Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. As a righteous man, we are told in today's Gospel, Matthew 1: 16, 18-21, 24a, Joseph faced the dilemma of Mary, his betrothed one, being pregnant outside of their living together as husband and wife. He was struggling with how to respond and decided to divorce her quietly so as not to shame her publicly when, in sleep, an angel appeared to him 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" (Mt. 1: 18-21). Joseph carried out the angel's request, risking his personal reputation in the process, just as Jesus risked His reputation for us throughout His ministry and in His being put to death by leaders of the Israelite nation, who, not understanding Jesus' Kingdom, were afraid that he would would usurp their power and authority. Threatened by Jesus' popularity, he was crucified, as were others who disturbed their positions!
How often do I, or you, take positions that may put us in a bad light, diminish our influence for the good we seek or our desire to spare others any public shaming? Do we, like Joseph, follow the promptings of the Spirit or of our guardian angels, to make certain difficult choices that, otherwise, we are not considering?
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