Doing it my way needs to give way to doing it God's way.

 

Fourth Sunday of Advent  A   2022

 

If I had the voice of Bing Crosby, I would begin this homily singing:  “I’m dreaming of a White Christmas just like the ones I used to know.”  Dreams are part of the wonder and awe of Christmas.  Part of the wonder and the awe of the Schwartz family at Christmas is that my mom and dad had convinced the six of us that we were very special and that on Christmas eve Santa Claus would bring our family Christmas tree down the chimney and decorate it and we would see it for the first time on Christmas morning.  Awe and wonder filled our Christmas dreams.

What are your dreams?   What are your Christmas dreams today?  On a grander scale we dream that there will be:

                        Peace on earth.

                        Peace in our lives.

 

In the Gospel today, Joseph was a dreamer.  “The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, Son of David, 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.  She will bear a Son and you are to name him Jesus.’’

Joseph thought this dream could become a nightmare for initially he was going to divorce her quietly not knowing how her Son was conceived.

The angel of the Lord said to Joseph:  “Do not be afraid.”

God has a dream too.  God has a dream for the world.

                                    That the poor are fed

                                    Justice is experienced by all people.

                                    The unborn are treasured.

                                    The elderly are protected.

 

The Scriptures tell us that Joseph was a righteous man.  That meant he was “law-abiding.”  Tell me what the rules are, and I will be a faithful rule keeper.  The laws in Joseph’s time were very strict.  If you found out that the woman you were engaged to was pregnant and you were not the other party to the pregnancy, you were to cancel the engagement, and the woman might be stoned to death.  Did I mention that the laws in Joseph’s time were quite strict!

With a compassionate heart, Joseph was unwilling to expose Mary to shame, and so he wanted to divorce her quietly.

It was then that the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said: “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.”

“When Joseph awoke from the dream, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do.”

In a word, Joseph did it God’s ways.  Unlike Frank Sinatra who prided himself “that I did it my way.”  Joseph chose to do it God’s ways.

It is worth reflecting on the discernment-conversion process that took place in Joseph and then to wonder how and if we are to model this discernment in our own lives.

  Joseph’s dream is God’s dream for us all. It is of the child who will save all people, who is Emmanuel, God with all of us.

God has a dream for you.  That you will experience in the inn of your heart the birth of the Savior this Christmas.   God has a dream that we will speak the language of love to one another.

The Buddha website says: Never give up on your dreams: ‘If you work hard enough and do all of the necessary planning, you can achieve any goal that you set yourself.’

Joseph’s dream is God’s dream for his life.    Joseph’s dream is of pure gift. It is realized in a child who offers us everything, for free.

Like Joseph, we need to be open to the mystery of life, however life challenges us and calls us.  True religion is open to mystery.  We need a Church lit with the light of God, as Joseph was.  His burden was lifted when he was open to God, to take Mary home as his wife, no matter what others might think.

Pope Francis has captured the imagination of the world and breathed new life into the Church as he has extended the compassionate love of Jesus to one and all.  For Pope Francis, more than keeping rules, we are to be faithful to the commandment of love that Jesus has given us.

Going back to the Gospel, the angel of the Lord led Joseph to be open to God’s plan for his life.

How does that play out in our lives?  When does "doing it my way” need to give way to “doing it God’s way,” even when this requires us to trust in God’s grace for us?

 How do you share your unconditional love for your children and the merciful love of Jesus for your children even when they are not keeping the rules you would like them to keep?  Are all of your children and grandchildren and extended family members going to Church Sunday after Sunday after Sunday?  So, with the mantra of seeking to do it God’s way, how do we witness to the love of Jesus in the lives of all your family members?

What would be an example of letting go of my way in order to be open to God’s plan for us?  This was the life and commitment of Joseph in today’s Gospel?    When did or do have you have deal will illness in your life or someone you love, when you have to deal with death in the life of someone you love, how is it for you when you need to let go of your children in their growth and development process, and what happens for you when someone you love betrays your trust?

For me, the two great teachers of God’s plan are found either in love or pain or both.

What I do know for myself and for you is that God has a plan for us.  The problem is that sometimes God’s plan doesn’t look like a gift we like to receive.  It requires far more trust to accept what God gives that what Santa gives.   May we pray for the openness to listen with a trusting heart and then to live out God’s plan for us.  Doing it “my way” needs to give way to “doing it God’s way.”

Have a blessed day.