Daily Gospel Reflection
Join the Notre Dame family of faith. Receive God’s Word and a unique reflection in your inbox each day.
December 22, 2019
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 fulfill 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 and took his wife into his home.
Joseph was a righteous and faithful man, and he had a plan. He was in the midst of a difficult situation, and he “had in mind to divorce Mary quietly.” He resolved to do what he thought was best to protect Mary from any shame or cruelty.
God had a different plan for Joseph.
What plan does God have for our lives? What is God calling us to do or to become? How does God communicate that plan? These are not easy questions to answer.
God may not send an angel to us in a dream, as happened to Joseph, but God is revealing a plan for us through our experiences, our interactions with others, our struggles, and our triumphs. We communicate with God in prayer and through the Holy Spirit. We need to be receptive to God’s call in our lives, and have Joseph’s courage to act in accordance with God’s plan, rather than our own.
Like Joseph, we might fear the uncertainty of the future. We might fear pain and suffering, not being accepted, being alone, or trying and failing, but God gives us the same message Joseph received: “Do not be afraid.” God goes before us always—Joseph was told that the child was to be called “Immanuel” or “God with us.”
We will never be left to follow our vocation alone. In this season of Advent, let us be filled with joy instead of fear. God will always be with us.
Prayer
Almighty God, in your Son we are given new hope, that through him all divisions can be healed, all sins forgiven, and trust restored. Watch over us and those we love, that we may always be a sign of your reconciling love in a world full of hurt and betrayal. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint of the Day
Blessed Thomas Holland was a Jesuit priest who was executed in London during the English Reformation.
He was born to a noble family of England in 1600 and was sent to France and Spain for his education. He entered the Jesuit order in 1624 and was ordained a priest soon afterwards. After teaching and serving spiritual needs in France and Belgium, he was sent as a missionary to England, where being Catholic was forbidden.
He was well-suited to be a missionary in the Catholic underground community in London—he spoke flawless Spanish, French, and Flemish, and was known to be very good at taking on various disguises.
On Oct. 4, 1642, he was arrested in the street for a vague suspicion and was imprisoned. He was tried for being a priest—though there was no evidence for this charge, he refused to swear that he was not a priest, and was found guilty. He was sentenced to death.
When he returned to prison to await his execution, he heard many confessions and was even allowed to celebrate Mass several times.
He was executed on this date in 1642, and was led from the prison in a cart. When they arrived to the place of execution, he stood and addressed the large crowd that had gathered to watch. He confessed to being a Catholic, a priest, and a Jesuit, and then placed the noose around his own neck and forgave the judge and jury who had convicted him. He then forgave his executioner and gave him a few coins he had in his pocket. The cart pulled away and he was left to hang till dead.
Blessed Thomas Holland, you were the master of disguise who ministered to underground English Catholics, pray for us!
Image Credit: Our featured image of Bl. Thomas Holland is in the public domain. Last accessed November 1, 2024 on Wikimedia Commons.
