Episode Transcript
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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ.
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Today we enter the Fourth Sunday of Advent,
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the final stretch in our spiritual preparation for Christmas.
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In today’s Gospel,
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we are introduced to two central figures of the Holy Family,
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Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
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The relationship between them is anything but simple.
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Though they were betrothed,
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Mary and Joseph had not yet come to live together
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when Mary was found to be with child
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by the power of the Holy Spirit.
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Understandably, Joseph was confused and troubled.
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Being a righteous man, he decided to quietly distance himself from Mary,
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not wanting to expose her to shame.
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But before Joseph could act on his decision,
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God intervened.
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The Lord sent His angel to Joseph in a dream to reveal the truth,
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that the child conceived in Mary
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was through the Holy Spirit.
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In obedience to and trust in this divine message
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Joseph welcomed Mary as his wife,
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accepting the child as his own.
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Joseph said 'yes' to God, like Mary,
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Joseph gave his fiat
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a yes spoken in trust to mysteries beyond his understanding.
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The child in Mary’s womb, conceived by the Holy Spirit,
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was a mystery.
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Even Joseph’s own life became a mystery,
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now intertwined with the unfolding of God’s plan.
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Yet Joseph embraced these mysteries without hesitation.
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His whole life became a silent,
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humble contemplation of God’s presence and action in his life.
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Joseph’s 'yes' was a surrender to God's will,
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even when it meant letting go of his own dreams.
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He had hoped to be Mary’s husband
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in a conventional and ordinary sense,
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but God asked him to be by her side in faithfulness and chastity.
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He had likely imagined raising many children,
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but instead, he became the foster father of only one,
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Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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Still, Joseph gave his 'yes' with simplicity and sincerity,
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and it changed salvation history.
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So, what does Saint Joseph’s story show to us today?
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God may not speak to us through dreams
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as He did for Saint Joseph,
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but God still speaks,
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often in quiet, personal ways
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that only our heart can truly perceive.
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If we remain attentive and open,
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and if we have courage to say 'yes' as Joseph did,
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then we too can take part in God’s saving work in the world.
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To bring about the Incarnation,
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the Son of God becoming man
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God needed Mary’s 'yes'.
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But He also needed the quiet, humble 'yes' of Joseph.
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By taking Mary into his home and naming the child Jesus,
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Joseph was given a unique and irreplaceable role
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in the history of salvation.
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Because of Joseph’s obedience,
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Jesus became a true son of David,
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fulfilling the promises God made long ago.
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So today, with Joseph,
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let us proclaim the holy name of the Son of God, Jesus.
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And with the whole universe,
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let us call Him Emmanuel,
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meaning God-with-us,
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now, and until the end of time.
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Amen.
