Get Control Over Your Life By…

“But Joseph being a just man . . .
was minded to put her away privately.” Mt 1:19

Shortly after his betrothal (the first stage of Jewish marriage) to Mary, St. Joseph was faced with a crushing crisis: his wife was pregnant without his cooperation.
According to the mandates of the Mosaic Law, a woman who became pregnant before the second stage of Jewish marriage (the solemnization) was to be executed by stoning as a consequence of her infidelity to her husband and to the Law.

The just man meditates on the law both day and night.
Therefore, St. Joseph, a “just man,” knew the Law and its demands.
Yet, he intentionally avoided the consequences of the virgin’s apparent infraction and released Mary.

If justice according to the Jew was measured by the Law and adherence to it, how could Joseph’s dismissal of Mary and her perplexing pregnancy be understood as a just act?

To be just (Hebrew: sadek) is to be righteous as expressed by living in accordance with the Law, innocent of any charge, seeking God above all else.
Could Joseph be such a man?

Joseph admired Mary’s purity, holiness, and inner beauty, and therefore did not suspect that she had committed adultery.
He could not ignore the possibility that her pregnancy could be of divine origin.
Yet, Joseph was also aware that he could not satisfy those who enforced the Law by proving Mary’s innocence.
Doing so would risk her being publicly shamed and executed.

For Joseph this was an extremely confounding situation.
It seemed that Joseph was losing control over his life.

Joseph is just and innocent of charge because he did not dare to allow men to make a charge against Mary’s innocence; rather Joseph waited upon God to shed light onto this dark dilemma.

In addition to this, Joseph is just because he did not cling to Mary, viewing her as the source and meaning of his life.
St. Joseph was willing to release the creature in exchange for the Creator.
The just man seeks God above all things and in all matters.
Regardless of his intense love for Mary, Joseph refused to usurp the authority of God and presume that he was worthy of taking Mary and her child into his custody.
Yet, St. Joseph remained open to God’s holy will, allowing God to confer upon him the noble role of being a father to the Son of God.
Because he surrendered Mary to God, God eventually surrendered Mary to Joseph.

You will be tempted on numerous occasions to make woman, your wife, sexual intercourse, and sexual desires the center and meaning of your life.
You will be tempted to idolize the creature rather than worship the Creator.
You will be tempted to violate God’s law and the Church’s teaching to ease hardship and tension in your marriage.

As with St. Joseph, God has conferred upon you the noble role of being a husband and a father; and if you seek first God above all else, you will be just like Joseph and receive all things besides.

When things don’t go the way we want, it is very tempting to become angry, frustrated or do something rash or foolish to regain control.
But what if God wants you to grow rather than have control?

St. Joseph experienced that temptation but overcame it by trusting in God.
Are you having difficulty trusting God?
Is there a situation that seems beyond His reach?
Today, run to your spiritual father, St. Joseph and ask him to help you to be more open to God’s will.
He will show you how to let God claim authority over your life, and how to live the radical freedom that only Christ can give.

St. Joseph, most trustful, pray for me to allow God to have authority over my life.