Lesson 1: Courage
Scripture Passage
Matthew 1
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.”When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus.Learning Point
When we think of the papacy of St. John Paul the first thing which comes was
his continuous consolation to not be afraid. As fathers it is easy to succumb
to fear, to let it distract us when we need to be brave. We either are or will
become the fathers of ordinary human children who will likely never be faced
with violent death, persecution or charted to live a life of adversity as was
typical in the world at the time of Jesus. We know the story ends with the
saving mission of Jesus. All Joseph could do was to listen to the words of the
angel and not be afraid. Having courage is what allowed Joseph to carry out his
mission.
We also need courage to live up to our calling as fathers.
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