But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod,
he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.
Throughout the nativity story, Joseph listens to God’s messages and carries them out without complaint. He could have complained about how unfair his lot in life was. His plans for marriage and a family were high jacked by God’s plans. He could have complained about the public shame he must have suffered when Mary was found to be with child before his official marriage to her. He could have refused to raise a child that wasn’t his own. He could have grumbled about having to leave everything he ever knew and flee to Egypt. He could have protested about being told to come back to Israel only to find out someone just as bad as Herod had taken over. He could have whined about a lot of things, but he didn’t. He accepted God’s Will and took Mary as his beloved wife and Jesus as his beloved son. He did what he was told without hesitation. He took it on faith that everything his family was going through had a reason and a purpose. He might not have understood why, but he understood God’s Providence would provide and everything would make sense in the end. In the same way, we need to trust in God’s plans for our families and ourselves. We might want to complain or run away, but God gave us our parents, siblings, and other family members for a reason and a purpose. We would do well to remember that it is not necessary for us to understand our family to love them as God loves them.
Do we complain about our family or hesitate to help them? Are we willing to accept we won’t always understand why certain things happen to our loved ones or ourselves? How can we be more trusting of God’s Divine Plan?
O Lord, help us to be holier families.
Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment