Scripture Scribbles: December 18, 2022
the Gospel
Matthew 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.
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 conceive 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.
the devotion
“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.”
Oh how the Lord who is love itself desires for each of us to be protected, loved, cared for, held, defended and nurtured by a loving father. I have experienced deep pain and betrayal in relationship with men. Maybe you have too. For most of my young adulthood I could hardly consider St. Joseph without feeling either total numbness or pain and anger. I heaped my hurt on him and saw him as an icon of mediocre masculinity. My own open wounds, life experiences, and expectations of men made his hesitation to bring Mary into his home feel like a deeply painful personal betrayal.
The Lord has been healing me and my relationship to both femininity and masculinity. And as my wounds slowly heal, I see St. Joseph with new eyes.
“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.”
I think of St. Joseph and I contemplate the holiness of God. I think of the way St. Joseph understood God’s holiness as a faithful Jewish man. He knew that even Moses could not look upon God’s face without dying and that the high priest of the people could only enter the Holy of Holies (where God’s presence dwelt) once per year and only then with right sacrifice for the people’s sins. And here was Mary, the new tabernacle, a Holy of Holies, and here was he, a humble man. He withdrew in right response to God’s immeasurable holiness. And yet, our God, our God who is so so good and who came so that we could experience perfect intimacy with him again, called him back into His presence to embrace the power and mystery and love of the incarnation. He asked him even to name the Lord! St. Joseph must have been afraid. But he trusted and offered himself and his masculinity back to God, mirroring Mary’s yes and gift of her femininity. In so doing, St. Joseph allowed God to create the Holy Family, which reveals the heart of God for us. St. Joseph is the man that the Lord chose out of all humanity to protect, love, care for, hold and defend the Mother of God and God made humble, vulnerable and breakable in humanity. St. Joseph was no accident, his was no mediocre masculinity.
Join me in sitting with St. Joseph in adoration of the Lord in the mystery of the incarnation. Let us allow ourselves to be held in Joseph’s embrace with Mary as she carries Jesus in her womb. Let us allow ourselves to be safe there. Snuggle in, hear St. Joseph’s heart beat, place your hand on Mary’s belly and feel Jesus happily kick in her womb. Let us feel the anticipation of His birth. Allow yourself to unfold in that safe place, seen, known and wrapped in loving arms, before our sweet, sweet Lord.
Today’s devotion was written by Lucia Parker
