Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The story from Matthew that we read today seems like exactly the story that we need. What a model. Joseph thinks he knows what’s ahead. He is engaged to Mary and their wedding is approaching. I can imagine that he is feeling very good about all that. He has much to look forward to. Living with his wife, starting a family, watching that family mature. He might even have thought for a moment about years down the road when he and Mary would enjoy their grandchildren.
And then . . . he learns from Mary that she is pregnant. His fiancé—pregnant? What? Of course, that was a deal breaker. No marriage. No wedding. No children with Mary. No grandchildren. All that he had anticipated, all that he had looked forward to, suddenly, was gone. How absolutely heartbreaking. His whole future was remade in a moment with a word. Gone.
This story speaks to us now. I think of so many plans, anticipations, expectations.
College seniors—capstone experiences, living with their best friends for one more term, graduation.
College sports teams—NCAA tournaments. Huge hopes. Dashed dreams.
High school seniors—their final semester. Prom. Commencement.
Musical and dance recitals, soccer tournaments, baseball and softball tournaments, music concerts, musicals . . .
In all of this, it seems to me, we have much to learn from Joseph. In a moment, all of what he thought, expected, and hoped for was trashed. It was all in ruins. But then an angel of the Spirit intervened and said—no, you have it wrong. You don’t understand. Something else is underway. Something extraordinary. Something miraculous. And, to his credit (and this is the best part of the story, in my view) he went with it. He believed it.
I claim absolutely no knowledge as to what is underway right now. Everyday I wake up imagining I have some idea what’s going on. And by the end of the day, I learn that too much has changed.
That said, I do believe that God is in this with us. The Holy Spirit is in this with us. Jesus is in this with us. Our task is to be with them. To be as generous and forgiving and ridiculously loving as they are.
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.
That is my prayer. Oh, and one more—that we may love our neighbor as ourselves.
Good news, indeed!
- Sue Trollinger