Reflection for Friday of the 3rd week of Advent
When Mary was betrothed to Joseph, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Mt 1:18-25
Joseph, the husband of Mary, is featured in today’s gospel. He has to decide what to do about Mary, who is now with child. He decides to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame. A righteous, honorable decision. In a dream an angel persuades him to take Mary as his wife. He agrees, and one more piece of the plan of salvation has been put into place. The child to be born will now be of the line of David, the king, a fulfilment the Old Testament prophecies.
Joseph has many admirable qualities, not least of which is his notable lack of words. Not one word of Joseph is recorded in the gospels. Joseph, husband of Mary, is not noted for his eloquence, but his silence.
Silence is an Advent virtue, and one I can practice as I enter this Christmas season. Sometimes my silence tends toward withdrawal, I go off to an isolated place to pray and to think, which is good. Another silence I can practice during this holy season would be not withdrawal but engagement, deploying all of my active listening skills I’ve learned through years of interviewing and ministry. I can simply restrain my desire of wanting to talk about myself and let the person I am with do the talking; i.e. ask open-ended questions and then simply listen – restating as necessary, probing deeper if allowed, acknowledging feelings and emotions as they emerge.
I can learn from Saint Joseph, a man of few words yet present in the life of Jesus. In his silence, he modelled silence and provided the family environment Jesus needed to grow and mature.
As you gather with family and friends during this holiday season, take some time to be silent, whether alone or in a crowd. Here are some encouraging words from Mother Teresa to help:
We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness.
God is the friend of silence.
See how nature – trees, flowers, grass – grow in silence;
see the stars, the moon and sun, how they move in silence…
The more we receive in silent prayer,
the more we can give in our active life.
We need silence to be able to touch souls.