As Advent draws to a close, Matthew tells us, “Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteousman, yet unwilling to expose Mary to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” He could legally have had Mary stoned to death for presumably she was no longer a virgin. Jewish law back then called for such punishment. Being righteous, Joseph was compelled instead to spare Mary any public humiliation and divorce her quietly but an angel’s appearance changed all that.
The angel told Joseph, “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.” The angel’s challenge to Joseph to do what was right brings to mind an article by an American essayist, Ardis Whitman, entitled, “The Courage to Trust.” He tells how he once found himself sitting next to Martin Luther King, Jr. on a flight. On the opposite side was a middle-aged man also from the south.
During the flight, Mr. Whitman and Dr. King talked about many things, including the improved racial relations between blacks and whites. The middle-aged man was obviously listening to their conversation but he said nothing. Finally he broke his silence and observed, “My children will have no trouble accepting these things. I have learned to accept them, but my father, he will never accept them.”
Dr. King turned to him and said compassionately, “Your father is doing what he believes is right.” Moved by that remark, the man replied, “Thank you for thinking that of my father.” Mr. Whitman went on to say that Dr. King had the wonderful ability to trust that even his enemies in their hearts had the desire to do what is right.
I share this story because I think it gets to the heart of today’s readings. Often we are motivated to do what we believe is right. Even King Ahaz felt that way when he told Isaiah, “I will not tempt the Lord!” Instead of commending this wayward king, Isaiah instead bemoans, “Is it not enough for you to weary people, must you also weary my God?” Might we be doing the same thing when we are reluctant to trust God, trust others, or even trust ourselves?
Ideally what we think is right enables us to be righteous, that is, to be morally upright without guilt or sin. In biblical times, if a groom learned that his bride was not a virgin, he could have her stoned to death. That punishment was legally called for, but was it morally right? Joseph thought otherwise so he instead planned to divorce Mary quietly until the angel told him to take her as his wife. If there was one thing he and Mary needed then and there, it was trust.
Mary had to trust that what she consented to was right. She was a virgin yet she was bearing a child conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. When she shared the news of her pregnancy with Joseph, Mary had to trust that he would not accuse her of adultery and have her stoned to death. Joseph had to trust what the angel told him and receive Mary into his home as his wife. Because Mary, Joseph and God trusted one another, the Son of God was born in Bethlehem to bring us salvation. Not only must we trust God as both Mary and Joseph did, but we must learn to trust others just as they did.
In that same article, Mr. Whitman recalled an event from his childhood when he went to the circus. There the trapeze performers thrilled him, as they swung back and forth high in the air, catching each other at the last minute. As he watched, he asked his mother, “Aren’t they scared?” Before she could reply, a man in the row in front of her turned and said, “They aren’t scared. They trust each other.” Someone else then said, “That man should know. He used to perform on the high wire himself.” Yes, we must trust one another yet the world we live in is a fearful place. If you are fearful, imagine the angel speaking to you, “do not be afraid.” To increase our capacity to trust, we need faith in ourselves.
The most difficult trust of all is learning to trust ourselves and in our own goodness and value as persons. The dictionary defines trust as “confident hope.” Unlike Mary and Joseph, that is what Ahaz lacked. Trusting in our own value as a member of the community. Trusting that God has made us for some special purpose. An atmosphere of trust is as necessary as air or water to human life. When we find ourselves at odds with the Church regarding God’s ways, might we no longer be trusting God to know what is best for us? Have we the confident hope that God cares about us?
Fr. John Powell in his book, Through Seasons of the Heart, writes, “God sends each person into this world with a special message to deliver, with a special song to sing, with a special act of love to bestow.” I recall my mother telling me much the same thing when I was growing up. They were right. No one else can speak our special message. No one else can sing our special song. No one else can bestow our special act of love. If we don’t, then a part of God’s plan will go unfulfilled. A part of God’s glory goes unseen. Imagine where we would be today if Mary or Joseph had chosen not to sing their songs of trust.
Young or old, rich or poor, everyone here has a mission to help build up God’s kingdom. Not only must we believe that God made us for a special purpose, we must trust that God will help us achieve that purpose. Ahaz abandoned his trust in God and in himself. Dare we weary our God or have we the courage to ultimately trust that God indeed is with us when we follow his ways?