Yes

Not far from Nazareth, the body of a young woman was found.

She had been about four months pregnant.

And evidently, that was her crime.

She had been killed by members of her family or her community.

Because she had brought dishonor upon them.

Barbaric as it may seem to us today, such killings were the accepted practice in ancient times.

And a practice that hasn’t been ended.

This incident near Nazareth took place in April of this year!

The United Nations estimates that there are more than 5,000 of these honor killings each year.

Perhaps many thousands more—many by stoning.

Fathers, uncles, brothers and other community members often join in the killing.

Most are committed in the Middle East.

But last year there were dozens right here in the United States.

In most countries, including Middle Eastern countries, these killing are now illegal.

But in some areas they’re still condoned because of strong cultural and religious traditions.

In First Century Israel such killings were sanctioned—even demanded—by the law.

Remember the woman caught in adultery and dragged to Jesus for judgment.

The law of the land called for her stoning.

With that background, Matthew’s words in today’s Gospel seem quite the understatement.

Joseph was unwilling to expose her to shame.

That could have been the shame of dying by public stoning.

It’s not clear how often the law was actually carried to that full extent.

But Joseph did have the right to demand that the law be enforced.

That punishment be meted out for the broken contract and the disrespect that he had suffered.

And that the community be ridded of the offender.

But Matthew tells us Joseph was a righteous man.

He was humble, he was compassionate, he valued mercy over justice.

His ego didn’t need to see Mary suffer extreme punishment to salve his wounded pride.

So, even while believing that she had done wrong, he decided to divorce her quietly.

To let the matter end there.

But then Gabriel came onto the scene.

Our recent Gospels show that Gabriel had been busy lining everything up.

He visited Zechariah some months earlier to announce the coming birth of John the Baptist.

He visited Mary just weeks earlier to secure her agreement to be the mother of Jesus.

And now he comes to Joseph in a dream.

And assures him that Mary had done no wrong.

That her child was conceived through the Holy Spirit.

We see from Joseph’s quick reaction that he was a man of strong faith.

A man who knew God well enough to hear Him and trust Him in this extraordinary situation.

He accepts the message from his dream and drops the divorce plan.

He continues with his marriage to Mary.

And takes on the responsibility of foster father, supporter, protector and teacher to her child.

This miraculous child who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and who would save his people.

We often hear of the importance of Mary’s Yes to God’s call.

If she had not said yes, where would we be today?

Would God have kept preparing and asking other young women?

Would any have yet said Yes?

Today we also see the importance of Joseph’s Yes.

If he had ignored Gabriel, where would we be?

Would God have quickly found another willing foster father?

Worse yet, what if Joseph had demanded strict enforcement of the law?

Would there have been a stoning?

But Joseph did say Yes.

And assumed his important role in salvation history.

Providing support and protection and care for Mary and Jesus.

Moving them away from the danger of Herod to the safety of Egypt, and back again.

Guiding and teaching Jesus through his early years.

This is St Joseph.

We don’t know much more about him than that.

Some early non-biblical writings tell us more—but they’re not reliable.

One says Joseph was an old man, 90 years old, when he married Mary.

That he’d been previously married and had adult children from that prior marriage.

(Those could explain the Gospel references to Jesus’ brothers and sisters).

But we really don’t know; he could have been a young bachelor when he married Mary.

Joseph most likely died before Jesus began his public ministry.

The Gospels don’t mention his being present for any event past the trip to Jerusalem,

When Jesus was 12 years old and was lost in the temple.

During this Advent and Christmas season we hear about Joseph more often.

This is the season when we celebrate those early years of Jesus’ life.

Those years when Joseph was around.

Soon, after this season, Joseph will step into the background.

We may know little more about him than the few facts mentioned above.

But that’s enough.

Enough to make him patron saint of the Catholic Church, the Americas, parishes like our own,

And many other places, groups, occupations and causes.

Enough for us to know that he was righteous, just, merciful, and humble.

That he listened for God and said Yes to God’s call.

That like Mary, he devoted himself to Jesus, and shows us the way to Jesus.

God is calling all of us to our own particular roles in salvation history.

We may not be visited by Gabriel, or called to so great a mission as Joseph.

But our Yes to God’s call is still of vital importance.

And we’re blessed to have a patron who’s an ideal model of virtue and attitude.

A patron who can help us get to our own Yes.

4th Sunday of Advent
Mt 1:18-24           Read this Scripture @usccb.org