The Fourth Sunday of Advent

At Christmas time we hear a lot about the birth of the baby Jesus and of his mother, Mary. However, we know very little about Jesus earthly father, Joseph, because little is written about him. We know that Joseph was a descendant of the royal line of David. We know that he was the husband of Mary, and was a righteous man of good character, a carpenter by profession. We know that Joseph instructed Jesus in the trade of carpentry. Joseph, Mary and Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem each year for the Passover celebration.

Matthew 1: 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel^] (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

From the time the angel appeared to Joseph I am sure he knew that Jesus was to be special, and Joseph being the kind of man he was, he was obedient to God's word and was willing to follow God's leading. It must have been very difficult for Joseph to feel any joy when he got the news about Mary being with child. At the least, it would have exposed him to public embarrassment and ridicule; and it could have had religious repercussions.

Being a kind and compassionate man who loved Mary and not wishing to subject her to public humiliation he decided to get out of the situation by divorcing Mary quietly with a minimum of disgrace. Then something happened, an Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream telling him not to be afraid to marry Mary. Joseph obeyed the angel’s instruction; and with Mary, set out on the journey to Bethlehem to sign up for the Roman census.

While there the time came for the baby to be born in Bethlehem thus fulfilling the prophesy of Micah 5:2. Did Joseph feel joy knowing the baby was not his? Was he frightened by the awesome responsibility thrust upon him? We don't know because so little is written about Joseph. We don't even know how long he lived, although most bible scholars believe he died before Jesus began his public ministry.

There is no further mention of Joseph in the word except for the passage when Jesus stayed behind at the Temple when he was twelve years of age.

This we do know, Joseph obeyed God. He protected his wife and newborn child. Jesus needed an earthly father in his life to teach and guide him in the ways of the world. His heavenly mission would begin later, however he needed that earthly father to protect him. That man was Joseph.

This Christmas, as we put up our decorations and set up our nativities or see other reminders of the Holy Family, let's offer a prayer of gratitude for Joseph. Let’s give thanks that there are people like Joseph who will follow God's word, even if it is hard and may cause public embarrassment or humility. Do you have a strong enough faith to follow God’s leading even though it may cause you public embarrassment or humiliation?