Meditations on Mercy - Fifth Sunday of Easter
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“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” Mt 1:20
The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Advent brings us the beautiful story of an angel’s midnight visit to Joseph. Through the angel’s message, God reveals to Joseph that Mary’s unexpected pregnancy is part of His Divine Plan. Although the Gospel never records a single word spoken by Joseph, his actions tell his story. This quiet, thoughtful man of faith responds without hesitation, becoming the husband of Mary and the foster father and protector of Jesus, the tiny baby who is Emmanuel: God-with-us.
Does he know what it all means? Perhaps, by the grace and gift of the Holy Spirit, he does. But more likely, he simply acts in faith to fulfill the role of father, husband, protector, and provider. From this moment on, his life will be filled with miracles and mysteries – and sometimes with terror. The child Jesus will be hated and hunted by kings and armies, and Joseph will be charged (again in a dream) with keeping him safe. Without hesitation, he will rise in the middle of the night to flee to Egypt, a foreign land, to protect them. And again without question, he will return his little family to Nazareth when the angel tells him it is safe (cf Mt. 2).
Just as Mary serves as an inspiration and model for women, Joseph’s listening heart and faithful action lights the way for men. God in His mercy became man, entering into human history to bring us to salvation. How humble and perfect that He chose to come, not as a warrior or king, but as a little child in a human family, thus showing us how we are to live in this world; how to be mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, so that we might be prepared to someday enter into God’s heavenly family in eternity.
Born and raised in a faithful Catholic family, I wandered far from my faith for nearly two decades. Through the infinite mercy of Christ and His Church, I found my way back home to the Catholic Church in the early 90s, and began a path of rediscovery of the beauty and truth of the Catholic faith, eventually earning a Bachelor's degree in Christian Tradition. A stay-at-home Mom for many years, my Church ministries grew to include teaching Catechism and First Eucharist classes, writing and facilitating retreats for healing after abortion, and becoming active in pro-life work with our local 40 Days for Life campaign in the Tri-Cities, Washington as an organizer, participant, speaker, and writer. My desire to share the greatest gift of my life, Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and His Divine Mercy, has found expression in my writing. My articles have been published locally in the Tri-City Herald's Spiritual Life and editorial columns; in the Carmelite Digest; Celebrate Life magazine; and recently in the National Catholic Register.
Links to these articles and more can be found on my blog at http://www.catholicethics.blogspot.com/. My Catholic Ethics page is on Facebook at:https://www.facebook.com/CatholicEthics.
