Saint Joseph, a model of listening

Gospel of the Day (Matthew 1:18-24)

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.

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Reflections:

Saint Joseph, a model of listening

The silence of Saint Joseph is a silence drawn from his contemplation of the mystery of God in an attitude of complete availability to the divine will. In other words, Saint Joseph's silence is not a sign of interior emptiness but, to the contrary, of the fullness of the faith he carries in his heart and that guides each of his thoughts and actions. It is a silence due to which Joseph, together with Mary, keeps the Word of God made known through the Holy Scriptures while confronting them all the time with the events of Jesus' life. It is a silence woven of constant prayer, of prayer blessing the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of total trust in his providence.

Let us allow ourselves to be «infected» by Saint Joseph's silence! We have such need of it in a world that is often far too noisy, unsupportive of listening in recollection to the voice of God. At this time, as we prepare for Christmas, let us cultivate an interior recollection that we may welcome and keep Jesus in our lives.