God promised Abraham that he would he would be made the father of many nations. Paul reminds us in the first reading of today's liturgy, Romans 4: 13, 16-18, 22, that it "was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes through faith." In the Gospel, Matthew 1: 16, 18-21, 24a, Matthew calls Joseph a righteous man. Joseph, in faith, takes Mary home to be his wife after an angel appears to him in his sleep and says to him: "'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.'"
We, too, are made righteous, not through the law, but through our faith in Christ Jesus and in the Spirit leading us through life's challenges. Our faith may be tested many times, as was Abraham's when asked to sacrifice his son Isaac and as was Joseph's in discovering Mary's pregnancy, deciding to divorce her privately, and asked by he angel to not let fear dictate his choices. We may find ourselves in many dilemmas, as did Mary and Joseph, as we follow God's will throughout our lifetimes. To triumph over fears that could block us from following the Spirit's lead, we, like Mary and Joseph, need to recognize God-with-us and develop an intimacy with Jesus.
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