(I used the readings from the Mass During the Day except for the Gospel, substituting Mt. 1:18-25 from the Vigil Mass)
It was such a difficult and stressful time. Surrounded by a ruthless enemy who was interested only in taking advantage of them and swooping down without warning to terrorize them and their families, life was very hard. Oh, to be free from this menace.
This description could apply for all of us today as we continue to be surrounded by our enemy, the coronavirus, but it also describes the world of Joseph and Mary, a young couple living in a little village in a distant outpost of their enemy, the powerful and ruthless Roman Empire. They were young, though, and determined to live their lives as best as they could, given the circumstances. They were betrothed and planning their marriage. They were probably hoping to have some children and care for them and each other, content with their simple, uncomplicated lives.
And then, as we heard in this morning’s Gospel, God throws them a real curveball. Mary is found to be with child through the power of the Holy Spirit – how is that possible? And, we hear the angel Gabriel instruct Joseph to take her into his home and name her child, thus making the child his own. Well, that certainly changed their plans. But, as we all know, God’s plans are greater than we can ever imagine. As we hear in today’s Gospel, he is “God with us,” sent to save his people. It is a story familiar to us all but one that I invite you to hear differently this year. It is a story of Joseph and Mary putting their trust in God, putting their plans aside and generously cooperating in God’s plan – unusual and challenging as it may be. After all, it would lead to salvation for all of us.
Over these past several months, we have all been challenged to put our trust in God, too. We’ve had to put so many of our plans aside and accept God’s plan. So, what is God’s plan for us? It’s no different from God’s plan for Joseph and Mary. They were to remain strong in their trust in God and in their vocation – in their case, as for most of you, it was marriage. And, it was due to their strong faith in God – and their willingness to listen to him with a humble, open heart – that they could follow his path for them rather than their own. It was in living out their vocation of marriage that they would raise their son and prepare him for his great work. Remember, although he was truly God, Jesus was also truly man and we hear in the Gospel of Luke that, like all of us, he had to grow in wisdom and age and favor before God and man. Joseph and Mary would be his first teachers, as you parents are the first teachers of your children in all things, including your faith.
So, how does this pandemic help us to grow in wisdom and favor before God and man? It has certainly thrown us a curveball, forcing us to change the way we live and work, keeping us from family and friends, making extra precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy. But, it has also given us the opportunity to listen more carefully to God and be more attentive to his plan for us. For many of us, prayer has led us to humbly submit to God’s will in new ways. Family and friends have become even more precious – after all, absence makes the heart grow fonder. And, for those in our own households, rather than just being like ships passing in the night, we’ve had time around the dinner table or on walks in the neighborhood to appreciate how important they are to us. Maybe, when this is all over, we will have reordered our lives to reflect our newfound awareness of the fragility of this life and the blessed hope we have – through our Lord, Jesus, whose birth we celebrate once more – in an eternal life where there is no sadness or death but only endless joy in God’s loving embrace.
As we prepare to begin a New Year in God’s grace, encouraged by the light at the end of the tunnel that the vaccines offer us, let us remember that Jesus is the True Light who, as we hear in today’s second reading, is the refulgence of God’s glory. Let us continue to open our hearts and minds to God, as Joseph and Mary did, to listen to his will for us. Then, like Joseph and Mary who submitted to God’s will for them and, in doing so, helped to bring God’s greatest gift of himself into the world, we will continue to make God present in the world that so desperately needs him.
Christmas is a time for us to reflect on this great gift – this wondrous surprise which still is among us today, Emmanuel, now in the form of bread and wine that will soon become our Lord’s life-giving Body and Blood. Are we open to listening to God and humble enough to accept God’s will in our lives? After all, Jesus came among us to lead us back to his heavenly Father. And, he has called each of us – we who believe in him – to continue to lead one another back to God. But, we can do that only if we are ready for surprises and willing to put our plans aside, like Joseph and Mary were. Life will always have its challenges – they are presented to us to call us back to God – but God will always accompany us and give us the strength necessary to navigate through them. As we celebrate this great feast during this most unusual year, this is my prayer for all of us. Merry Christmas!