Fourth Sunday of Advent (A)

December 23, 2007

Reverend Deacon Lawrence A. St. Onge

Today’s readings talk to us about trust and fidelity. In the 2^nd reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans we heard him speak of the “obedience of faith.” Faith begins with listening to God’s word as it is preached, or as St. Paul says elsewhere in scripture, “faith comes from what is heard.” Our faith begins with an intellectual agreement or assent – our saying “we believe” that Jesus is the Lord, that he is Emmanuel – “God is with us.” It must, however, end with a lived commitment of faith, what St. Paul calls the “obedience of faith.”

In the 1^st reading we hear about King Ahaz – a descendant of King David, who is being threatened by a very superior military force. Motivated by his fear of this threat, he wants to form a political alliance with another country. But the prophet Isaiah tells Ahaz that God does not want him to do this and “not to be afraid” – the same words that the angel Gabriel spoke to Mary at the Annunciation, and the same words the angel speaks to Joseph in his dream in today’s gospel. Ahaz is told that God, himself, will protect Jerusalem from the imminent military threat. And, as an assurance, Ahaz is told to ask for a sign from God.

The responsorial psalm today was: “Let the Lord enter, he is the King of Glory.” For all of us, at one time or another, it seems that it is easier to keep the Lord out, than to let him in. And so it was with Ahaz; he is not obedient and does not listen to God; he can only see the apparent military reality confronting him and lacks trust and fidelity in God’s word that God, himself, will protect Jerusalem. Instead of complying with God’s command to ask for a sign, Ahaz strikes a pious pose and says: “I will not ask! I will not tempt the Lord.” But there’s a big difference between demanding a sign from God and being freely offered one. And so, in response, Isaiah pronounces that God is “weary” of the religious pretentiousness of Ahaz in the guise of goodness.

Since he refuses to ask for a sign from God, Isaiah tells Ahaz that the Lord himself will give him a sign, which is: “the virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” – the same words that the angel speaks to Joseph in today’s gospel. Ahaz is given this sign so that even though he lacks trust and fidelity in God’s word to him, God will, nonetheless, give him a sign, which is, that God’s promise made to King David, of whom Ahaz is a descendant, that his kingdom would never end, will continue to be upheld. The name of the child – Emmanuel – “God is with us,” is the sign that God will not abandon Ahaz or Jerusalem, even though Ahaz should turn his back on divine will. Whatever choice Ahaz may make, God’s response will still be one of fidelity to His chosen people.

Today’s gospel centers on Joseph. He is a direct descendant of King David. The Messiah promised by the prophets in scripture was to come through the line of David. In today’s Gospel, it is Joseph that names the child Jesus. Thus the child is the Son of God, and the Son of Mary, but also, through this action of the naming by Joseph, he is also a Son of David.

We heard how Joseph is told in his dream by an angel of the Lord: “do not be afraid” about taking Mary as your wife. These were the same words spoken to King Ahaz in the 1^st reading. “Do not be afraid.” There is good fear as well as bad fear. If you are afraid to leave your children alone with strangers, then this would be a good fear because it leads to choosing proper action for the sake of the children. If we are afraid that occasions of sin can alienate us from the love of God in our lives, then this, too, is good fear. In contrast, bad fear can be a result of anxiety, the unknown, hopelessness and despair. Judas Iscariot hung himself after betraying the Lord because he feared that God would never forgive him. This was bad fear. When we hear the term, “Fear of the Lord,” it refers to the good fear that leads us to acting in a way that shows our respect and reverence for God.

But Joseph is told in a dream not to be afraid. Perhaps on a human level, Joseph was afraid about what others would think about Mary’s pre-marital pregnancy. Maybe, he was worried over what Mary was really like. After all, she was apparently pregnant by someone else. Or perhaps he was afraid of the religious authorities; and what would happen if he was caught protecting Mary and was accused of complicity in violating the Law of Moses, and thus incurring sin, himself, and also, being subject to punishment by the authorities. Or perhaps, he was afraid that he could not truly love the child as a father, since it was not his. On a human level, Joseph must have thought, “What a mess this is! And what a greater mess if I take Mary as my wife.”

But Joseph is told by the angel, “Do not be afraid.” Trust God, for the child is special and so is his mother. There is no other man; she has conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. As with Ahaz, Joseph was offered an invitation - the gift - to see beyond what appeared to be the logical reality of the situation. Faith is a way of seeing through what can actually blind us to the truth. And so Joseph put his complete trust and fidelity in the word of the angel of God in his dream. God would figure out how to deal with the gossip, how to deal with the Law of Moses, and the religious authorities. God would give him the ability to love the child as a father. And so, Joseph named the child Jesus; and, from that point on this wasn’t just Mary’s child, and the child conceived through the Holy Spirit, but, was also, Joseph’s child, a son of David.

It is important to be aware that Joseph was not a puppet on a string. He was not without free will. There is nothing to tell us that he was immaculately conceived, as was Mary, or that he was sinless. Yet Joseph responded to the situation, with which he was confronted, with generosity and with faith. He listened to the message from God, told to him in a dream, and rose above his fear and his confusion. He didn’t really know how the story was going to end, other than knowing that this child was going to save his people from their sins. The words – “He did as the Angel of the Lord Commanded” – should be inspirational to us all. They are simple words, yet behind them is a man who should inspire us to respond generously to every prompting of the Holy Spirit in our living and life just as the Lord commands.

Let us, therefore, challenge and inspire each other to always listen to this Divine Voice in our hearts, in our heads, and in our dreams. Let us never dismiss the generous and loving impulses that seem to come out of nowhere, because we may never know their overall effect in the world.