Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
(Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25)
Six months ago Pope Francis made a subtle change in the
Mass. A Vatican decree, authorized by the pope, mandated
the inclusion of “blessed Joseph, (her) spouse” after mention of the Blessed
Virgin Mary in the Eucharistic Prayer.
The decree said that Saint Joseph was so kind and humble that he serves
as a model for all men. With all respect
to the Vatican, another quality of Joseph may be specified which seems even
more significant. As the gospel reading
today makes clear, Joseph was a “righteous man.”
One has to know the context of the situation to
appreciate the righteousness of St. Joseph.
He almost certainly paid a dowry to marry the Virgin Mary. So when he hears of her pregnancy, he has the
right to divorce her in public in order to reclaim his offering. However, before the angel in his dream tells
him that Mary has conceived by the Holy Spirit, Joseph decides to divorce her
in secret. His righteousness does not
permit him to expose Mary to public disgrace from an open hearing. In this way Joseph not only complies with the
letter of the law but also fulfills its spirit.
For the purpose of the law is to make a person as merciful as God. In the Sermon on the Mount, delivered later
in the same Gospel of Matthew, Jesus will command his disciples to be perfect
as God. Here Joseph exemplifies how this
is done.
We live in an era when the world seeks justice with the
claiming of rights. Seeing the subhuman
condition in which many people live, this effort cannot be trivialized. But often the claims of some people clash
with those of others to such an extent that it is impossible to determine whose
is greater. Do the poor in underdeveloped
countries have more right to emigrate than the people in their countries of destination
have right to maintain good order within their borders. Or does a family in the United States have
more right to a second car than a family in Tanzania to a motorcycle? Questions such as these are nearly impossible
to adjudicate, and it is often harder to implement the judgments once made. To go beyond the impasse we have to let go of
some of our rights claims. In other
words, we have to sacrifice ourselves for the good of all. To do so is not a regular function of human
nature; it is the product of God’s grace.
It is true. Justice is the
product of grace.
