Being blessed and graced to gather for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the heart of the Advent season, we find ourselves in a remarkable moment of anticipation and reflection. We are pondering the rich and profound mysteries surrounding the miraculous deeds of our Lord as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus. In today’s readings, we are invited to step into the stories of the Old and New Testaments, both infused with hope, promise, and the miraculous workings of God.
In Jeremiah 23:5-8, we encounter a powerful prophecy: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David.” This passage speaks to the fulfillment of God’s promise to His people—a promise that seems almost too incredible to grasp. God is assuring His people that salvation and justice will come; He promises a leader of righteousness who will restore and gather His people, showing us that God's thoughts and plans surpass our understanding. How many of his precious children must have lost heart wondering and waiting when the Lord would fulfill his promises. And yet, he asked them as he asks us to hold on, and continue to trust in him.
This theme of miraculous expectation continues in the Gospel of Matthew (1:18-25). Here we see the quiet, reflective courage of Saint Joseph, who is faced with what seems to be an unbelievable situation. Saint Joseph, among all the saints in the Church, stands out in his silent witness of how trusting the Lord will always be to one’s benefit. His betrothed, Mary, is pregnant, and he knows the child is not his. In his righteous intention to deal gently with this unexpected news, Joseph plans to divorce Mary quietly, seeking to preserve her honor and his own. But in the midst of his turmoil, an angel appears to him in a dream, bringing a message that would change the course of history: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”
Consider the magnitude of this announcement! Joseph is not just being told of a natural occurrence but rather an extraordinary act of God. He is called to believe not only in the incredible nature of the event—the conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit—but also in the profound truth that “God is with us.” The child, named Jesus, will be the very embodiment of God’s presence among humanity.
Both the prophecy in Jeremiah and the story of Joseph and Mary beckon us to reflect on a fundamental aspect of our own faith: the call to trust in the miraculous. We often live in a world that prizes rationality and skepticism and dismisses extraordinary claims as impossible while always doing its utmost to naturalize the supernatural. Yet, the Advent season invites us to open our hearts to the miraculous possibilities that God has in store for us, for surely, to the one who brought about all things from nothing, nothing is impossible.
As we ponder these sacred texts, we must ask ourselves: How can we apply this call to believe in the miraculous to our daily lives? Like Joseph, we must be willing to embrace the divine plans that often challenge our understanding or expectations. We are called to be open to the unknown paths God might be leading us down. Whether it is in the form of unexpected relationships, career changes, or life challenges, can we echo Joseph’s response—taking action based on faith rather than fear?
Joseph’s situation is yet another example to us of how what is beyond our control, is never beyond God’s. What is limited to us, is not beyond God’s power. What is unknown and unseen to us, is not beyond God’s eternal and infinite vision. After all, this was the message of reassurance to our Blessed Mother from the Archangel Gabriel – his very last words before departing from her: “For nothing shall be impossible with God.”
Let us continue to place our trust in God, who not only is our Creator, but who has continually invited us to believe that he is our Father, and we are all his beloved children. In this light alone will we be able to capture some of the magnitude of what was being announced to Saint Joseph, our Blessed Mother and the common shepherd two-thousand years ago. May he, the loving Father continue to adorn your life with blessings and graces. Peace and good to all. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. + Amen.
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