Pope at Angelus: ‘the meek and
wise Joseph teaches us to trust in the Lord'
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| Pope Francis during the Angelus (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis marks the fourth and last Sunday of Advent
inviting the faithful to look to Joseph as a model of unshakable faith and
trust in the Lord.
By Linda Bordoni
Reflecting on the reading of the day from the Gospel of
Matthew, Pope Francis highlighted the role of the meek and humble Joseph, whose
capacity to listen to and trust in God provides us with a model to be upheld
and imitated.
Addressing the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square for
the Sunday Angelus, the Pope reflected on Joseph, “a person apparently in
second place, but whose attitude contains the entirety of Christian wisdom.”
Joseph, the Pope recalled, together with John the Baptist
and Mary, is one of the characters the liturgy proposes during the season of
Advent.
The style of the beatitudes
Of the three, he noted, he is the most modest: “He does not
preach, he does not speak, but he tries to do God’s will; and he accomplishes
that will in an evangelical style, and in the meek and humble style of the
beatitudes.
Joseph’s poverty, the Pope explained, is typical of those
who are aware of their dependence for everything on God in whom they put all of
their trust.
Today’s evangelical narrative, he continued, presents a
situation that is humanly embarrassing and conflictual. Joseph and Mary are
engaged; they do not yet live together, but she is expecting a baby through
God’s working.
Faced with this surprising news, the Pope said that Joseph
is naturally disturbed but, “instead of reacting impulsively or punitively, he
seeks a solution that respects the dignity and the integrity of his beloved
Mary.”
The Gospel says: “Joseph her husband, since he was a
righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her
quietly”. In fact, the Pope added, Joseph is well aware that had he repudiated
his promised bride, she would have been exposed to grave consequences, even
death.
Trust in Mary
“He has complete trust in Mary whom he had chosen as his
wife,” he said. “He doesn’t understand, but he seeks a solution.”
Pope Francis went on to explain that this unexplainable
circumstance however leads Joseph to question their relationship, and so, “with
great suffering, he decides to separate himself from Mary without causing
scandal.”
But the Angel of the Lord appears to him to tell him that
this resolution is not that willed by God. Rather, he tells him the Lord is
opening before him a new path of union, love and happiness: “Joseph, son of
David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”
Trust in God
At this point, the Pope continued, Joseph shows complete
trust in God; he obeys the Angel and takes Mary into his home.
“It is precisely this unshakable trust in God that allowed
him to accept a humanly difficult, and in a certain sense, incomprehensible
situation,” he said.
Through faith, Pope Francis explained, Joseph understands
that the baby conceived in Mary’s womb is not his son, but is the Son of God,
and he, Joseph, will be His guardian by exercising his earthly paternity.
“The example of this good, meek and wise man teaches us to
lift up our gaze and look beyond, to trust in God’s surprising logic” which
consists in openness towards new horizons, towards Christ and His Word.
“May the Virgin Mary, and her chaste spouse, Joseph,” Pope
Francis concluded, “help us to listen to the coming Jesus, who asks that
we include Him in our plans and in our choices.”
Post Angelus
After praying the Angelus, Pope Francis had words of
greeting for some of the groups of pilgrims present in the Square.
In particular, he acknowledged the presence of some
delegations of Italian citizens who live in gravely polluted areas, and
expressed his hope that their political and civil administrators take action to
improve the quality of the air that they breath and attend to their health care
needs.
Finally, noting that in three days’ time it will be
Christmas, Pope Francis said his thoughts go to families who gather together
during these days of festivities: those who live far away from their parents
and return home, those brothers and sisters who make the effort to be together.
“May Christmas be a fraternal time for everyone, one of
growth in the faith and of actions of solidarity toward those who are in need,”
he said.
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