Homily For Monday the Third Week of Advent Year B, 18th December, 2023

Readings Jer. 23:5-8; Ps. 72; Matt.1:18-24

Rev. Fr. Emmanuel Emenike Onyia.

 

LEARN TO ADDRESS THE CHALLENGING MOMENTS OF YOUR LIFE LIKE ST JOSEPH

 

As we continue the preparation for the birthday of our Lord Jesus, the liturgy presents to us the events preceding the birth of Jesus and invites us to contemplate the roles St Joseph played in the life of Jesus and Mary which our Gospel passage today presents to us how Jesus Christ came to be born. A challenging moment in the lives of Mary and Joseph.

 

Mary who was betrothed to Joseph was found to be with a child; but Joseph being a man of honour and wanting to spare Mary’s publicity, decided to surely with great sorrow send Mary away quietly. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit, she will bear a Son, and you shall call him Jesus, for he will save his people from sins. We can imagine the great trauma Joseph was passing through when we think about the love he has for Mary. But even in these circumstances, he intends to do the will of God.

 

Hence, we can see how this Gospel passage reveals to us the magnanimity of Joseph’s heart and soul. He wished to follow his plan, but God was reserving another plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God, he was deeply sensitive to his secret will, he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart. He did not persist in following his plan, he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, silently he was ready to make himself available to the event of the new mission entrusted to him. This reveals to us how deep and great St. Joseph’s holiness of life was.

 

Dear friends, the challenge to every baptized Christian is to live a holy life and God cannot abandon us in this struggle. For he promised us in the first reading to stand up for us a righteous branch who shall reign as King and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in our land. He shall save the needy when they cry, the poor, and those who are helpless. Look at how the Lord helped Joseph in the challenging moment of his life, giving him the grace to cooperate with his will even when it seemed difficult, he said to him “do not fear”.

 

So like Joseph, we should not fear to face those challenging moments of disappointment, pain, sorrow, guilt, betrayals, and complex and complicated situations in our lives, for by combating them comes our victory and through the power of the Holy Spirit our souls are purified and the will of God is made manifest in our lives.

 

LET US PRAY: Heavenly Father, give us the grace to imitate the silence and holiness of St Joseph, especially in a world full of noise, iniquities and distractions. A world that encourages neither recollection nor listening to you nor one another. Grant us the grace to cultivate the inner attitude of silence and recollection in order to fully embrace the spirit of this season so as to joyfully experience the glory of Christmas. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen. Do have a grace-filled day.