(Audio)
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
Abraham is an example of the faith to which we are called. He believes that God will be able to grant him offspring even in his old age. He becomes the father of many nations through his faith. In this, he foreshadows the even more impressive faith of Saint Joseph.
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Let us imitate the faith of Saint Joseph. Like us, he sees things from a natural and human point of view first. Hence when Mary conceives we read that he "decided to divorce her quietly." Yet even after coming to this conclusion he is able to hear the voice of the angel and believe God's perspective about the situation instead of his own. Abraham believes that his age might disqualify him but believes God that it won't. Joseph believes that without him a baby could not be conceived but believes God when he tells him it will. Joseph believes in a more seemingly impossible conception than Abraham. It is because of this that Joseph more truly than Abraham becomes a father of many nations, even if he is a foster father.
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
As we continue to walk in faith we learn again and again not to confine Jesus to our usual human expectations about what he ought to do or what he is able to do. We learn again and again the lesson Saint Joseph has to teach us. When we allow God to be the Father of Jesus the secret is revealed. It is our human expectations, our lower ways of thinking that keep us from participation in the divine family that is built, not around flesh and blood, but on faith. When we let these go we experience Jesus as brother, and the paternal love of Joseph and Mary, even as we and they share with Jesus in being sons of our Father God.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
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