TODAY’S GOSPEL (Mt 1:18-25)

From Matthew 1:19:

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose [Mary] to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.

From Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: Old and New Testament, pages 1726

just: Or, “righteous”. Joseph is a man of sterling moral character, committed to living by the Mosaic Law (Deut 6:25; Lk 1:6). put her to shame: The Greek verb does not necessarily have a negative connotation. It simply means “to expose” or “to exhibit”. send her away: Catholic tradition proposes three main interpretations to explain why Joseph resolved to end his betrothal with Mary. (1) The Suspicion Theory. Some hold that Joseph suspected Mary of adultery when he discovered her pregnancy. Joseph thus intended to pursue a divorce in accord with Deut 24:1–4 until the angel revealed to him the miraculous cause of the conception (1:20). Joseph is said to be righteous because he shuns immorality and directs his life by the Law of God. Proponents of this view include St. Justin Martyr,St. John Chrysostom, and St. Augustine. (2) The Perplexity Theory. Others hold that Joseph found the situation of Mary’s pregnancy inexplicable. Divorce seemed to be his only option, and yet he wished to do this quietly, for he could not bring himself to believe that Mary had been unfaithful. Joseph is said to be righteous because he lives by the Law of God and judges Mary’s situation with the utmost charity. The main proponent of this view is St. Jerome, whose exegesis was adopted into the notes of the medieval Bible. (3) The Reverence Theory. Still others hold that Joseph knew the miraculous cause of Mary’s pregnancy from the beginning, i.e., he was made aware that the child was conceived “of the Holy Spirit” (1:18). Faced with this, Joseph considered himself unworthy to be involved in the Lord’s work, and his decision to separate quietly from Mary was a discretionary measure to keep secret the mystery within her. On this reading, the angel confirms what Joseph had already known and urges him to set aside pious fears that would lead him away from his vocation to be the legal father of the Messiah (1:20). Joseph is said to be righteous because of his deep humility and reverence for the miraculous works of God. Proponents of this view include St. Bernard of Clairvaux and St. Thomas Aquinas.

From The Navarre Bible: St Matthew, page 30

“Mary’s silence is admirable. Her perfect surrender to God even leads her to the extreme of not defending her honour or innocence. She prefers to suffer suspicion and shame rather than reveal the work of grace in her. Faced with a fact which was inexplicable in human terms she abandons herself confidently to the love and providence of God. God certainly submitted the holy souls of Joseph and Mary to a severe trial. We ought not be surprised if we also undergo difficult trials in the course of our lives. We ought to trust in God during them, and remain faithful to him, following the example they gave us.”

My take

Whenever blogging or speaking about Joseph’s perspective on Mary’s pregnancy (Luke gives us Mary’s perspective of the events surrounding this miraculous conception), I like to highlight different theories on Joseph’s reaction to his betrothed’s pregnancy. I suspect Joseph went from perplexity to reverence. I can’t imagine he could ever entertain suspicion about Mary. Did she convey the message of the angel to Joseph? If so, was this before or after Joseph noticed her condition? How long from his awareness did the dream finally occur? All worth contemplating, to be sure, but we can be confident that this “righteous man” was fully onboard with the will of God in his life. No better husband or father ever walked this earth.

As a side note, Mary was not an unwed mother, as she is often portrayed. Betrothal was a contractual arrangement, thus the need to seek a divorce if the relationship was to end.

Additional resources

Please check out day “18: Silent Knight, Holy Knight” as Dr. Scott Hahn expands on the Reverence Theory. See here for a related video by Dr. Hahn.

No better book on Joseph is there than Fr. Donald Calloway’s Consecration to St. Joseph. I encourage you to obtain this book and keep it handy — absolutely phenomenal (my review).

The Dream of St. Joseph (c. 1700) Luca Giordano

God bless!