Replies

GOSPEL COMMENTARY MT 1:18-24

Unimaginable surprises

Fr. Jack Peterson, YA

As we rapidly approach the end of our Advent journey to Bethlehem, we pause for a visit to Nazareth with St. Joseph. God’s grace flows like a powerful river, and it floods the house of “a righteous man” and prepares him for a most important role as the earthly head of the Holy Family.

This brief detour in Nazareth is riveted with drama and meaning because we hear that Joseph makes plans to divorce Mary quietly. The sacred Scriptures do not give us Joseph’s rationale for this decision. Perhaps Mary had not communicated the whole story to Joseph, especially regarding the Holy Spirit, and he is making a decision without knowing the whole truth. Or, maybe Joseph is overwhelmed by humility and does not feel worthy of the enormous responsibility of serving as the foster father to the Son of God. Or, it could be that he does not yet have the faith to accept the truth that Mary was indeed overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and carrying the word-made-flesh in her womb by a unique act of grace. For whatever reason, the carpenter makes plans to divorce Mary.

Our Father in heaven has a different plan, so He sends an angel who encourages St. Joseph to fear not and to take his wife, Mary, into his home. God personally calls Joseph this night to take a critical role in the marvelous plan of His saving work. God asks Joseph to be a husband to Mary, a foster father to Jesus and custodian of the Holy Family.

By God’s grace and the goodness that resides in his righteous heart, Joseph is obedient to God’s call. He does as the angel commands; he takes Mary under his roof. (Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof …). God’s plan proves to be wise, loving, grace-filled and precious beyond comprehension, and Joseph was privileged to be a part of that plan.

This great response to God’s grace takes place just a short time before the moment that would change the history of mankind for all eternity — the moment when the Virgin shall “bear a son, and shall name Him Emmanuel.” God is screaming to the whole world the importance of family. Mary needs a husband. Jesus needs a foster father. Joseph needs to fulfill his call to paternity according to God’s plan for him. Jesus would spend the next 30 years of His life preparing for His public ministry in the simple home of Nazareth where sacrificial love, humility, poverty of spirit and prayer were exalted and modeled.

Obedience is a door to grace, a wide-open door. On that fateful day, Joseph had other plans that were very reasonable from a human perspective. God had something else, a perfect mystery, in mind. By surrendering his will to the will of the Father, Joseph began a journey that would bring him and the world true joy, peace and eternal happiness.

This Advent, let’s pray to the Father and beg for the grace to imitate Joseph and his obedient heart. Let’s beg for the grace to trust that the Father’s perfect plan for our lives will bring us real happiness and an abiding sense of fulfillment, not offered by plans we develop on our own. Let us prepare for unexpected, unimaginable surprises from the Lord along the way.

St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, guardian of the Holy Family, obedient son of the Father, pray for us.

Fr. Peterson is assistant chaplain at Marymount University in Arlington and director of the Youth Apostles Institute in McLean.

The Work of God

Year A - Fourth Sunday of Advent

Emmanuel, God is with us

Matthew 1:18-24

18 Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.
19 Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.
20 But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying:
23 Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 And Joseph rising up from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife.

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Behold a virgin shall be with child, and bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means God with us.

God is with you, do you realize what this means? It means that I am with you, and indeed I will be with you until the end of times. For those who don’t accept my word it is hard to believe. I feel compassion for them since they are blind and don’t see with the eyes of the spirit. They rejected me even before I came, they rejected me when I became incarnate of the Blessed Virgin Mary my mother, and they still reject me now because their hearts are like rocks that harden more and more by their materialism.

God is Spirit, and the Spirit was clothed with the flesh of the Virgin Mary to give life to the world. I am Spirit, the living Spirit of God that has always existed. My name is I am, therefore I existed before creation and I will always exist, because I am the Eternal Spirit, the One who has created every thing that exists. I am existence itself. Nothing can have life unless I give it, I am life and I give life with love. I came to renew your lives, which were defiled by the consequences of the original sin of Adam and Eve; I have washed them pure with my blood so that they can share in my spirit.

I am the Eternal Spirit of God, the Power of creation, the Love that binds everything that I breathe upon. Without my spirit you are nothing, therefore come closer to me, drink from my spirit and live.

The times for the harvesting are approaching and just as I have said, Judgment will come upon everyone. Live your lives for the Kingdom that I am offering, where you will enjoy peace, love, joy, holiness, justice, truth and integrity. Don’t wait until you can live no more to become spiritual, open your hearts to my Kingdom now, and begin to enjoy the gift that I am offering everyone.

From all generations there have been souls who have opened their hearts to my call and have allowed my spirit to sanctify them. I desire to fill all of you abundantly with my spirit, I desire to transfigure your wretched bodies into perfect beings in the image of my divinity, I desire all of you to become like me.

But I can not act unless you let me enter your souls, you are temples of the spirit of God and yet your reject me, your are surrounded by material things and make them your desire and treasure, you become so materialistic that you harden your hearts and end up having false gods. This is my disappointment, but I take this opportunity to remind you once more of the importance to live just for me.

Desire me above all things, need me more than your own breath, desire to be filled with my Holy Spirit, to be sanctified by my holiness and to be transfigured and divinised by my love.

I will be very happy to listen to those who burn with desire for me, I will come running to listen to their prayers, I will answer the call of all those who love me.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary