Sunday, Dec. 21, is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. Mass readings: Isaiah 7:10-14; Psalm 24:1-2, 3-4, 5-6; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-24. 

The Gospel gives us some background for the Christmas feast that we need to take to heart. It speaks to us of a crisis at Christmas.

We tend to sentimentalize the Christmas story. We must also be sober about how difficult that first Christmas was and about the heroic virtue required of Mary and Joseph. 

 [Mary] 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.

We read that Joseph was a “righteous man,” meaning that Joseph was an “observer of the Law.” 

We can see the kind of pressure Joseph was under to do what the Law and custom required. There is no mention of his feelings at this point, but we can assume the social pressure on him to cancel the marriage was strong, regardless of his feelings.

We can also see into Mary’s difficult and dangerous position. She risked her life by being found with child outside the normal marital act with her husband. We know that it is by the Holy Spirit she conceives, but would her neighbors accept such a story? Mary’s “Yes” despite real dangers is a great testimony to her faith and trust in God. 

The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived.”

The principal exhortation of the angel was that Joseph “not be afraid” to take Mary as his wife. This exhortation is powerful because fear was a factor. The angel is clear that Joseph must rebuke his fears and receive Mary as his wife. 

 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

We can see the strong faith of Joseph and the kind of trust he had to put in God. He had been told not to be afraid, to rebuke fear. Manfully, Joseph does this! 

So, Jesus is found in a real Christmas, not a happy-Christmas-movie one. You may wish for the perfect Christmas, but there is no perfect Christmas. Jesus will find you where you are, in real life, in the imperfect Christmas, where loved ones may have passed away and there is grief, where a job has been lost and there is anxiety, where health is poor and there is stress, where families are experiencing strife. That’s where Jesus will be found, in your real Christmas. A Christmas of joy, yes, but also of imperfections, even crises. He is there waiting for you.