REFLECTIONS TODAY
Dreams and visions are an important part of many biblical stories and passages. They give messages of fortune or misfortune, or guidance of God’s voice. God appeared to Abram in a vision and changed his name to Abraham because he was to be “the father of a multitude of nations” (Gn 17:5).
Pharaoh’s dreams as interpreted by Joseph would lead to the storing of grain in view of the impending years of famine. In the Gospel, the angel of the Lord appears to Joseph to reveal to him the cause of Mary’s pregnancy and his role with regard to Mary’s Child. When he awakes, Joseph fulfills all that was commanded of him. Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood and that in this way, “he cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation and is truly a minister of salvation” (St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos, 8).
Pope Francis borrows from Polish writer Jan Dobraczynki in referring to Joseph as “The Shadow of the Father.” He writes, “In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father: he watched over him and protected him, never leaving him to go his own way. We can think of Moses’ words to Israel:
"In the wilderness… you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you travelled" (Deut 1:31). In a similar way, Joseph acted as a father for his whole life” (Patris Corde, 7).
Gospel • Matthew 1:18-25
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.
Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, 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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.
Source: “366 Days with the Lord 2024,” St. Paul’s, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 632-895-9701; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.