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BUT AS he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." [Mt 1:20-21]

Artist: Victor Luciano Rebuffo

(1903 - 1983)

Buenos Aires, Argentina

CONCEIVING AND NAMING ^_[1]

"HAIL, O FAVORED ONE"

1. Matthew's gospel narrates the beloved story of Mary and Joseph who, in the full exercise of the their human will, accepted the divine will of God. Mary gives birth to a son of divine origin, and her husband Joseph names him Emmanuel. From this most famous nativity story, one may discern the model of discipleship, receive spiritual direction and appreciate the incalculable good that arises from a humble yet heroic response in the face of trying circumstances.

2. For our Divine Lesson today, I invite you to meditate upon two central themes of Matthew's text: conceiving and naming. Let us consider the circumstance of Mary who conceived and bore a son. Mary experiences an encounter with God through his emissary the archangel Gabriel. This angel, whose name in Hebrew means God is powerful, addresses Mary with a straightforward and concise albeit extraordinary message. Mary is informed by Gabriel that her willing participation is central to God's plan of salvation. The archangel seizes Mary's attention by announcing, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!" [Lk 1:28]

MARY'S COURAGEOUS DECISION

3. The Lord reveals through Gabriel that the Holy Spirit has been entrusted to accomplish a great mission which will repair the ancient breach between heaven and earth, a mighty deed that will restore the unity between God and man, a great miracle which will ultimately result in the renewal of the cosmos itself. God's promise and power are to converge decisively in a once-for-all-time supernatural intervention to take place under the veil of humble circumstances in the land of first-century Palestine.

4. Clearly the outcome of God's divine plan depends upon the free-will assent of a young and self-effacing woman who discovers that the body into which the life of heaven is to be poured is her own. Though Gabriel's message is inspiring, it is also provocative. The reality of Mary's perplexity should not be underestimated: profoundly shaken, she considered the implications of Gabriel's message. [cf. Lk 1:29] That Mary's initial encounter with the archangel proves strenuous and disquieting emphasizes the credibility of her bold and courageous decision.

ICON OF SURRENDER

5. Challenged in ways unimaginable in human experience, she calmly and resolutely affirms her intent to cooperate with God's plan of salvation--intuiting full well the price that her fidelity to God would impose on the good Joseph her betrothed. Mary chooses freely for God. Her reply to the archangel offers the world a model of faithful discipleship, unadorned and succinct as the angel's. Her reply to Gabriel--actually an act of homage to God--echoes in our hearts to this day. Mary says, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." [Lk 1:38] Her breath-taking response transforms man's relationship to God and remains unsurpassed as an icon of humble surrender to the Divine Will. Mary, by her compelling witness, petitions the Holy Spirit to fulfill its role. She welcomes the generative donation of the Paraclete as the supreme benediction of God.

6. Consider the situation of Joseph who names the divine son that Mary conceives. Sacred Tradition tells us that he was an older man. Matthew's gospel recounts the marvelous instances in which an angel, entrusted with the Word of God, visits the good Joseph in his deepest dreams in the mysterious and fertile night. Ever sensible and unobtrusive, God's plan of salvation is like a seed hidden in fertile soil: "The earth produces of itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear." [Mk 4:28]

MIRACLE OF PREGNANCY

7. That the Lord speaks to Joseph in dreams confirms God's solemn declaration through his prophet Joel: "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions." [Joel 2:28] Scripture is silent as to whether Mary tells Joseph of her conception by the power of the Holy Spirit. The gospels allude that she remains silent. In any event her pregnancy is obvious to all as the betrothal period advances.

8. Her explanation--or lack of it--distresses Joseph deeply. Knowing full well that betrothal ceremony represented the binding vow of marriage, Joseph ponders this embarrassing and scandalous situation. He resolves to divorce Mary quietly. Mercifully, he does not appeal to Mosaic Law; rather than denounce Mary before religious authorities, he prefers a charitable solution. As in Mary's situation, God directs his angels to minister attentively to Joseph. In the midst of his quandary, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream. The angel reassures Joseph that the miracle of Mary's pregnancy is God's own incomparable gift of his Spirit to the world.

RECONCILING ANCIENT HOSTILITIES

9. Significantly the angel bids Joseph to safeguard the outcome of God's plan of salvation by breaking the yoke of fear. He is to lay down fear's harsh burden and accept confidently the bond of marriage. Joseph's yes to the will of God prophesies the Church's deliverance from anxiety and dread and its perfection as the Bride of Christ. [cf. Rev 21:5-9, 22:3] Joseph embodies the ideal of natural Adam. By responding as the angel of the Lord commands, he witnesses that God is truthful. Joseph's loyalty and fidelity to Mary expresses God's covenant faithfulness to Israel. Through Joseph, God acts to save the son of his handmaid and bring her comfort. Israel, as well, receives strength from the spiritual power of Joseph's obedience. His upright deeds anchor Mary's proclamation of praise. Joseph roots his love for Mary by acting with mercy. As a blessing, God frees him spiritually to receive his wife. Hence Joseph's experience provides a model of spiritual direction whose relevance endures to the present, a model--infinitely enriched by the Spirit of Pentecost--that all men should heed!

10. Where the power of fear is broken, praise flourishes. Joseph's obedience complements Mary's exaltation of God. That Mary conceives a son and Joseph names him reconciles the ancient hostility between faith and works, interiority and exteriority. The magnitude of conceiving and naming far exceeds human dimensions. Mary is the instrument of incarnation! Joseph is the instrument of signification! From Mary, Christ receives his human nature. Mary's yes to the Holy Spirit is the Church's assent to the mighty wind and tongues of fire at Pentecost. [cf. Acts 2:2-3] The Church honors Mary's maternity as an enduring affirmation that makes possible our celebration of Christ's Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. With Mary as exemplar and intercessor, the Bride of Christ delights in the presence of the Holy Spirit in her innermost sacramental being.

DELICATE INSTRUMENTS OF GRACE

11. Through Joseph's credible witness, the world is alerted to the good news that God dwells in the midst of his chosen people (Heb. Emmanuel: God is with us). God's prophetic word bears fruit by miracle and proclamation. "The harvest has come!" [Mk 4:29] Through his angels God invites Mary and Joseph to savor the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They trust that the promises made to them will be fulfilled. Mary responds by saying, "Let it be to me according to your word." [Lk 1:38] Joseph "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him". [Mt. 1:24] Each receives in the other a spouse of incomparable worth. Both present the prophetic gifts of incarnation and signification to the world. Their compelling witness challenges the sincerity and discipleship of all who long for the fulfillment of God's Kingdom.

12. Moreover Mary's and Joseph's celebrated assent to God announces that divine mercy properly makes its home in the hearts of the mighty and the humble; the Lord's incomparable majesty and splendor are incarnated in the delicate instruments of grace. Do I listen when God speaks? Have I given God the gift of my free will? How trustworthy and dependable is my submission to God? Have I cooperated fully with God to conceive and bear my humble part in his glorious plan of salvation? Do I prophesy to the world by word and deed the coming of Emmanuel--God-with-us? What is the mighty work entrusted to me by the Holy God, the Holy Mighty One, the Holy Immortal One?^[2] Have I fulfilled what the Lord has directed me to do? The angels of God are arrived! If I have acquitted myself well in all these things, holy Mary and holy Joseph, pray for me! If I have not, holy Mary and holy Joseph, pray for me!

^[1] Cycle A /Fourth Sunday of Advent /Isa 7:10-14 /Rom 1:1-7 /Mt 1:18-24.

^[2] St. Faustina Kowalska, "The Chaplet of Divine Mercy", The Divine Mercy Message and Devotion, eds. Fr. Seraphim Michalenko, MIC et al., (Stockbridge, MA: Marian Helpers, 1995) 32-35.