Grace in the Midst of Crisis

Reflection for the Fourth Sunday of Advent by Fr. Earl A.P. Valdez

Today’s gospel is for me one of the most significant episodes in the nativity story, not just because I spent nine years in a seminary that is named after St. Joseph and my ordination anniversary is on the nineteenth of March. More than that, this is significant because it shows us how St. Joseph truly is a man who found grace in the midst of a grave crisis that changed his life forever. 

Image of St. Joseph at the cripta of the Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain | Photo from author’s collection

I’m not sure how it would feel being in his place, as a young man who was prepared to marry Our Blessed Mother, only to find out she is pregnant due to the Holy Spirit. In modern standards, that could have been a ridiculous story, and it would be senseless to accept such a situation, that is, to be a father of a child that came out of nowhere. It was, in fact, equally senseless during his time, and for a man to find his betrothed already pregnant, assumes that there were sexual relations before marriage and hence, considered adulterous. 

Photo from Vatican News

And what is the consequence, according to Jewish law? The twenty-second chapter of Deuteronomy says that in cases like these, the man could accuse the woman of lying about her virginity, and if proven, the woman could be stoned to death. Surely, had Joseph done that, Mary would be in trouble because there is no way in the world that a pregnant woman could remain a virgin, and it would actually take a lot to circumvent this logic and accept a virgin birth in front of the elders. However, Jewish law did not state anything about pregnant women who were abandoned by their husbands, and so would not be accused of anything. 

Putting aside the injustice of these marriage laws from our modern perspective, it seems that what we see is Joseph becoming protective of his future wife, and hence would not do anything to hurt her despite the confusion of this situation. Within that situation alone, we see Our Lord’s foster father acting in a charitable manner, one who truly thought of the many options that he could take and chose the path that would manifest, at the very least, good will.

Mosaic of the Sleeping St. Joseph at the Battistero di San Giovanni, Florence, Italy | Photo from Wikimedia

It is not therefore surprising that, fast forward in time, we see the Lord bearing this same characteristic that His foster father had. In front of an adulterous woman who was openly accused by the crowds, and in the midst of being tested by the authorities who sought to bring him down, what did Our Lord do? He wrote on the ground, and said that those who have not sinned can throw the first stone on the sinful woman. We could imagine how Our Lord heard the story from his foster father, only to decide out of mercy and love when facing the same situation. Like father, like son, as they say. 

The story could have ended there, but the Lord had better plans for Joseph. Hence, in a dream the angel of the Lord revealed everything to Joseph, and in the face of this marvelous and astounding message that nobody perhaps would find credible except for those who believe, he changed his plans. He chose to marry Our Blessed Mother, and we know the rest of the story, one which we recall and will celebrate in the next few days. 

The statue of St. Joseph made by Anastacio Caedo, now in San Jose Seminary, Ateneo de Manila, Quezon City, Philippines | Photo from the Oblates of St. Joseph

We could notice that Joseph did not have any speaking lines in this episode, but His actions have already said a lot about who he is and how the Lord sees him, that is, as a man who knows and discerns well. But more than that, Joseph is a man who makes choices in line with what is loving and merciful, and this reading reminds us of who and what we strive to be. 

Our Lord hopes that we grow to be people who not only say the right words and think the right things, or even do, out of instinct, what is considered good and lawful. More important than that, the Lord hopes that we make decisions that are not just “lawful” but instead “loving.” And sometimes, these things are in conflict with each other. 

What would we choose between following long-standing rules and the value of a person? Who do we lean to, a group or an individual? We do not notice these, but most often the most difficult decisions are the ones between two things that are good and valuable; here is where true Christian decision-making - discernment - enters. But in these times, we recall the words of Isaiah to King Ahaz: The Lord Himself will give signs. Perhaps they do not come as evident as they are, but perhaps what is happening within us - our sentiments and thoughts - could lead us to the right decisions, but only if we think about them and pray for them. 

Francisco de Herrera the Elder, “St. Joseph with the Young Christ” | Photo from the Museum of Fine Arts, Bucharest

The episode of St. Joseph reminds us of the complexity of life and the ever greater complexity of making decisions according to the Lord’s will. We ask, therefore, the grace to be truly discerning in the same way that St. Joseph is. And when things truly become clear for us, as clear as the message that St. Joseph received in His life, may we also stand up and immediately make our decision, no matter how difficult and challenging it would be. After all, one more thing that we realize in life, especially this Christmas, is that the Lord will not abandon us and will walk with us in our lives. Amen.