18th December - O Adonai

Recently I saw two photographs that have stayed with me and have inspired me to write this refection. The first was taken seconds after a healthy baby girl was born. By the expression on her face, and her little arms and fingers outstretched, it looked like she was in awe and praise of God for this gift of life. The next photo was this same baby all wrapped up snug in her mother’s arms.

This takes me to St Joseph in today’s Gospel at Mass. The Angel told him in a dream not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife because she would give birth to a son, whom he must name Jesus, because he is the one who is to save His people from their sins.  Joseph would have been the first to hold Jesus in his arms after Mary gave birth to Him.   I imagine Joseph’s strong arms protecting the baby.

Joseph knew his Scriptures. Hearing the words “save his people from their sins”, he would surely have remembered how God appeared to Moses in a burning bush and told him to take off his shoes for the place on which he was standing was holy ground. But this God was not aloof from His people’s plight for He said: “I have seen the misery of my people.  I have heard their cries for help – I have come down to rescue them.”  Under Moses’ leadership He led His people to safety through the Red Sea with outstretched arm.

Now, here we have Joseph who stretches out his arms to protect this God who comes to us as a baby as our Saviour.  What a mystery!  The same Jesus is held high at every Mass when the priest says, “Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” and we receive Him into our very being as a little piece of Bread in Holy Communion.  As Fulton Sheen reminded us: “Joseph guarded the Living Bread which human hearts were starving for.”