Christ the Cornerstone

St. Joseph, silent partner in the Christmas story

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Mt 1:24)

The Gospel reading for the Fourth Sunday of Advent (Mt 1:18-24) tells the Christmas story from St. Matthew’s perspective. It is remarkably simple and straightforward.

“This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about,” the Evangelist says. “When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18).

The role that St. Joseph plays in the story of Christ’s birth is fascinating. He is a silent partner in the drama, but his strength and his acceptance of God’s mysterious plan hold everything together.

“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly” (Mt 1:19), St. Matthew continues.

The betrothed spouse of Mary is placed in an impossible situation. From the beginning, his intentions are to protect Mary and her unborn child. Because he is a righteous man (someone who always does what he thinks is morally right), he decides to do what is best for Mary. A quiet divorce will minimize the shame surrounding her pregnancy.

But God had a very different plan.

“Joseph, son of David,” God’s messenger says to him. “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20-21).

That’s a lot to ask of even a righteous, God-fearing man like Joseph. Who could blame him if he sought an easier way out?

But Joseph said “yes” to God’s challenging invitation. As St. Matthew tells us, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Mt 1:24).

St. Matthew is eager to point out that the strange story he is telling us is not some random occurrence. It is all part of God’s plan—formed before the beginning of time in order to save God’s people from their selfishness and sin.

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” (Mt 1:22-23)

The full meaning of Advent, the coming of the long-awaited Messiah, is expressed in the name “Emmanuel” (God-is-with-us). This is the mystery of the Incarnation. It is God’s work, of course, but God does not work alone. He seeks our collaboration, our freely chosen acceptance, and our willingness to abandon our own plans in order to obey his commands.

That is what Mary did when she said to the angel, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:37-38). And it is what St. Joseph silently said when he woke up and did as the angel had commanded him.

Mary’s role in the historical drama of our salvation is indispensable. Without her “yes,” our Savior would not have been conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. But St. Joseph’s part in the Christmas story is also vitally important. He is the guardian or protector who ensures that everything goes according to God’s plan.

To play his part successfully, this righteous man must be humble, patient, pure and wholly obedient to God’s will. He cannot be full of himself or self-righteous in ways that look down on others. He must be attentive and open to the will of God, even when he doesn’t understand it.

In the second reading for the

Fourth Sunday of Advent (Rom 1:1-7), St. Paul describes the mystery of Jesus’ Incarnation and what it demands of each of us who seek to be missionary disciples of Christ:

Descended from David according to the flesh, but established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, [he is] Jesus Christ our Lord. Through him we have received the grace of apostleship, to bring about the obedience of faith, for the sake of his name … (Rom 1:3-5)

Like St. Joseph, we are called to “the obedience of faith” and to the kind of righteousness that is never self-seeking.

For the sake of the name of Jesus, we are invited, and challenged, to follow the example of the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus by quietly and unquestioningly doing the will of our Father in heaven.

St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer and Patron of the Church, pray for us. †