Questions for reflection

As you slowly read this Gospel passage, allow its words to soak into your mind. You may want to light a candle to help you ponder the passage, reflect on the image above or on the words of Pope Francis below. You might want to recall a significant dream that you have had that changed the course of your life.

1. What is this passage saying to you?

2. What word(s), sentence or phrase in this Gospel passage most caught your attention; most touched your heart; most challenged you; most comforted you? Is there anything in this passage that you found uncomfortable or startling?

3. ‘Her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly’. What injustices to you see in your community or in a wider context? What small thing can you do to alleviate the injustices that you see in your community or in the world?

4. ‘But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.’ Have you ever had a dream that upset your original decision? Can you think of a situation when you were called to look beyond your own understanding and knowledge? How did your logical, practical mind explain such a situation? Can you think of the angels in your own life who have guided you through a difficult situation?

5. ‘‘When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife.’ Do you put your trust in God or your own self knowledge? How do you discern God’s will for you in your life’s journey? Does trusting God make you more open to his plans for you?

Pope Francis tells us:

This Gospel passage reveals to us the greatness of St Joseph’s heart and soul. He was following a good plan for his life, but God was reserving another plan for him, a greater mission. Joseph was a man who always listened to the voice of God, he was deeply sensitive to his secret will, he was a man attentive to the messages that came to him from the depths of his heart and from on high. He did not persist in following his own plan for his life, he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul; rather, he was ready to make himself available to the news that, in a such a bewildering way, was being presented to him. And thus, he was a good man. He did not hate, and he did not allow bitterness to poison his soul. Yet how many times does hatred, or even dislike and bitterness poison our souls! And this is harmful. Never allow it: he is an example of this. And Joseph thereby became even freer and greater. By accepting himself according to God’s design, Joseph fully finds himself, beyond himself. His freedom to renounce even what is his, the possession of his very life, and his full interior availability to the will of God challenge us and show us the way.