Fear Not

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.”
When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, an unsung hero. He had to take on the shame and ridicule of the community, become an exile, sheltering and raising the son of God. The Creator trusted this humble and loving man with the greatest gift ever. A child for all the world. He put his life on the line, day after day, with little mention or regard. Humble and devoted, he took one step after another, despite dangers around every corner. He protected and honored Mary and her child, and in so doing, made all of us children of the living Creator.

We read the opening part of Matthew's Gospel and hear of the angelic visit to Joseph. He must have been a wreck and overwhelmed by Mary's unprecedented news of her pregnancy. He ached to do right by her, but was terrified by the shame, derision and abuse that was ahead for them both. God intervened and gave Joseph the vision and strength for his life going forward. Nothing would be the same after that night. We too, are in times of such unprecedented challenges. We are invited to imagine that God will give us a vision for the days coming and the strength to go forward.

Today, I ask God to give me the vision and strength to move ahead, step by step, in these uncharted times. May we hold each other in prayer and expect the strength we need, following the good example of Joseph and all the saints before us.