Bishop's Message: Advent and St. Joseph

As we begin this fourth week of Advent, we are only days away from celebrating Christmas. This week’s Gospel passage from Matthew recounts St. Joseph’s dream where an angel speaks to him. As a consequence of that dream, Joseph’s life and ours change forever.  This scripture passage is one of the few where St. Joseph is mentioned.
 
"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. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."
 
Joseph is a faithful and obedient servant to God. He is described as an unassuming person,  yet we know he has a critical role in salvation history. Joseph is the exemplar of a loving husband, a devoted father and a model of what it means to be a man. Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, reflects on the importance of St. Joseph and how we too can follow his example.
 
“The spiritual path that Joseph traces for us is not one that explains, but accepts. Only as a result of this acceptance, this reconciliation, can we begin to glimpse a broader history, a deeper meaning…Joseph is certainly not passively resigned, but courageously and firmly proactive. In our own lives, acceptance and welcome can be an expression of the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude. Only the Lord can give us the strength needed to accept life as it is, with all its contradictions, frustrations and disappointments.” (Patris corde)
 
May you continue to receive God's blessings during this time of preparation.