Gentleman in Waiting

In reflecting on the beginning of Advent season, I thought about St. Joseph. St. Joseph waits in the background. Oh, he’s there, and we see him leading the donkey that carries Mary to Bethlehem for the census; we see him in the manger, adoring the Child with Mary, the angels, and the shepherds. But I think about him waiting…waiting for a baby to be born – his baby, the baby he will be responsible to care for as an earthly father cares for his children. But he knows all along that this is a Very Special Baby. Surely he must have wondered, “How do I take care of the Son of God?!” And so his waiting must have been characterized by the excited anticipation most of us feel at the imminent birth of a baby, and yet not a little trepidation at the thought of the majesty of the Child, and of the magnitude of the honor and responsibility God was bestowing on him as the human father of Jesus.

Pray the prayer that follows at this link.