Called to Believe in His Promises Is 7:10-14; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24

 

Called to Believe in His Promises

Is 7:10-14; Rom 1:1-7; Mt 1:18-24

“The incomprehensible was working incomprehensibly,” St Ambrose

Do we hold on to the promises of God when we are faced with uncertainty or adversity? The prophet Isaiah speaks words of hope in a hopeless situation. When King Ahaz (735 B.C.) was surrounded by forces that threatened to destroy him and his people, God offered him a sign to reassure him of the promise he had made to David and his descendants. King Ahaz, however, had lost hope in God and refused to ask for a sign of favor. God, nonetheless, gave a sign assuring that he would indeed give them a Savior who would rule with peace and righteousness (Is 7:11ff). Like the prophet Isaiah, we are called to believe against hope (Rom 4:18) in his promises.

Mother Mary had an enormous challenge to her faith in God. She was asked to assume a tremendous responsibility. It had never been heard of before that a child could be born without a natural father. Mary was asked to accept this miraculous exception to the laws of nature, demanding trust in his promises. She was asked to take a great risk. She could have been rejected by Joseph, by all her own people. Mary knew that Joseph and her family would not understand without revelation from God. She nonetheless believed and trusted in God’s promises.

Joseph, a God-fearing man, did not wish to punish his espoused wife, Mary, when he discovered her pregnancy. Joseph, no doubt, took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with guidance and consolation but with the divine assurance that he had indeed called him the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would require the utmost confidence in God. Joseph believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and accept the child in her womb as the promised Messiah.

Like Mary, Joseph is a model of faith for us. He is a faithful witness and servant of God’s unfolding plan of redemption. Are you ready to believe in the promises of God, even when faced with perplexing circumstances and what seems like insurmountable problems? God has not left us alone, but has brought us his only begotten Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Let us celebrate Christmas, the feast of the Incarnation, with a joyful heart. Let us renew our faith and hope in God and in his redeeming work.

 

“The soul that has been able to reach this state proclaims the greatness of the Lord” St Ambrose