“Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” Matthew 1:18-24

St. Joseph is rightly revered for his contribution to our eternal salvation. He must have been devastated by the news that Mary, his betrothed wife, was pregnant, but not with his child. He knew Mary would not only be shamed, but in a small village like Nazareth, everyone would have known that Joseph was not the father and she was at risk of being stoned to death. Joseph trusted God and believed his assurance, through an angel, that Mary had not been unfaithful. He took her into his home and was a loving and caring husband of Mary and father to Jesus. Like Joseph, we face difficult situations and challenges in life that hurt us physically, emotionally and spiritually. How we deal with them depends largely on how well we know Jesus by constant reading and reflection of the truth revealed to us by God in Scripture. Have you prepared your gift for Jesus to celebrate his birthday? If not, give Him the gift of reading one of the four Gospels, such as Matthew or Luke. And remember, Jesus is the Reason for the Season.