Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 18, 2022 •
Joseph, after Mary, is probably the most significant Saint in the Church. That's why you see statues of Mary and Joseph in the sanctuary of Catholic Churches. This is the Holy Family. Without Joseph, this would not have happened. He had an essential role to play in the coming of the Christ.
It was his job to care for Jesus' Mother and to help raise Jesus as a Child. We don't often appreciate and love Joseph the way we should. He a Saint that we all need in our lives.
If you think about it logically, it makes perfect sense that God the Father, in choosing a foster father for His Son Jesus, would only choose the best. He would give that man very powerful graces so that he could become holy.
One of the things we know about our Lord is that He tests the Saints. He already knows their response, but He tests them to make sure that they are the right ones to do His will.
When we look at our Gospel today, we can see the test that God put him to, to see what kind of man he is. Is he the right man to be the foster father to My Son? Is he the right man to represent Me: Jesus' true Father? We know that he was, and is, because he was chosen.
How do we know that Joseph has a heart and a mind so close to God the Father that he would be chosen for this special role?
It's in our Gospel today. . . .
Why is God so pleased with this response? Because this is exactly what Jesus does. . . . An innocent man who was willing to protect the guilty from their own sins to save them.
Is 7:10-14; Ps 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24
Homily begins at 20:34