Brothers and Sisters,
In this week’s Gospel, we hear about Saint Joseph’s “yes” to the Incarnation (Mt 1:18-24). His “yes” to God’s call was essential just like Mary’s. Saint Joseph is a man that we know little about, but think about the importance of his role in salvation history. He was entrusted with the Son of God as his little child. Upon receiving the words of the angel in a dream, he accepted this Child as his own and cared for Him with a father’s love.
It’s significant to note that Saint Joseph embraced the Christ Child because of a dream. But was it only a dream? So why did Saint Joseph rely upon the authenticity of this dream? Even though the dream he had was just that – a dream, it was also accompanied by the gift of faith. Saint Joseph knew, with a certainty beyond human reason, that the voice of God had spoken to him, and he responded with generous faith. God may or may not speak to us through dreams, but He does speak to us constantly throughout our daily life. He speaks directly to our minds and hearts through many unique ways. After all, He created us, He knows how to divinely and effectively communicate to each of us personally. The real question is whether or not we are listening?
Listening to the voice of God is not about us seeing or hearing the angels literally speak. Rather, it’s a matter of discerning the Lord’s language of love spoken to us and calling us to faith. Today, may we listen in the silence of our heart and allow ourselves to follow the glorious and steadfast witness of Saint Joseph as he responded to our Lord’s will with perfect faith and trust. Let us respond to our Lord with an active and unshakeable faith.
God Bless,
Deacon Howard
