Mary and Joseph accepted the will of God

By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami

Homily by Archbishop Thomas Wenski at Our Lady of Mercy Church in Deerfield Beach. Dec. 18, 2016.

I’m happy to be here at Our Lady of Mercy and to join with you and Fr. Whittaker in dedicating Sullivan Hall in honor of Father Michael Sullivan. A warm welcome to his family, many of whom come from St. Rose of Lima Parish in Miami Shores. Father Sullivan served well here at Our Lady of Mercy – and while his health does not permit him to be him with us, his family – I am sure – will convey to him our prayers for him and our gratitude for his service to this parish community.

Also allow me to thank Fr. Whittaker and all of you for being one of the parishes with “holy doors” that welcomed pilgrims during the recently concluded Extraordinary Year of Mercy. During Advent, we are preparing to celebrate the birth of Christ. Mercy is not a loft idea; mercy is not some ideal; Mercy is a person, Mercy has a human face, the face of the Christ whom we will adore in the crib on Christmas Day.

Christmas comes every year to renew our hope.  God does keep his promises – the prophets of old hoped against hope. And when everything seemed darkest, the light shone. Christmas is an invitation to each one of us to see things differently – to see things as God sees them, to see things in his light with renewed hope.

That’s what Mary and Joseph each had to do in today’s gospel reading. You know, most couples will tell you that a baby changes everything. So you can imagine how this baby Mary carries in her womb changed everything for Mary and Joseph – especially given, to say the least, the unusual circumstances of his conception – by the Holy Spirit and not by human agency. Yet, both Mary and Joseph, each in turn, accepted God’s will, each in turn sought to see things God’s way. Their character and their faith are examples for each one of us to imitate as we, at times, struggle to understand what God asks of us.

 The gospel tells us that Joseph was an upright, righteous man. He was a just man; but we also see that he was a kind man. We know people who are righteous but not kind; and we know people who are kind but not righteous. But God chose well in selecting Joseph to be the husband of Mary who would give birth to the world’s savior.  

“Be not afraid”. These are the words of the angel to Mary, and then to Joseph.  On Christmas morning, the angels will tell the poor shepherds, “Be not afraid”. (In fact, Bible scholars, I believe, have identify some 365 places where God or one of his messengers tell us “Be not afraid”.  One verse for every day of the year.) In fact, at Christmas we celebrate that God comes to us not in all his terrible glory and fearful splendor but as a little baby. Who can be afraid of a little baby?  God comes as a baby so we might not be afraid to draw near to him.

Yet, we do live in a world of fear:  we fear misery and poverty, we fear crime and terrorism, we fear illness and suffering. We fear loneliness and death. Against, some of our fears, we take out insurance policies. Yet no insurance policy can protect us from all our fears. But, God comes to our aid.  Our help is in God and so we do not fear.  We may fall – but we will fall into God’s hands.  And God’s hands are good hands. Do not fear, the angel tells Mary; do not fear, the angel tells Joseph. Your mission is to carry in your hands God who becomes man in that child born in Bethlehem. But, the angels assure them, even as you carry God, God will carry you.

Advent beckons us to “repent”, “to prepare the way for the Lord”, “to make straight his paths”. In the Responsorial Psalm, we prayed those ancient words attributed to King David, from whose line the Messiah would come:  

Yes, a baby does change everything.  And this baby born of a Virgin will change everything – not only for Mary and Joseph, but for each one of us and for the whole world. “A Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Yes,  “Let the Lord enter; he is king of glory.”