Gospel of 19 March 2020
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Matthew 1:16,18-21,24
How Jesus Christ came to be born
Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the 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 she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.
Reflexion
Covid 19 is officially a world-wide pandemic, if you didn’t know. It’s the reason why our offices, schools, malls, churches and practically everything that matters have been shut down. Rumours and eventually confirmed news of a partial lock-down resulted in a frenzy of stripping stores of fresh and canned food stuffs, cleaning liquids, what ever is left of hand sanitisers, instant noodles, toilet paper and bottled water.
A challenging consequence of media reporting, inherent fear, and looming possibilities is wretched insomnia. You want to sleep, you need to sleep to keep your immunities up, but your mind is racing, and sleep eludes you. I must confess that I’ve been having interrupted sleep at night and no rest during the day. The numbers of confirmed infected patients keep piling up to the point of madness and now our country is in a virtual lockdown except in name.
That is why we should find great inspiration and comfort from the Saint we celebrate today. He’s none other than St Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patron and protector of the Universal Church. If a meme could be created to give us comfort during these trying times, it should be this: “Keep Calm because St Joseph is sleeping whilst God is working.”
In today’s gospel, St Joseph had a gut-wrenching decision to make. And the story of Christmas, hangs on this very decision just like it hung on the decision of Mary at the Annunciation. Upon the discovery that she was with child, the paternity of the child unknown, he was faced with a dilemma: is he to marry Mary or not?
If he married Mary, he would, either admit to being the baby’s father (a dishonourable option) or he would be shamed by her “indiscretion.” If he chose to divorce Mary with charges of adultery, he would put her life in danger because adultery was punishable by death. But, if he divorced her without charges of adultery, he could possibly save his reputation and save Mary’s life by shaming the “real” father into marrying her. That is the decision he settled on. Being a carpenter, Joseph believed that he could fix this mess. Typically like other men, he chose to solve the problem on his own. However, before he acts on it – he sleeps on it! And as he sleeps, God begins to work.
Is it possible that going to sleep can be an act of faith? I would like to remind the congregation that sleeping in church doesn’t count. So, please don’t get any funny ideas. But in the case of St Joseph, it is. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis said this of St Joseph, patron of the universal Church: “Sleeping, he looks after the Church.” “Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will to him.” Sleep is a form of surrender, an admission that we do not have all the answers, a recognition that only God can point us in the right direction.
To surrender to sleep is to admit that it is not always possible for us to fix things or problems. This pandemic that we are facing is one such example. The irony is clear: you have to surrender control to provide the space for God to take control. It is only when all our defenses are down, when our ego is dethroned, then and only then are we ready to listen.
The gospel tells us that Joseph slept and he dreamt; and in his dream, the Lord helps him to see everything in perspective. Joseph may have lost his own big dreams but then he discovered, God’s greater dream for mankind, the salvation of humanity.
The message of Joseph, so silently delivered with eyes closed, is that one can always find rest. We can rest because there is Someone who never sleeps—Someone to take care of what we have to leave for a while, to guard us, and to be a light in the night. Just as a child is able to sleep soundly because he knows that his mother watches over him. Man sleeps, yes! but God never sleeps....... And only God can make possible what seems impossible; only He can truly fix what has been broken beyond repair. That is our greatest consolation and strength.