by Msgr. Joseph P. Calise
In the Scriptures, dreams are often seen as communications from the Divine. They play an important part in the story of Joseph, the youngest of Jacob’s 12 sons, in the Book of Genesis, which begins the story of the Jewish people in Egypt. The title character in the Book of Daniel is known as “the dreamer” and wins favor by interpreting dreams for Nebuchadnezzar. Next Sunday, on the feast of the Holy Family, Joseph, the husband of Mary, will be told to take Mary and the child to Egypt to escape Herod, and then will be told once again in a dream that it was safe to return to Israel. The message of God in the dream he encounters in today’s Gospel inserts him into a critical role in the life of Jesus. He is told simply to “not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” However, that simple message carried with it the explanation that the child she is carrying was conceived through the Holy Spirit and was to be named Jesus.
In the Jewish tradition of the time, marriage took place in three stages. The first stage was the engagement. At this time, the parents of the prospective bride and groom would make the decision for their children to marry and agree on all the necessary arrangements. The second stage was the betrothal. The two would accept their parents’ decision and be recognized as a couple. According to St. Luke, Mary and Joseph were at this point in their relationship. This stage could last up to a year, so a pregnancy would not have been unusual even though the third stage, the actual marriage celebration, was yet to follow.
Joseph is described as a “righteous” man. The scriptural definition of righteousness is “doing everything God commands.”
Although pregnancy during betrothal was not unheard of, Joseph knew the child was not naturally his. Although his plan was to divorce quietly (the need for a divorce highlights the legality of their current union), the angel in his dream told him that God’s will and his own plan did not coincide. Being righteous, he would obey God’s command. And so, the public story of the Nativity begins.
The child is conceived through the Holy Spirit. It is important to remember that Pentecost has not yet occurred, so the Spirit referred to here is not to be understood as we understand it today. In the Old Testament, it is the Spirit of God who spoke through the prophets and enabled those who heard them to recognize the truth of their messages. The Spirit was God’s vehicle for making himself known within the human experience.
Being conceived by the Spirit, Jesus is the full revelation of God. As he will later say, “Those who see Me have seen the Father” (John 14:9). Through conception by the Spirit, Jesus is God making himself known among His people. As Isaiah prophesied, he will be “Emanuel, God with us,” bringing with Him the gift of salvation.
In just a few days, we will be celebrating Christmas. May the love and good wishes we offer one another reflect the love God has for each of us. May it help us to see — together — His presence among us and bring us peace.
Msgr. Joseph P. Calise is the pastor of Transfiguration-St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish in Maspeth.