4th Sunday of Advent
year A 2016:
During this season
of Advent we have been talking all about prayer. We’ve discussed what prayer is all about,
obstacles to prayer, different prayer styles.
But, today, I want to talk about putting prayer into action.
Today we hear
about Joseph. Notice, I said we hear
about Joseph, because we don’t actually hear any words from Joseph. I find it interesting that the gospel never
records and words from his mouth, but we certainly see his actions. His actions speak louder than words. He is a great example for us. I think what we hear about Joseph in this
story can give us a great plan for growing in our prayer and in our life of
faith.
First, we hear
that he is a righteous man. He was going
to divorce her quietly. This is because
if Mary had been found with child out of wedlock, she could have been stoned
for her “crimes.” But, Joseph wasn’t
that kind of person. Joseph was
merciful. This is the first thing we
learn about him. We find out that he is
merciful and righteous.
Next, we learn
that he has a great life of prayer. Why
do I say that? Because, he literally
hears from God. He hears from an angel
in a dream what he is supposed to do. In
other words, he receives direction and guidance from God. Now, he certainly received it in an amazing
way. But, we learn from this story that
Joseph was in communication with God.
Finally, Joseph
shows that he is a man of great faith, not by what he says, but by what he
does. As I’ve said, no one would have blamed
him for separating from Mary. But, rather
he trusts in the message of the angel, and he follows the instructions he
received. Joseph believed, and this
belief turned into his actions. He heard
a message from God, and he carried it out.
I think I said
last week, the difference between a goal and a wish is a plan. I think most of us would say that we would
like to trust God more. I hear it often
in the confessional: I need to put more trust in God. But, that is just a wish unless we have a
plan. So, what is the plan? Just to be like Joseph. He shows us the blueprint.
First, Joseph was
righteous. Where do we need to change
our actions? Advent is a great time for
conversion, for confessions. We priests
have been hearing zillions of confessions, and it’s great. If we want to trust God and grow in our lives
of prayer, conversion and righteousness sets the stage. Joseph teaches us that if we want to hear God’s
voice, it helps to turn away from our sins.
Sin makes it hard to hear God.
Second, we make a
commitment to being people who are in regular communication with God. Now, God might not speak to you in the dream
through an angel, but he will speak to us if we give him a chance. Joseph heard this pretty amazing message in
an extraordinary way; but, God still speaks to his people, he will speak to
each one of us if we are ready to listen.
Third, when God
speaks, take action. Joseph was not an
amazing saint because God spoke to him.
Joseph is an amazing saint because he took action. He not only heard the message of the angel,
but then he acted on that message. Can
we always say the same thing?
I remember praying
at one point in my life: am I supposed to be a priest? When I got the yes message back, I hesitated
for a long time to take action. But, I
finally did, and the rest is history. My
life hasn’t turned out exactly as I planned it, but it’s been way better. Following God can be a bit of a wild ride
sometime, but we have to trust that he’s leading us somewhere we want to go.
So, trusting and
following God is the goal. The plan is
to be like Joseph. Number 1, Joseph was
righteous, we are in need of constant conversion. Number 2, Joseph communicated with God
through the angel, we communicate with God through our prayer. Number 3, when God asked, Joseph acted; when
God asks something from us, we should take action as well. Following this plan of life, Joseph saw
amazing things, like the birth of Christ the savior. If we follow Joseph’s game plan, we will see
amazing things in our lives as well.
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