Matthew 1:19
19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly.
Tuesday, December 9 - Week of Peace
Joseph had a clear case according to the laws found in Deuteronomy 22 to pursue a form of justice when he discovered Mary was with child. However, Joseph chose not to adhere to the laws and instead dismissed Mary quietly. The question we must ask is, why did Joseph make this decision?
Due to Joseph’s righteousness, he was well within the law to subject Mary to societal examination and prosecution. To do so, Mary would have been forced into the open as someone who had a child outside of wedlock and publicly accused of these offenses. Knowing the difficult path she would walk from that moment forward, Joseph opted for peace and grace and was prepared to separate from Mary without public knowledge. This demonstrated a level of love and care that Joseph had for his betrothed outside of the transactional nature of relationships during his time.
God offered no dowry for what was transpiring through the Holy Family. But what this humble offering to the world represented was worth more than the hundreds of shekels of silver permitted at that time. Through the Christ Child, we would learn the extent by which God loves the world.
Prayer: God of mercy, thank you for the gift of yourself through the Christ Child. May we offer ourselves as holy and living sacrifices in return. Amen.
