“Such was his intention when, behold…” One of the hinges of today’s Gospel story is something we can relate to on a regular basis. We have our plans, our thoughts and intentions, and then things change. As the expression goes, “If you want to make God laugh, tell God your plans.”
Sometimes we do not act well when our plans change. We resist the change. We try to embrace our plans. We are stubborn. We do not believe there is a bigger message when something changes.
But the example of Joseph is important for us. His plans changed dramatically. Almost an unbelievable change. But somehow, Joseph had the faith and trust and capacity to listen to God, to be open.
Following the example of Joseph, today is a time for us to strengthen our spiritual capacity to listen to God, to be able to gracefully change plans, to follow the Spirit and the will of God. We strengthen our capacity in the same way that we make the most out of Advent: we listen, we watch, we wait. We develop a listening heart. We all have the same potential as Joseph to be open to the big plans of God in our life. And every time we say yes, Jesus is born again within us.