CHRISTMAS 2009

As we gather in the spirit of Christmas, we do so by way of being given an
invitation from the Gospel of Matthew. It’s an invitation to have a role in Jesus’
upbringing. To help raise Jesus.                                                                         
Christmas is so much about connecting/reconnecting with God in our lives in
humble and solemn ways. In ways where we never, ever, ever, give up on or
even compromise our relationship with the God who loves us
unconditionally. Christmas is about hanging in there with our faith, and
allowing Jesus’ birth to touch our lives until God calls each one of us home.
And St. Joseph is our model as one who perseveres.                 
In reading this well-known scene from Matthew’s Gospel regarding Jesus’
birth, Joseph is called a righteous man. And that’s hopefully one of our
lifetime goals, shall we say, in the faith. To allow the Spirit of God to guide us
in ways that reflect righteousness, honor, integrity, goodness. Thanks be to
God that Joseph was a righteous man.                          
Because as this story of Jesus’ birth unfolds, Joseph is placed in a very
difficult situation. Mary is with child. Joseph knows all too well it’s not his
child. Like many of us at this point, Joseph could have just said, “To heck
with this. I’m out of here. I want nothing to do with all the strange and
unexplainable events going on around me.” Sort of like when the Red Sox are
losing to the Yankees. It’s like “To heck with this team.” And then I realize
there’s no place else to turn.                                                                 
Joseph’s reaction to finding out Mary was pregnant could easily have been,
“What sort of weird game is this? Where my wife is with child, I had nothing to
do with it, and this angel is telling me in my head of all places, in my dream,
that it’s all God’s work? ”                                                                                        
Joseph could have dismissed this whole relationship, breaking any
connection with Mary, and even more so with Jesus, and nobody would have
blamed him. He could have washed his hands clean of God’s work taking
place right in front of him, just like Pontius Pilate washed his hands moments
before Jesus was crucified, and no one would have known the difference if
Joseph did that. The world would be the same today if Joseph decided to
high-tail it out of Mary’s life, and distance himself from God’s plan for him.
(Health Care).                                                                                 
Instead, Joseph was a righteous man. And with righteousness comes vision.
With righteousness comes a certain type of vision. A vision of the heart. And
Joseph’s heart was telling him through a dream, a dream so vivid and real,
telling him that God really needed him. That God really wanted him for a
purpose. Just like God needs and wants us for a purpose. God needs and
wants every person in this Church, and He has a righteous purpose for each
one of us.                                                                         
Joseph’s heart was telling him that God wanted Joseph to be a father to His
Son. (Capital H). God wanted Joseph to be a husband to Mary and a father to
His Son. So Joseph, being a righteous man, stayed. He lasted. He persevered.
He accepted. He took Mary and Jesus into his home, and into the rest of his
life. although Joseph wasn’t the reason for Mary being with child, he accepted
the joy and the responsibility of raising Jesus in his
life.                                                                                 
That’s the message for Christmas 2009. That we become and remain a
mother, a father, a brother or sister to Jesus, and help to raise Jesus in our
lives by bringing him into our homes, and staying with it. And the way to do
that effectively is to remain close to Christ. To remain committed in our
responsibility of helping to raise Jesus in our own
lives.                                                                                         
Because, like Joseph, we all know there are times when we have to stick it out
with God. There are times when understanding all that’s going on around us
doesn’t make complete sense. “Where is God in all this?” Well, today he’s in a
stable. He’s a very fragile child, and he’s looking for us to raise him in our
lives.                                         
So the message of Christmas this year is the message of Joseph’s reaction. A
reaction that says “I’m going to be true to God’s plan for my life. I’m going to
remain a father and a mother, a brother and a sister to the baby Jesus, who
always remains true to
us.”                                                                                                         
Joseph could have abandoned Mary and Jesus when his world was crashing
in around him. And Joseph had every intention of doing so, quietly. But
righteousness wins out. Thank God for an angel getting into his head. This
Christmas and throughout the New Year, may righteousness also win the
victory in our lives, as we continue to cooperate with Jesus’
birth.                                                                                 
In the spirit of St. Joseph, stay with it. Stay with God’s righteous plan of
bringing all of us to heaven. It begins in a stable in Bethlehem, it’s carried out
in the Church on Earth, and ends in the heavenly
Jerusalem.