Matthew 1:18-23 NRSVue
18Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
“Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.”
Some thoughts on this scripture
Reflection
Jean Paul Sartre, in his Christmas play /Barjona/, tries to imagine Joseph in
Bethlehem: /I would not paint Joseph. I would show no more than a shadow at
the back of the stable, and two shining eyes. For I do not know what to say
about Joseph, and Joseph does not know what to say about himself. He adores,
and is happy to adore, and he feels himself slightly out of it. I believe he
suffers without admitting it. He suffers because he sees how much this woman
whom he loves resembles God; how she is already at the side of God. For God
has burst like a bomb into the intimacy of this family. Joseph and Mary are
separated for ever by this explosion of light. And I imagine that all through
his life Joseph will be learning to accept this./
Reflection
Joseph often seems a shadowy support role in the nativity scene. I spend some
time with him today, appreciating his integrity, valuing his ability to
discern and recognising that God gave him a message of encouragement.
Reflection
Joseph, although he had made up his mind, was prepared to let his dream
speak. I ask for the grace to be able to bring my decisions before God,
allowing my heart to be shaped and my mind to be changed.
Reflection
What do we know about St Joseph? That he loved Mary so much that he
suppressed his doubts about her chastity and allowed himself to be regarded
as the father of her child, knowing that he wasn't (when Jesus took the floor
in the Nazareth synagogue [Luke 4,22], the begrudgers remarked: /Is not this
the son of Joseph?/); that he brought up that child as his own, despite great
difficulties and dangers, particularly at the start; that he taught him his
trade; that he loved him; and that Jesus' virile health as an adult (physical
stamina, courage, strength of purpose and attractiveness to women, men and
children) is proof of good parenting by his foster-father. Joseph is the
obvious patron of adoptive fathers.
Reflection
The name of Jesus, ‘Emmanuel’ or ‘God is with us’ is like a mantra
which will be a name for Jesus. We can look at everything he does, and
everything that happens to him with these words echoing like a chorus or
featured like a backdrop behind him. Because of him we are all Emmanuel; God
is with us still in a special way because he was in Jesus in a special way.
We could look this day at everyone we meet and say ‘Emmanuel’.