4th Sunday of Advent, A December 18, 2022
Fr. Alexander Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” The prevailing explanation of this verse is that Joseph suspected Mary of committing adultery. Since he was righteous, he wanted to follow the law. The law required that women who commit adultery be put to death. Rather than killing her, he decided to divorce her quietly. Then the angel showed up to tell him the full story, so he changed his plan. A number of theologians and a few saints agree with this theory.
But there’s another take on it, backed by other saints. Our translation reads that Joseph was righteous yet unwilling to expose her to shame. But the word there in Greek doesn’t usually mean “yet,” it usually means “and.” Taking this, others have offered the humility theory. Because Joseph was righteous, he didn’t want to expose Mary to the shame of people thinking the baby was his when he was really God’s. It was an awe and sense of unworthiness, not suspicion. In this version, the focus is on the angel telling Joseph not to be afraid and on him telling Joseph to name the child. By telling him to name the child, it make it clear that God wants Joseph to be the legal father.
But what if it’s both? How often are we really sure of our own motivations? How often do we find ourselves believing someone but still partly wondering if they’re not being quite honest. In a lot of situations – fishing stories, distant rumors, and the like – we don’t actually need to act on the information. Joseph did not have that luxury.
Faced with the fact of Mary’s pregnancy, there is no reason to believe Mary didn’t tell him the story of the angel. Joseph was then faced with two very different possibilities: either Mary is a wicked liar and cheater, or she is the holiest person alive. Perhaps Joseph wanted to believe her… mostly believed her, but there’s was still that question in the back of his mind. Either way, however, Joseph found himself in a unique and difficult position. Did he really want to be the husband of God’s chosen handmaid, caught up in some profound plan too great for this lowly carpenter? Probably not. Then again, if she is this kind of liar, all the more reason to get out. Either way, divorce seemed the right way. Then the angel shows up. He starts by telling him not to be afraid of taking Mary in. Then, to reassure that remaining doubt, he confirms Mary’s story.
There’s another reason I think we should put the emphasis on Joseph’s humility: the first reading. God invites Ahaz the king to ask for a sign, for proof that God was with them and had a plan for their success. Ahaz refuses, claiming that he doesn’t want to tempt the Lord. To his credit, Scripture does tell us not to tempt the Lord. Maybe some part of him really was trying to honor that. We know, however, that the primary reason for his refusal was that he didn’t want a sign. He wanted to maintain his doubt long enough to justify following his own plan. If he asked for a sign and got it, he’d have no choice but to trust God. Ahaz used the pretense of humility to hide his selfishness.
This sets Joseph up as a contrast. Both Ahaz and Joseph have a tough decision. Both have their doubts. But where Ahaz is proud, Joseph is humble. Ahaz wanted to do the wrong thing, Joseph wanted to do the right thing. Scripture often does this: sets up parallels and contrasts. The technical term for the practice is typology. In this case, both Ahaz and Joseph teach us something about doubt. But the difference between the two point us to something beyond either of them: that God wants to be with us more than we want to be with him. Ahaz let pride get in the way. Joseph let misguided humility get in the way. Joseph’s reason is much better – he is still considered righteous – but that just puts even more emphasis on how radical God’s humility is. Even the righteous man Joseph struggles to accept just how good God is. Ultimately, we all do.
I think it’s a common reason that people sit in the back of a church or avoid coming in altogether: people are afraid to get that close to God. His goodness is too much. We know intuitively that if we let God get too close, our lives will change… we will change. Perhaps that’s not the only motivation, but it’s mixed in there just like the motives of Joseph and Ahaz were probably mixed.
That’s just it. Human beings are almost always full of mixed motives and confused ideas. But that doesn’t stop God from stepping into our life anyway. The only thing it changes is what that stepping in will mean for us. For Ahaz, it was condemnation because God had to act despite him. For Joseph, it was purification, taking what was already good and correcting it to make it even better.
As St. Paul tells the Romans, so the Church tells us now: we are called to be holy. Holiness is not keeping the law – that is righteousness or justice. Holiness is not never making mistakes. Holiness is the mysterious presence of God himself. When God wants us to be holy, he’s saying he wants to dwell with us, to be in the home of our hearts. He comes to dwell in Mary. He asks Joseph to take Mary in so he can dwell with him too.
What is Christmas about? It is about God coming to dwell among us, Emmanuel. It’s not about whether or not we deserve his dwelling among. It’s not even about whether or not we want him to dwell with us. The fact is that he came anyway… that he is coming again. Joseph, the second greatest saint of all, made the wrong decision. The holiness, the indwelling of God wasn’t contingent on Joseph figuring everything out the first time. So it is for us. We are going to make wrong decisions. But, if we accept our limitation… if we like Joseph are sincere in trying to do right, God will set right what we will inevitably get wrong.
And God offers us the same easy first step he offered Joseph: Mary. We are right to fear the unrestrained glory of God, but who could be afraid of Mary? By accepting her whom he already loved, Joseph learned to accept God in a deeper way. So, what should we do this last week before Christmas? Take Mary into your homes. If you don’t already, pray a rosary together as a family at least once this week. Let her into all those doubts and mixed motives. Let her into your heart so that she can help you do what you were made to do: become the dwelling place of God.