“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David,” (Jer 23:5) And indeed those days are upon us. Today our gospel is the story of the angel’s message to Joseph as he ponders what to do now that he knows Mary “was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph…since he was a righteous man, [was] unwilling to expose her to shame, [and so] decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” (Mt 1:18-20) It was not the way he hoped to start their life together.

But such are the plans of men. The plans of God are quite different and are inevitable – even if it needs an angelic messenger to give it all a boost in the form of an invitation to take Mary into his household. Being a righteous man, Joseph agrees, never having a clue as to what would unfold: the trip to Bethlehem, the flight to Egypt, years of exile, only to later return.

But isn’t that the way for we who would strive for the grace of righteousness in our life, discerning God’s plan for us, all the while never knowing if “flight and exile” are in our future. What we know is in our present we possess the promise of God to be with us at every step in the journey and the power of God to endure what unfolds. St. Joseph understood that. May we come to know that in a deep and personal way.

Image credit: Dream of  St. Joseph, Gerard Seghers, c.1630 | Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna | PD-US