Daily Gospel Reflection for December 18, 2018

Today's Gospel: Matthew 1:18-25 My children love to hear the story about the day they were born. They love the details, who, what, when and how. I think it allows them to place themselves into the bigger picture of what our lives were like leading up to their arrival. In today's Gospel, we hear from Matthew the beginning of what sounds like the recounting of Christ’s birth story since he begins with “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about,” but unlike Luke, Matthew doesn’t begin the story focused on Mary, but with Joseph. I have always felt Joseph was somewhat of an unsung hero in the infancy narratives. Here is a man who loves the woman he is betrothed to, who, as it turns out, is pregnant. Even in today's world this would be quite a demand, for a man to marry a woman who was pregnant with a child that is not his own. But Joseph loved her, and even when he wanted to send her away, he wanted to do so quietly in order to protect her. But this incredible story doesn’t end there because God interceded. In a dream, Joseph was told what to do. When Joseph awoke, he knew he must trust in God and take Mary as his wife. Wow, what faith in God! There are so many opportunities in this situation for Joseph to slip away quietly, and who would blame him? But his faith in God was greater than his fear of the unknown, and as a result, he played a key part in ushering in Emmanuel. Joseph was able and willing to set aside everything he knew and risk the unknown in order to surrender more fully to God. What an incredible example Joseph is for us all!

Ponder:

Have you ever found yourself facing challenging, maybe even extraordinary circumstances? During those times are you able to lean into your faith in God and His plan?

Pray:

Lord, help me to obey Your call and trust in Your great wisdom, even when doing so feels uncomfortable, and to have faith in Your plans for me even though I may not understand. Amen.

Copyright 2018 Amelia Maness-Gilliland Amelia Maness-Gilliland is a college professor and DRE at her church. She is a married mom of six children and lives in rural Alabama on a small farm where she home schools her youngest three children. When she’s not busy homeschooling you can find her writing, making soap, and herding chickens and goats. You can find her at www.gillygrown.com Receive CatholicMom.com newsletters in your inbox, including the Daily Gospel Reflection each morning! * indicates required