Shirin McArthur

Dear friends,

As many of you know, I led an online Advent retreat for St. Philippians (and other interested friends) a couple of weeks ago. In it, I explored Mary’s and Joseph’s encounters with angels (and each other) as “stories of disorientation.” By this, I meant that Mary and Joseph were disoriented in the sense of being thrown off-course, at least in terms of how they imagined their lives. They had to reorient, to find a new “north star,” in a sense, to guide them on this unexpected and unimaginable journey.

In today’s Gospel, we read again the story of Joseph’s encounter with the angel. Joseph has learned about Mary’s pregnancy—and have you ever wondered how she tried to explain it to him?! In the retreat, I shared that story in my own words, from Joseph’s perspective.

Scripture makes it clear that Joseph didn’t believe Mary, which must have been heartbreaking for both of them. They had planned a life together, but now she’s pregnant—and Joseph knows he’s not the father. So, what else can he imagine besides the fact that she’s betrayed him? Mary tries to explain about the angel, but that’s beyond Joseph’s capacity to believe.

It takes his own encounter with an angel to reorient Joseph toward the road that God has placed before them. He must have felt incredible relief, but also guilt, for having not believed Mary. For him, it probably feels like the “end” of the story. He and Mary can get back together, have the baby, and get on with their lives.

But as we read this story today, we know better. We know that once baby Jesus has arrived, the disorientations will keep coming. More trust will be needed. Joseph will dream again—and must again trust an angel enough to convince Mary to flee with him to Egypt, rather than returning to the comforts of home and family in Nazareth.

The birth of Jesus is a beginning. There’s a lot more to the story, and it will be disorienting, and even tragic. Tomorrow we remember the Holy Innocents who died by Herod’s order because their fathers didn’t get the angelic dream that Joseph did.

Scripture isn’t all good news, but there is good news. The good news for us is that, even in times of disorientation, God walks with us. Even when children die, God grieves alongside us. And sometimes, God sends angels to guide us along a different path than we could ever have imagined on our own.

Shirin McArthur
More of my reflections can be found on my blog.