Jer. 23:5-8/Ps. 72:1-2,12-13/Matt.1:18-24

In today’s Gospel, we are invited into the quiet inner struggle of Saint Joseph. Unlike Mary, whose “yes” is spoken aloud, Joseph’s “yes” is spoken in silence, in the depths of his heart. Yet it is no less courageous.

Joseph is confronted with a situation that makes no sense to him. Mary, the woman he loves, is with child, and he knows the child is not his.

Everything within him must have been in turmoil.

The law, as he understood it, pointed in one direction. His love for Mary pointed in another.

Between duty and compassion, between head and heart, Joseph stands uncertain and troubled.

This is a place many of us know well. Life does not always present us with clear answers. There are moments when we want to do God’s will, yet we are unsure what that will is. We pray, but the way forward remains hidden. Like Joseph, we can find ourselves caught between what seems right and what feels right.

It is precisely in this place of confusion that God comes to Joseph. Not with loud commands, but with gentle guidance. In a dream, the angel speaks, and Joseph listens. What is striking is not only that Joseph hears God’s word, but that he trusts it. He allows God to reshape his understanding, and he responds without delay.

Advent invites us into that same openness. God may not speak to us through angels or dreams, but he speaks through quieter, more ordinary channels-through prayer, through the Scriptures, through the wise counsel of those we trust. When we create space for silence, when we dare to bring our confusion honestly before the Lord, light begins to break through.

Joseph teaches us that faith does not remove uncertainty; it teaches us how to walk through it.

His goodness, decency, and deep trust in God enable him to take Mary into his home and to accept a role he could never have imagined. In doing so, he becomes a guardian not only of Mary, but of God’s own Son.

As we reflect on this Gospel, we sense how blessed Jesus was to grow up under the care of such a man; one whose faith shaped his character, whose quiet strength created a home where love and trust could flourish. Joseph helped Jesus to grow in wisdom and in grace, simply by being who he was.

This is Joseph’s enduring invitation to us. We may never know how deeply our own faith, kindness, and integrity touch the lives of others.

Yet, as we grow closer to the Lord, we help Christ to grow in those around us.

In this final stretch of Advent, may we ask for the grace of Joseph: a listening heart, a trusting spirit, and the courage to act on the light God gives us-step by step, in faith.