For me, this year is very different. Advent has usually been a quiet season of “waiting in hope”, a reflective time of anticipation. Don’t get me wrong: it has been a reflective time, but not on things I should be thinking about. It has been mostly on the events of the past 9 months. I don’t know about you, but 2020 caught me off guard and there are still surprises every day.
In the Gospel for today, Joseph learns that Mary is pregnant. Joseph, too, must have been caught off guard when he learned this news. From Joseph’s human way of thinking, Mary must have been with another man. When we are caught off guard, it is easy to lose perspective. We see everything as black and white, clear-cut and very narrow because, at least at first we close ourselves off to other possibilities, to what could be good alternatives. The first step generally is to become afraid when we feel confused, hurt, betrayed, angry or embarrassed.
But perspective does help in times like these. How you see things depends on where you are: I don’t know if Joseph is the boat or the shore. But we know that Joseph was awake, open and obedient to new perspectives. In a difficult time, Joseph widened his perspective to include hope and new possibilities by trusting that God was with him and with Mary. Mary will bear a son through the Holy Spirit and they shall name him Emmanuel, meaning “God is with us.” This is the best news I’ve heard all year.
Let’s thank Joseph for helping us to widen our perspective and increase our sense of gratitude for the gifts and graces of this year amidst the confusion, hurt, anger, and uncertainty. Blessings. Fr. Brian