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.

This is one of the most amazing and beautiful mysteries in the church. Mary was born and lived her whole life to fulfill her incredibly special role among all humanity. And this is why we say that Mary was the most perfect of all human beings, and the role model for all of us in how we should relate to God.

Consider this. Mary was born into this world a daughter of God, existing for her whole life in immaculate sinlessness, just as God always willed for her life. A perfect daughter and disciple. In the incarnation, she became the spouse of the holy spirit and as a result of that marriage and the mystical union of the mortal and divine, she became the mother of Jesus.

Each person of the trinity has an extremely intimate relationship with Mary. And Mary filled each of these roles perfectly. She lived a human life without sin, as God intended all mankind to live. She accepted the marriage to the Holy Spirit with complete trust and faith in God. And She served as the mother of God, loving, raising, and protecting the child Jesus. She was His greatest disciple, and she sacraficed more than any of us, as she witnessed the loss of Jesus on the cross. She is a model for all human beings, not just Women.

Second Reflection

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.”

This reading today makes me want to reflect on Joseph and his righteousness. There are several theories about who Joseph was, was he young or old, was he rich or poor, did he have children or not. These are all very interesting things to contemplate, but they are extraneous to the most important of his attributes.

The gospel calls him a righteous man. and why wouldnt he be. It is understood that Mary was going to be a consecrated virgin, and not have any children, and Joseph married her knowing that their marriage would not be a physically intimate one. So this means that he was also a deeply spiritual, and pious person. It means that he deeply loved Mary that he would make this sacrafice for her, and it means that he was a man of extreme personal self control. That sounds like righeousness to me.

Joseph is only mentioned a couple times in the bible and yet we know so much about him because of his closeness to Jesus and mary. So that brings us to the annunciation, and what that must of meant to him to hear that his virginal wife was pregnant, and not by him. I have great sympathy for him and his doubts about the situation. I understand that Gabriel was sent to him to bolster his courage, and we know that he never faltered again, but this situation is still a lot to handle.

We should all hope for such fidelity and trust in our lives and our marriages. Amen

Oh, lord, help me today to discern what you want from me today, and give me the courage to set out towards that end. Amen.