Readings: Jeremiah 23:5-8 / Matthew 1:18-25
Reflection
Joseph wakes up to discover Mary is
pregnant. The world as he knows it has just been turned upside down. He's a
righteous man, the Gospel tells us, so he plans to divorce her quietly to
protect her from public disgrace. But that night, an angel appears in a dream
with a message that changes everything: "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." Do not be afraid. Those
words echo through Scripture whenever God is about to do something
extraordinary. The angel continues: "She will bear a son, and you are to
name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." When
Joseph wakes up, he does exactly what the angel commanded. He takes Mary as his
wife. He steps into God's plan even though he doesn't have all the answers. He
becomes the guardian of the greatest mystery in human history, Emmanuel, God
with us. We're still in the third week of Advent, still waiting for Christmas,
and Joseph shows us what faithful waiting looks like: obedient, trusting, ready
to act when God calls.
Jeremiah prophesied this moment centuries
earlier: "Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will raise up
a righteous shoot to David." A king from David's line who will reign
wisely and do what is just. That's Jesus, the baby Joseph didn't father but
will raise, the king who comes not through Joseph's plan but through God's.
Matthew tells us this baby will be called Emmanuel, "God is with us."
Not God watching from heaven. Not God waiting to be invited. God WITH us, in
the mess, in the uncertainty, in the mystery of conception and birth and family
and faith. Joseph's obedience makes room for this miracle. His willingness to
trust what he cannot see creates space for God to enter the world. Today's O
Antiphon is "O Adonai", O Lord, O Master. Joseph learned in one night
what it means for God to be Lord: it means surrendering your plans, your
understanding, your sense of control. It means waking up and doing what God
asks, even when it costs you everything.
Here's what makes this story so powerful for
us in Advent: Joseph doesn't get the baby immediately. He says yes to the
angel, takes Mary as his wife, and then they wait. Nine months of waiting. Nine
months of whispers and judgment. Nine months of neighbours asking questions.
Nine months of Joseph protecting Mary, trusting the angel's word, preparing for
a birth unlike any other. We're waiting too, seven more days until Christmas
Eve. The nativity scene sits empty where the Christ child will be placed. We
light our Advent candles week by week. We sing "O Come, O Come
Emmanuel" because He hasn't come yet. The waiting is part of the story.
Joseph shows us how to wait: with faith, with action, with trust that God's
timing is perfect even when ours would be different. Jeremiah promises a
righteous king. The angel announces Emmanuel. Matthew records the fulfilment.
But between the promise and the birth is waiting, obedience, trust in the
darkness. Joseph stands in that space between the angel's word and the baby's birth,
teaching us that obedience doesn't mean having all the answers, it means taking
the next faithful step. God called Joseph to be the guardian of His Son. God
calls us to prepare a room in our hearts for that same Child. The manger is still
empty. Christmas is still coming. The question is: are we waiting like Joseph,
ready to say yes to whatever God asks?
Franciscan Reflection
Francis heard God's call to rebuild the Church, and it made no sense.
Leave wealth for poverty? Leave comfort for suffering? Leave family for
strangers? His father dragged him to court, publicly disowned him. Francis
stripped naked, gave his father the clothes off his back, and said, "From
now on I can say 'Our Father who art in heaven' because Pietro Bernardone is no
longer my father." Complete surrender. Total obedience. Absolute trust
that when God says, "Do not be afraid," He means it. Francis, like
Joseph, looked foolish. Francis, like Joseph, embraced scandal. Francis, like
Joseph, discovered that when you let God be Adonai, Master, Lord, the One in
charge, you find Emmanuel. God is with you in your poverty. God is with you in your suffering. God is with you in the scandal. Do not be afraid. Just obey.
For Your Reflection
Take your time with these questions. See which ones relate to you.
About Joseph's Obedience:
- Joseph planned to divorce Mary
quietly. What plan of yours is God asking you to abandon?
- "Do not be afraid to take
Mary, your wife." What is God asking you to embrace that terrifies
you?
- Joseph obeyed without
understanding everything. Where do you demand explanations before you'll
obey?
About Fear:
- The angel said "Do not be
afraid" three times in Matthew's Gospel. What fear is keeping you
from God's plan?
- Joseph was afraid of scandal.
What are you afraid people will think if you fully obey God?
- Fear says, "Protect
yourself." Faith says, "Trust God." Which voice are you
following?
About O Adonai (O Lord):
- Adonai means Master, Lord, the
One in charge. Is Jesus actually your Lord, or just your consultant?
- When God is Adonai, you're not.
Where are you still trying to be in control?
- Joseph let God be Lord even when
it cost him everything. What would it cost you to do the same?
About Emmanuel (God With Us):
- Emmanuel means God is WITH you, not
watching, not distant, but present. Where do you need God with you today?
- Joseph's obedience made room for
Emmanuel. What disobedience is keeping God at a distance?
- Jesus came to save His people
from their sins. What sin are you holding onto that He wants to save you
from?
Praying the Luminous Mysteries
As you pray the rosary today, see Joseph's obedience reflected:
The Baptism in the Jordan - Jesus submits to John's baptism. Complete obedience to the Father's
will.
The Wedding at Cana - Mary says to the servants, "Do whatever he tells you."
Joseph's life motto.
The Proclamation of the Kingdom - The Kingdom comes through surrender, not control. Joseph learned this
first.
The Transfiguration - Peter wanted to build tents. God said, "Listen to my Son."
Joseph listened and obeyed.
The Institution of the Eucharist - "This is my body, given for you." Joseph gave his life, his
plans, and his reputation for Jesus.
The Luminous Mysteries show us what Joseph lived: complete surrender to
God's will, even when it costs everything. O Adonai. O Lord. O Master. Take
control. I surrender.
A Quiet Challenge
This week, practice Joseph's obedience. When God prompts you to do
something, forgive someone, have that conversation, make that change, embrace
that calling, don't negotiate. Don't demand explanations. Don't calculate the
cost to your reputation.
Just obey.
"Do not be afraid" isn't God's promise that things will be
easy. It's God's promise that He'll be with you – Emmanuel - when you obey.
Joseph woke up and did what the angel commanded. He didn't have all the
answers. He just had a command and the courage to follow it.
You have the same. What's God asking you to do that you keep saying
you'll do "when it makes more sense"?
Do it now. Do not be afraid. Emmanuel is with you.
Closing
Pray this with surrendered control:
"Lord Jesus, O Adonai, You are my Lord, and I am not. Forgive me for treating You like a consultant instead of my Lord and Saviour. Give me Joseph's courage to obey even when it costs me everything. Give
me his trust to step into Your plan even when it makes no sense. Give me his
willingness to look foolish if it means you're glorified. When I am afraid, afraid
of what people will think, afraid of what it will cost, afraid of losing
control. But you say, 'Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife', don't be afraid
to embrace what I'm asking, even if it's scandalous. Emmanuel, God with us, be
with me in my obedience. Be with me in my full surrender to you, Lord. Be with me as I let You be
Adonai. In Jesus' Name, Amen."
Then ask:
- What plan of mine is God asking
me to abandon?
- What is God asking me to embrace
that I'm afraid of?
- Am I willing to obey without
demanding all the answers first?
Do not be afraid. Not because the path makes sense. Because Emmanuel, God
is with you. Seven days until Christmas. Jesus is coming.
Will you make room? Will you obey? Will you let God be Adonai?
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent
December 18, 2025
A Franciscan Reflection
©2025 James Dacey, Jr., OFS
