Wednesday of the Third Week of Advent
(Jeremiah 23:5-8; Matthew 1:18-25)
Catholic exegetes point out that the clause, “He had no
relations with her until she bore a son…” does not mean that Joseph had sexual
relations with Mary after Jesus was born.
Evidently, the Greek word for until does not have the same nuance
as in English. As the text says, Joseph
was a righteous man who meticulously carried out the Law in matters of its
purview and discerned God’s will in other matters. It is presumed that Joseph honored Mary’s virginity
after Jesus was born as before.
As preoccupied with sex as our generation is, the question
of one’s sexual activity is asked of most people. Yet many forego sex for various reasons. Sometimes it is done from necessity as when
spouses are incapable of having sexual relations. It is not unheard of that a man will say that
he loved his wife more in abstinence than he did on the day they were married.
Love is much more than sex. It is the giving of oneself for the good of
the other. We find this self-giving in
Joseph’s love for Mary, in spouses who take care of invalid counterparts, and
in the many chaste single persons who dedicate themselves their professions,
the Church, and many other kinds of service.
They deserve both prayers and esteem because they strive against the
current of a hyper-sexualized society.
