Weekly Reflection 121904AD

December 19, 2004AD

4^th Sunday of Advent

Like Foster-Father, Like Son

The foster-father of Jesus did a great job. Religious psychologists tell us that a child’s self-image and his or her image of God are profoundly shaped by their parents. Some say that a child sees no differentiation between its self and the mother. Then, when the child becomes aware of the father, he or she asks, “What’s he doing here?” Mary, the mother of Jesus and St Joseph, His foster father did well.

Apparently, St Joseph taught his Young Charge a valuable lesson that can influence all of us today. During Jesus’ public life, His attitude toward the Law of Moses was challenged by His opponents. Jesus was an observant Jew, but He had a different spin on much of Torah.

For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, from which we hear excerpts in a few weeks, Jesus stressed that the Law is still in effect and then, He goes ahead and changes some of it. (Recall His challenge on anger and grudges, revenge and love of enemies.)

The Christian Bible offers an ambivalence of aspects of Torah after the death and Resurrection of Jesus. However, no matter what the Christian Bible says about the Torah, table fellowship, the temple, the (sacred) times of the year, the great call of ethical monotheism remains in effect. Because there is one God, we are all in direct relationship to one another as sons and daughters of this God and we are to love our neighbor as ourselves. All the major strands of the pluralistic Christian Bible agree on that one.

Did the early Church get its unanimity on this from Jesus? Chances are they did. Did Jesus get His attitude on Torah from St Joseph? Again, chances are He did!

We see why in today’s Gospel. Very few saints are as mainline in the Catholic Church as St Joseph. He was a righteous man (observant of the Law). Yet, when he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, because he loved her, he did not want to expose her to the Torah and wanted to divorce her quietly.

Had he been a fundamentalist (going by the letter of the Law), Mary should have been denounced in the Temple, her hair unbraided, water thrown on her in purification and then, stoned. Not nice!!!! (By the way, the author of the DaVinci Code implied that it was Christianity’s reaction to Mary Magdalene that set women back in a male culture.)

However, St Joseph, the righteous Jew, opted because of his love for Mary to move quietly. The angel, of course, intervened and all went well, as God planned. Still, think of it. The righteous man looked for a way to be observant and to b e merciful simultaneously.

In St Matthew’s Gospel, it is no accident that only two people are identified as “righteous”, viz., St Joseph and Jesus Himself (when Ms Pilate warned her husband, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man”. Like foster father, like Son. Jesus wants to share the gift with us; will we fulfill the gift’s demands in our treatment of one another? 121904AD jfq