By Quin Hillyer at PJ Media, published Dec. 18;
In this week’s Gospel, we are treated to one of the most singular examples of graceful humility seen anywhere in the Bible.
The exemplar is St. Joseph, the fiancé of Mary, mother of Jesus Christ. Joseph is a figure both remarkable and mysterious – remarkable in dignity, compassion, and faith; mysterious in that he so quickly disappears from Biblical accounts without explanation….
… But we do know these things, according to the Gospels: Joseph was obedient to God and a devout observer of Judaic law. Joseph was a man of reasonably decent social standing. And Joseph was a man willing to go great lengths (literally, all the way to Egypt) to protect a child who by blood was not his own son….
… As we enter this final week before Christmas Day, then, let us emulate Joseph by reflecting on our own responsibilities – ones we meet, and ones we may not be meeting as well as we ought. Let us reflect on what (or whom) it is that we are meant to protect, on what or whom we are meant to support, and not least on the ways in which we by our actions should provide a model for others….
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