St. Joseph, Guardian of Our Lord
Romans 4:13-18
13 For the promise that he would inherit the world did not come to Abraham or to his descendants through the law but through the righteousness of faith. 14 If it is the adherents of the law who are to be the heirs, faith is null and the promise is void. 15 For the law brings wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there violation.
16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to the adherents of the law but also to those who share the faith of Abraham (for he is the father of all of us, 17 as it is written, “I have made you the father of many nations”)—in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. 18 Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.”
“… 16 For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants, …”
The story of Joseph, the adoptive father of Jesus, is one of grace. Although the statutes of the law dictated that he should put Mary away because of her illegitimate child, Joseph instead acted with grace. He not only received her as his wife. He also raised Jesus as his own. His faith in the Lord’s words led him into grace-filled action.
For us, our lives too depend on grace. Just as Mary and Jesus depended on the grace shown through Joseph’s act of faith, so we find ourselves in need of similar grace from God. After all, we are sinners. By our words and actions, we have rebelled against God. We have disobeyed God’s commands and done what is evil in God’s sight. Unlike Mary, we deserve to be put away.
Instead, by God’s grace, we are delivered from sin, death, and the devil and raised up to new life. It is God’s love that does this – a love received through faith in God’s promise. As Joseph believed the Lord, we are also called to believe the Lord. We are to trust in the grace of God which overcomes sin and leads us to new life.
Thankfully, Joseph believed the Lord. That belief led to his becoming the Guardian of our Lord. What will happen to us when we believe? How will God’s grace manifest itself in our lives?
Prayer: Thank you, Lord, for the gift of grace. Open my heart, mind, and spirit to the wonders of Your love that I may show forth this day Your grace in my words and actions.