Scripture reading for today: Matthew 2:13-23 TEV
“Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and left during the night for Egypt.”
Matthew 2:14
All of the birth narratives in Matthew are filled with tension. Mary’s pregnancy and Joseph’s response, the warning to the Wise Men after their meeting with Herod, and finally the story of Herod’s vicious response to the news of Jesus’ birth. These are dark stories which we seldom share during the Christmas season when we would rather celebrate “good news” rather than yet another example of humanity’s darker side. But they also point out a truth about our spiritual life that is extremely important: namely the need to respond in faith to all the circumstances we face. Faith provides the power to respond to whatever we are encountering.
Our lives do not always go smoothly any more than they did for the family of Jesus. There are joys and sorrows. There are good times and challenging times that call upon us to respond with all the faith we have. Joseph is a model of how faith can help a person adapt to life’s many challenging experiences. Trusting in God’s guidance, he acts accordingly, not out of consideration of himself, but rather as a steward of God’s presence in life. As we come to the final week of Advent, let us recall the power of faith in God to enable us to meet any and all of life’s challenges.
Reflections 