Just a word before we go...Fourth Sunday of Advent...December 18, 2022

This week I received a beautiful gift, my first Christmas Rose plant.  It came from across the country, from my college roommate who moved to Los Angeles last year, in order to be close to her children and grandchildren.  To me, that plant is a sign that brings me joy; it represents a friendship that is unfettered by the limitations of time and space, and tells me that I am loved.

 The Jewish people were looking for a sign that would signal the coming of the Messiah for whom they longed.  Isaiah says the sign will be a virgin who will bear a child, who will be Emmanuel, “God with us.”   That particular part of Isaiah’s prophecy was probably not on Joseph’s mind when he learned that his betrothed was with child, for his first reaction was to divorce her quietly to protect her from the public humiliation of the scandal of her pregnancy.  However, the visit of the angel in his dream was enough to give Joseph the courage and the grace to avoid the scandal in another way...by taking Mary as his wife.  Joseph made room for the Spirit, for the law of love to transcend the love of law and in doing so, he cooperated with the slow work of God.  Joseph made room for Love to blossom.

Signs give us reasons to believe, to hope, to rejoice in the knowledge that we are loved.

The church is full of signs and symbols, whose meanings all point to Love.  Not long ago Fr. Kevin O’Brien preached a homily in this church, saying that the church exists to heal wounds and warm hearts.  And how does the church do that?  By showing God’s  love through signs and symbols.  Certainly the most obvious sign is that of the Eucharist, but consider also the symbol of the gathered community. Even if we don’t know everyone’s names, we are all gathered together to celebrate the eternal Love of God for us, even if we don’t always understand that is what we are doing. 

This week, as we prepare for the celebration of the Incarnation, when God became one of us out of love for us, let’s take St. Joseph as our guide.  Let us drink in the signs around us, and make room in our hearts for that Love that transcends time and space.  Let us allow the great gift of God’s love to penetrate our hearts with the knowledge that we are loved, and then let us go forth to share that love with others...maybe not with a Christmas rose, but  I have faith that you’ll think of the right word or gesture that will get the message across.