I think, there could not have been a better human foster Father for Jesus that St. Joseph and no wonder why God’s favourable sight descended on St. Joseph.

Dwelling a little on these positive characteristics of St. Joseph, let us see what makes him so great a saint and a fitting person to be the Foster Father of Jesus on this earth. Joseph is a righteous man. Not just in words! The Gospel author explains the ‘righteous character’ of Joseph. Completely unaware of God’s divine intervention in the life of Mary, Joseph concludes that there is something that has happened in the life of Mary that he does not know. So, what does he do? He does not call the public and cry aloud about Mary bearing a child. He does not call her names and tarnish her character.  He takes care to see that he brings no shame on Mary. He wants to move out quietly.  Is he not a gem of a character full of purity?

What could have been our reaction in the event of finding ourselves in a similar situation as that of St. Joseph? Are we quick to pass judgement on the character of the other? Are we hasty with our accusations?  Are we swift in creating rumours and spread the same? Are we careless in calling names and ruining the image of the other?  Do we take delight in putting someone else to shame? Do we show any restraint when it comes to ‘ill-talk’ about the other? Look at St. Joseph, one who could have done all of these, takes a path less travelled – a path of righteousness.

The angel of the lord announces to St. Joseph the Good News of Jesus’ birth through Mary our Mother as willed by God. What is St. Joseph actually doing? He is sleeping. It is in a dream that St. Joseph hears from the angel. Having become a worried person about what is happening to his marriage with Mary, he sleeps taking his worries to the Lord in Prayer. The situation of Mary with a child does not make sense to St. Joseph, he however does not become dejected but takes refuge in the Lord. It is because, his heart and mind were directed to the Lord, he was able to dream a dream that gives Joseph a sense of what is happening.

The first words that Joseph hears from the angel of the Lord is “Do not be afraid”.  Right words at the right time. How consoling and reassuring these words would have been to Joseph who was undergoing something he could not comprehend. The angel of the Lord went on the further to explain everything about Mary and about what Joseph needed to do.

What does Joseph teach us? All of us could have been in a similar situation of Joseph not able to make sense of what is happening in our life. In such circumstances it is easy to give up, it is easy to become frustrated and give into the pressures. St. Joseph remained calm. What calmed his troubled mind and heart was his trust in the Lord that He has the control of his life. He silently prays asking God to lead him and guide him. How soon do we give into dejection in the face of confusion and uncertainty? How trusting we are in God especially when thing do not go our way? How much do we believe that God is in control of our lives? Do we sharpen the ears of our heart to listen to God speaking? How courageous we are to allow God to lead us? Do we dare to realize the God’s dream for us which is to be his sons and daughters who will never let Him down?

Having heard the angel of the Lord, it is said in the Gospel, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. What a man of faithfulness! Once he knew this is what God wants of him, Joseph does not question, does not find short cut, does not complain but simply and faithfully carries the words of God in his life. It is fulfilling God’s will , God’s plan and God’s wish, Joseph finds the meaning of life and happiness in life. He does not bother what the world will say of him, what his peers will speak about him, he does not bother what his future is but surrenders completely before God’s will.

In the scale of one to ten, what is the rate of our faithfulness to God in every aspect of our life? Let us take time to answer: In the scale of one to ten, what is the rate of our faithfulness to God in every aspect of our life? None can refute the fact that Joseph scores 10 out of 10! What about me? There are so many things that the Lord has commanded me – have I carried them all out in my life. Where does my happiness lie? Where do I find the meaning of life – in God or where else?

It is interesting that St. Joseph comes across in the scripture as a man of no words – quite and silent! Even in this passage of Annunciation, there is hardly any word that Joseph speaks in contrast to Mary who in fact converses with the Angel and Jesus our Lord. St. Joseph is simply a man of silence. Yes. Words do not define Joseph but his actions, what he did and how faithfully he lived his life. Joseph chose to be silent but chose to live an action-packed life. What matters the most in life is the action – what we do with our life, how we listen to God’s word and how we fulfil God’s plan in our life.

We need the mind and heart of St. Joseph as we await the Lord’s coming not just in this Christmas which is remembering the Bethlehem-event but the Second Coming of Jesus wherein we shall give an account of our life lived on this earth. The righteousness of Joseph, the silence of St. Joseph, the dreaming of St. Joseph, the courage of St. Joseph and the faithfulness of St. Joseph are what we need for our life, against which, we need to judge our life as Christians!

St. Joseph did what he had to – faithfully without a compromise -for the first Christmas- Jesus to be born. Can I do what I have to, Can you do what you have to – to let Jesus be born in our hearts and in our lives so that we too may be beside the babe of Bethlehem beholding the face of the Divine just as Joseph in the stable.