There are not too many places in the scriptures where Joseph makes an appearance, but today he gets the starring role. What we see in him is a man who loves Mary deeply but who is also a man of deep prayer. The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream (Mt 1:20). It's possible that such apparitions still happen today, but this very fact tells us that Joseph was a special person in the eyes of God. What follows is the proof.
The angel went on to explain to Joseph the special role that he and Mary would have: that they were to be the earthly parents of Jesus, who was destined to save his people from their sins (Mt 1:21). If any earthly voice would have shared this news with him, I'm sure he would have considered the news to be a rumour or part of some absurd plan, but when God speaks, we hear him at a level so deep within us that his words continue to resound in our hearts and his words fill us with a special joy that only he can give. Knowing that we are cooperating with God, we find a special energy, renewed purpose and we want to cooperate with him because even if others around us don't understand, we do.
Joseph teaches us by his life and his example that it is possible to give of ourselves entirely for the love of our God. He didn't need words to do this; having heard the words of the angel, he had all he needed. Perhaps we have known such an experience in our lives. Can we still hear those words echoing in our hearts? Perhaps someone we know or someone we will encounter today can inspire us to ponder the fact that God has a plan for each of us, and all of us together are part of a plan that is greater than any of us.
Have a great day.
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