Today’s Scripture Readings

Gospel Reading

NRSV

— 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel’, which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife,

As the story of Jesus’ birth begins to unfold in Matthew’s gospel, the focus shifts quietly to Joseph, a man whose response to a dream would change the course of salvation history.

Joseph is described as a “righteous man.” (Matthew 1:19). He is faithful to the law, guided by conscience, and filled with compassion. When he learns that Mary is pregnant, all that he thought he knew about Mary, God’s will and righteousness is thrown into question. So, he began to make plans to separate from her quietly.

But, in the stillness of the night, Joseph dreamed. An angel spoke, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

This is more than an announcement; it is a commission. The dream doesn’t provide all the answers, nor does it erase the law’s requirements or remove the scandal. Joseph was placed in a difficult position. The dream revealed something deeper: that God was at work, and Joseph was invited into this mystery.

Joseph’s response is immediate and wholehearted. He wakes and obeys. He takes Mary into his home and names the child Jesus. In doing so, Joseph gives the Son of God a name, a place and a future.

This dream asks Joseph to surrender not just his plans but also his understanding of what righteousness looks like. It calls him to move from fear to trust, from law to mercy and from certainty to faith.

Deeply rooted in tradition, yet open to the mystery of God breaking through it, Joseph reminds us that holiness is often quiet, courageous, and trusting amid uncertainty. What God asks is simple, though not easy: to rise, and to say ‘yes’. In his silent obedience, Joseph becomes a model of Advent faith, a faith that doesn’t always see everything clearly, but one that chooses to walk with God anyway.