Gospel – Matthew 1:18-24     The dream

Today’s Gospel recalls the central role played by Joseph in the story of Jesus.  While Matthew’s Gospel is very clearly an account of Jesus ‘the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham’, Joseph takes center stage in the first scene of the Jesus story.  He is introduced as a good man with a serious dilemma.  Instead of calling off his engagement to Mary – leaving her to face severe punishment or even the death penalty – he opts to ‘dismiss her quietly’.  This incident introduces a tension that will be seen throughout Matthew’s Gospel between obedience to the letter of the law and ‘righteousness’.

There is more to the story.  In a dream, Joseph receives a message about the baby, whose name is given as Jesus.  Matthew adds a note here that this fulfils the prophecy of the birth of Emmanuel, ‘God is with us’.  God is present – God-with-us – from the earliest of Jesus’ story, Joseph’s response is immediate and radical.  Rather than doing what’s expected or even taking the kinder option available to him, he follows the invitation of God and forges a new path.  This new way is very much in the spirit of the late teachings of Jesus, particularly when he counsels his followers, ‘You have heard that it was said … but I say to you …’ (5:21-48).  Joseph is open and compassionate, going above and beyond for the sake of the kingdom.

Joseph is sometimes depicted in statue form as ‘Sleeping Joseph’.  He shows us how God reveals God’s plan in times of silence and rest.  Even when we are doing the right things and living a virtuous life, God can surprise us, picking apart lines we draw between people.  We are constantly being nudged out of our comfort zone, towards others, to become ever more compassionate, loving and open to God’s dream for us.

© Triona Doherty & Jane Mellet, 2022.  A Journey with the Sunday Gospels in the Year of Matthew.  (Dublin: Messenger Publications 2022.

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“Only in the sacredness of inward silence does the soul truly meet the secret, hiding God.  The strength of resolve, which afterwards shapes life, and mixes itself with action, is the fruit of those sacred, solitary moments.  There is a divine depth in silence.  We meet God alone.                 – Frederick William Robertson