Fourth Sunday of Advent: Jesus' Step-Dad

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, 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. Such was his intention when, behold, 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 in her.She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.”

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

The Gospel this week essentially repeats that of last week’s Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but the focus is upon St. Joseph rather than Mary. It also requires a bit of knowledge about the Jewish marriage process.

Under Jewish tradition (i.e. the Talmud), marriage occurs in two distinct stages: kiddushin (what we refer to as betrothal) and nisuin (full-fledged marriage). Kiddushin occurs when the woman agrees to marry her prospective husband, which she does by accepting an offering of money, accepting a marriage proposal or having sexual relations with him. According to those more knowledgeable in these things than I, the word "kiddushin" is derived from the root word Qof-Dalet-Shin, which means "sanctified” and thus reflects the sanctity of the marital relation. However, the root word also connotes something that is set aside for a specific (sacred) purpose, and the ritual of kiddushin sets aside the woman to be the wife of a particular man and no other.

Kiddushin is much more than an merely an engagement as we understand the term in modern English; once kiddushin is complete, the woman is legally the wife of the man. The relationship created by kiddushin can only be dissolved by death or divorce. However, the spouses do not live together at the time of the kiddushin, and the mutual obligations created by the marital relationship do not take effect until the second part of the marriage process, nisuin, is complete.


The nisuin (derived from a word meaning "elevation") completes the process of marriage. The husband brings the wife into his home and they begin their married life together. While today the ceremonies of kidduishin and nisuin are usually performed together, in the past they would occur as much as a year apart. During that time, the husband would prepare a home for the new family. Of course, during this period of time there was always a chance that the woman would discover that she wanted to marry another man, or the man would disappear, leaving the woman in the awkward state of being married but without a husband.

This was the context, then, that Joseph found himself in when he realized Mary was pregnant. Having completed kiddushin, Mary was considered his betrothed and was legally his wife even though they did not yet reside together. She was pregnant and they had not had sexual relations. She had committed adultery, the punishment being death in accordance with Deuteronomy 22:23-24:  

If within the city a man comes upon a maiden who is betrothed, and has relations with her, you shall bring them both out to the gate of the city and there stone them to death: the girl because she did not cry out for help though she was in the city, and the man because he violated his neighbor's wife. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst.

This is what created the dilemma for Joseph. If he did nothing, then he was concealing Mary’s sin and acting against the law of the Lord. But if he said something, and he was wrong about what had happened, her innocent blood would be upon him. Joseph decided to take the middle road and would divorce her quietly, without giving a reason. He then went to sleep and was visited by an angel who explained that Mary was telling the truth and was in God’s grace. Upon waking, Joseph gave glory to God and told Mary he believed her.

Scripture does not identify the angel who visited Joseph that night. We know that the Archangel Gabriel visited Zacharias to announce the pregnancy of Elizabeth (Luke 1:19) and visited Mary during the Annunciation (Luke 1:26), but Matthew is silent as to the name, other than “the Angel of the Lord.” As noted in the Catholic Encyclopedia, it is not unreasonable to suppose with Christian tradition that it was Gabriel  who appeared to St. Joseph and to the shepherds. The non-canonical The History of Joseph the Carpenter has Jesus himself claiming it was the angel Gabriel.

Joseph is somewhat an enigmatic figure in the Gospels. Other than the infancy narrative, the only other time he is referenced is in the Finding of Jesus in the temple. The primary non-canonical work is the aforementioned History of Joseph the Carpenter.

The History of Joseph was purportedly written by James, the brother of Jesus, who recounts a presentation Jesus made on the Mount of Olives. Jesus explains that Joseph came from Bethlehem was a carpenter and a priest in the temple. He was single for 40 years, then he married and had four sons, Judas, Justus, James and Simon, and two daughters, Assia and Lydia. After 49 years of marriage, his wife died.

A year later, Joseph was chosen by lot to took Mary home since she could no longer reside in the temple as she had reached the age of 12. There, she encountered the young James who was heart-broken over the loss of his mother, so Mary comforted him and assumed the role of his mother. She was there two years before the Annunciation occurred, which would make her 14 years old and Joseph 92 years old when today’s reading occurred. Mary gave birth when she was 15, which made Joseph 93 years old when Jesus was born.

After the death of King Herod the Great, Joseph returned from Egypt and resumed his work as a carpenter and undertook the raising of Jesus and his own children. Joseph lived to be 111 years old and suffered no ill effects of old age. That would place Jesus at 18 years old and Mary 33 years old when Joseph died. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was "about 30" when he began his ministry, which would make Mary around 45 years old.

Third Sunday in Advent: The Question of John the Baptist

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”

Jesus said to them in reply,“Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”

As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,“What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The question that John the Baptist had his disciples ask was not an insignificant one. But why did John the Baptist have his disciples ask it? Did it mean that John the Baptist had doubt that Jesus was who he said he was? Or did he somehow forget that Jesus was the same person he had baptized not long before?

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me? Jesus said to him in reply, "Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then he allowed him. Matthew 3:13-15.

To answer the question of why John had his disciples act in such a manner, one first needs to understand the situation which was taking place at the time. John had already been imprisoned by Herod Antipas (Tetrarch--"ruler of a quarter"--of Galilee and son of the infamous King Herod the Great who ordered the slaughter of the Holy Innocents). Antipas had imprisoned John because John had denounced Antipas' marriage to Herodias, who had previously been married to Antipas' half-brother, Herod Philip. John's denouncing of Antipas' marriage to Herodias struck a chord with the Jewish population, not only because the marriage was seen as being contrary to Jewish law but also because there were signs of God's displeasure with the union.

Antipas' first wife, Phasaelis, was the daughter of King Aretas. Antipas and Phasaelis had been married for a number of years when Antipas when to Rome and stayed with his half-brother Philip. While Antipas was there, he fell in love with Philip's wife, Herodias. Herodias agreed to divorce Philip, leave Rome and marry Antipas only if he agreed to divorce Phasaelis.

Antipas returned home but unbeknownst to him, his wife Phasaelis had learned of his plan to divorce her. Upon his return, Phasaelis convinced Antipas to let her go to Machaerus, a fortified hilltop palace Antipas had built on the edge of the Dead Sea and on the border of territory of Antipas and her father Aretas. Once she had left, she instead went directly to her father and told him what Antipas was planning to do, which caused Aretas to raise his army and began a war with Antipas. Ultimately, Antipas' army was destroyed. Adding insult to injury, much of the reason for the loss was due to the assistance of individuals sympathetic to his half-brother Philip. This prompted Antipas to write and complaint to Tiberius, the Roman Emperor, who in turn wrote to his general in Syria to destroy Aretas' army and either capture him alive or send Tiberius Areta's head.

As noted by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus in Chapter 5 of The Antiquities of the Jews:

Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to
righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body;
supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness.

Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, [for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,] thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God's displeasure to him.

It was during this time of his imprisonment at Machaerus, that John sent his disciples to Jesus to ask him the question. "When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”"

A footnote to the verse in the New American Bible explains that the question probably expresses a doubt of the Baptist that Jesus is the one who is to come because his mission has not been one of fiery judgment as John had expected. Even Bishop Fulton J. Sheen, in Life of Christ (p. 128) remarks that:

For months John was kept in the dark dungeon of Machaerus. Did this enforced inactivity cause him to doubt the Messiah and Lamb of God of Whom he had spoken? Did his faith waver a little in the darkness of the dungeon? Perhaps he was impatiently longing for God to punish those who had refused to receive His message.

I think that John had his disciples ask Jesus the question not for his own benefit, but for their own. This is evident in the second part of the question:  or should we look for another? As disciples, their very nature is to follow someone. They were following John, who himself was insistent that the one who is coming after him is mightier than he was. (See last Sunday's gospel). Even shortly before his death, John continued to carry out his mission by pointing to the coming of the Lord.

Holy Day: Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX issued Ineffabilis Deus, which set forth the Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary:

We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful.

Hence, if anyone shall dare -- which God forbid! -- to think otherwise than as has been defined by us, let him know and understand that he is condemned by his own judgment; that he has suffered shipwreck in the faith; that he has separated from the unity of the Church; and that, furthermore, by his own action he incurs the penalties established by law if he should are to express in words or writing or by any other outward means the errors he think in his heart. Ineffabilis Deus.

An-in-depth treatment of the doctrine and its history may be found in the Catholic Encyclopedia entry on the Immaculate Conception.

There is little information in the Gospels about Mary prior to the Annunciation (when the angel Gabriel first speaks with Mary), which is undoubtedly why the passage from Luke had to be used today. Most information about Mary before the passage from Luke is found in or taken from the Protoevangelium of James.  Written in approximately 150AD, it appears to be the earliest work referencing the conception, birth and pre-Annunciation life of Mary. Given that it is a non-canonical work, it obviously could not be read during Mass.

However, that doesn’t mean that the work must be shunned or ignored. As noted by the Catholic Encyclopedia, the Gospels themselves are silent about long stretches of the life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They often give but a tantalizing glimpse of some episode which many of us wish would be explained in more detail. Early Christians were no different, and the need for more detail was soon quenched by a deluge of “pretend Gospels full of romantic fables and fantastic and striking details, their fabrications were eagerly read and largely accepted as true by common folk who were devoid of any critical faculty and who were predisposed to believe what so luxuriously fed their pious curiosity.” Thus, the information set forth in the Protoevangelium of James should not be considered…gospel.

The story of Mary begins with her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne (derivative of Hannah.) Joachim was extremely wealthy and, being a extremely pious man, brought twice the required amount of offering to the temple. He was denied the opportunity to be the first to bring his offerings to God, however, as he had not sired any children. Troubled, he retreated alone to the desert for a forty-day fast and prayer. Meanwhile, his wife Anna herself was mourning the lack of a child and was praying earnestly herself to God. Their prayers were heard by God and angels were sent to inform them that Anna would conceive a child that would be spoken of in all the world. Anna replied that regardless of whether the child was a male or a female, it would be pledged to God. Nine months later, Mary was born.

Because of her pledge, Anna kept Mary close to her and ensured that she remained in conformity with the strict dietary rules of Judaism and received the blessings of the priests and scribes. When Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anna brought Mary to the temple of the Lord where she took up residence, living there with the priests and scribes until she reached the age of twelve. At that time, a council of the priests was held to figure out what to do with Mary since she could no longer dwell in the temple of the Lord. A decision was made to have the high priest, Zacharias, pray at the alter of the Lord for guidance as to what to do. Zacharias would later become the father of John the Baptist.

While praying, Zacharias was visited by an angel who told him to invite all the widowers of the people of God and have then convene in assembly so that a sign could be given. All of the widowed men from Judea arrived at the temple and each gave his wooden walking stick to Zacharias, who brought them into the temple. When Zacharias returned the walking sticks to their owners, a dove flew out and landed on Joseph’s head. Zacharias told Joseph that he had been chosen to take Mary into his keeping, but Joseph refused because he already had children, he was an old man and she was a young girl. After Zacharias reminded Joseph of what happened to those that refused to do the will of God, Joseph relented and brought Mary into his household to live while he departed to undertake some carpentry.

The time came for the making of a veil for the temple of the Lord and a call went out for all the undefiled virgins of the family of David. By this time, Zacharias had been rendered mute by his disbelief that his wife, Elizabeth, would conceive a child in her advanced age, and Samuel had taken over as the high priest. Seven virgins were found and then Samuel remembered that Mary was of the family of David as well, so she was summoned. Mary was chosen by lot to spin the true purple and scarlet parts of the temple veil.  She was sixteen at this time.

It was during this work that Mary was visited by the angel as set forth in Luke as set forth in today's reading.  After issuing her fiat, Mary completed her weaving of the purple and the scarlet and took them to the temple, where she received a blessing from the priest. She then went to visit her kinswoman, Elizabeth, where she remained for three months before returning home. Joseph was not there as he was elsewhere building as was his occupation.

Joseph returned when Mary was six months pregnant and was shocked and horrified at what he found. He blamed himself for not keeping a better watch over her and allowing her to be defiled. He questioned Mary as to how she, raised in the temple and pledged to God, could have forgotten her love of God and been defiled. In tears, Mary claimed her innocence and stated that she was still a virgin. Joseph, troubled, wrestled with what to do. If he did nothing, then he was concealing her sin and acting against the law of the Lord. But if he said something, and he was wrong, her innocent blood would be upon him. After deciding that he would send her away quietly, Joseph went to sleep and was visited by an angel who explained that Mary was telling the truth and was in God’s grace. Upon waking, Joseph gave glory to God and told Mary he believed her.

Later that day, Annas the scribe came to Joseph’s home and inquired as to why Joseph had not come to the assembly the day of his arrival as was the custom. Joseph tried to explain that he was tired from his journey and needed rest but Annas caught sight of the pregnant Mary and quickly ran off to tell the high priest that Joseph had committed a grievous crime by defiling Mary and marrying her in stealth. Officers were sent and Joseph and Mary were brought before the tribunal. The priest chastised a weeping Mary for her infidelity to God, particularly in light of her residing at the temple for so long. Once again, Mary insisted that she was still pure and was not defiled. The high priest turned to Joseph, challenging him to speak the truth and confess what he had done to Mary. Joseph refused, and the high priest gave both Joseph and Mary a test of the water of the ordeal of the Lord which they passed.

Shortly thereafter, the order was issued by the Emperor Augustus that all should return to their home villages to be counted. As Joseph and his two sons prepared for the trip, Joseph debated as to what to do with Mary, whether he should claim Mary as his wife or as his daughter? Joseph, the boys and Mary began their trip to Bethleham, arriving just as Mary was about to give birth.

Second Sunday in Advent: Be a Good Tree

John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”

It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

According to The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, in Greek the term repent (metanoein) used here  connotates a "change of mind" while the Hebrew term ( s̆ûb) means "to (re)turn" (away from sin and toward God.) While I have read this passage a number of times over the years, what caught my eye (and ear) in particular were the lines I have placed in bold: Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance and Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. It is quite evident that St. John the Baptist does not believe that faith alone is sufficient for the Pharisees and Sadducees. Nor is repentence. Good fruit is needed. Good works that go beyond the good intentions of repentance are the follow-through. New Jerome, p.637, 1990 ed. This, of course, is a foreshadowing of the words of Jesus himself in Matthew 12:33:

Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known.

and in Matthew 7:15-20:

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. So by their fruits you will know them.

What I found interesting is that the Gospel account of this incident in Matthew is slightly different than that found in the beginning of Luke 3:10-14. In particular, after John makes the pronouncement that "every tree which does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire," the crowds listening to him ask him what they should do:

And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"

He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise."

Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."

Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."

So, evidence of your return to God consist in sharing your extra clothing with those that have no clothing and sharing your food with those that have none. Not taking more than you are entitled to, not taking that which doesn't belong to you and not lying. Oh, and you should also be satisfied with what you have. Hmm... sounds somewhat suspiciously like the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46.

But here is the catch: doing these things in and of themselves is not sufficient. What is important is why you are doing them. John says, produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance, not produce good fruit to earn your repentance.  St. Augustine, in his Sermon 22 on the New Testament, had this to say on the matter:

The Lord Jesus has admonished us, that we be good trees, and that so we may be able to bear good fruits. For He says, Either make the tree good, and his fruit good, or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt, for the tree is known by his fruit. When He says, Make the tree good, and his fruit good; this of course is not an admonition, but a wholesome precept, to which obedience is necessary. But when He says, Make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt; this is not a precept that you should do it; but an admonition, that you should beware of it. For He spoke against those, who thought that although they were evil, they could speak good things or have good works. This the Lord Jesus says is impossible. For the man himself must first be changed, in order that his works may be changed. For if a man abide in his evil state, he cannot have good works; if he abide in his good state, he cannot have evil works.

St. Augustine tells us to root out desire and plant in charity: "For as desire is the root of all evil, so is charity the root of all good." Do not think that you can bear good fruit if you remain a corrupt tree. Change your heart, and your work will be changed. Be a good tree.