Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 18, 2018 - December 18
[Jer 23:5-8 and Matt 1:18-24]This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. [Matthew]
Some years ago, during one of my assignments in San Antonio, TX, I began a part time campus ministry at Texas Lutheran University in Seguin, TX, about 40 miles to the east. Knowing the grand choral traditions of the Lutheran Church, I made a point of attending the annual Christmas program of the university choir. I was not disappointed, but I WAS bemused by the way they told the story of Jesus' conception and birth. The narrator was a woman who acted the role of Joseph's mother, Mary's mother-in-law!!! Her performance was both amusing and inspiring.
The quotation from today's gospel scripture from the Gospel According to Matthew tells us the story from Joseph's perspective. The quotation immediately follows the long tongue-twisting genealogy of Jesus, designed to show how he is descended from King David. Naturally, Joseph's mother would be aware of this and her soliloquy included pride but puzzlement as to how her boy got himself mixed up with a girl from Nazareth ("Can anything good come from there?" John 1:46), and how this pregnancy complicated matters! Ultimately mom is brought around, as all grandmothers usually are once the baby is born, no matter what the circumstances.
All of this can serve as a reminder to us in this sacred season, that the human dimension should not be lost. Many lives were impacted (and still are) by the "messiness" of human efforts (Mary, Joseph, unexpected pregnancy) to cooperate with God's plan of salvation. We Catholics honor Mary's mother, St. Anne, but somehow Joseph's mom gets left out. Since that performance, I try to keep her and many others in the picture. Which role would any of us like to play? AMEN