We are now just a few days away from Christmas. At this point, the decorations are mostly up. The gifts have been purchased, wrapped, or at least they’ve been bought. We’re busy running around to all those Christmas events and parties with friends. And yet the Church is stepping in, gently interrupting us, and asking us to consider if our hearts are ready to receive Jesus anew. And She does that by inviting us to reflect on Joseph today.

You know, one of the most interesting details in Scripture is that St. Joseph, the husband of our Blessed Mother and Jesus’ foster father, never speaks. Not a single word is recorded to have been spoken by him. There aren’t any prayers, there are no questions, no objections. And yet, without Joseph, Christmas doesn’t happen the way God intends.

In the Gospel of Matthew, we’re told that that the birth of Jesus takes place in the middle of Joseph’s quiet crisis. Here is this incredibly righteous and faithful man. He has done everything right in his life – he has tried to follow the teachings of his faith, has sought to be loving and kind to others, all those things. And still, God seemingly disrupts his life in a way that makes no sense at first glance.

Mary, the girl he is betrothed to (so they’re legally married according to Jewish law), comes to him and shares with him that she is pregnant. Joseph knows the child isn’t his. And yet he finds himself trying to figure out what’s going on. He believes that Mary is pure and innocent, but his human emotions get in the way. So, Joseph is faced with a decision that will define him forever. Will he stay and be misunderstood, or will he walk away quietly and preserve his peace.

But there’s another element to this. He also wants to protect Mary. Because if word gets out that she is pregnant and that the betrothal and marriage to Joseph is off, the people will put two and two together and think that Mary has committed adultery. That would mean she would be put to death by stoning.

And so, this is the moment where Advent, this season we have been celebrating, becomes real. We can relate to Joseph in many ways. Preparing our hearts for the coming of Jesus sometimes looks uncomfortable. It includes living in the tension of life. It means sitting with confusion, with uncertainty. It sometimes looks like losing the version of our lives we thought God owed us.

Joseph’s first plan is pretty reasonable. He is trying to be kind and protect Mary. And what he decides to do is logical. But it’s not God’s plan. The Lord knows the turmoil that is taking shape in Joseph’s heart. He knows that Joseph needs a little guidance and reassurance. So the Lord sends an angel, who speaks to Joseph in a dream, not with explanations, but with an invitation. Just like the Angel declares to Mary, the angel tells Joseph: “Do not be afraid.” God knows that Joseph is afraid of scandal, that he’s afraid of being hurt, afraid of a future he can’t control. And yet, fear is the one thing that leaves no room for Christ.

When Joseph wakes up, everything has changed in his heart. He doesn’t negotiate. He doesn’t ask for clarity. He simply makes room, he recognizes this incredible gift from the Lord, and he opens his heart to receive it. He takes Mary into his home. And in doing so, he takes God into his life on God’s terms.

In the end, St. Joseph was chosen not because he some eloquent speaker; Joseph was chosen because he listened deeply. He prepares his heart through silence, he listens most attentively to the Lord while asleep. But then he acts when awake. That characteristic of him is what allows Emmanuel, God with us, to enter the world. Listening to the Lord and then acting on that word is what allows the miracle of Christmas to happen in the way God intended it to.

Most of us are like Joseph before the angel appeared; we want Christmas without disruption. We want Jesus to come into our lives and hearts, but only if He fits neatly into our plans. Joseph didn’t understand everything, but he trusted enough to allow the Lord to rearrange his life. He allowed the Lord to change his heart. He gave the Lord his heart and that created the space for Jesus to enter in.

That is the invitation for us on this final Sunday of the Advent season, in these final days before Christmas. The Lord is asking us to prepare our hearts not by adding more, but by yielding more, by surrendering. He wants us to let go of our expectations for how He moves and acts in our lives. He wants us to let go of our fear, the plans we are holding onto a bit too tightly.

In these next couple of days, let’s create room for more silence. Sit before the Lord without words. Ask Him one simple question. What do You want me to make room for?

Jesus is coming soon. And He is still looking for hearts like Joseph’s. Hearts that are quiet enough to listen; hearts brave enough to trust; hearts open enough to let God rewrite the story. Are our hearts ready? Are we ready to make room for the Savior?

Photo: St. Joseph, by Michael O’Sullivan. Used under Unsplash license.