Doing God’s Will
In one of our Christmas Family Gathering, my cousins and I organized a Christmas Drama. It was a portrayal of the first Christmas. Since I was one of the older “kuyas” (I was 3rd year High School then), I took up the role of Joseph. Another cousin was Mary. Other smaller cousins took up different roles such as shepherds, kings or animals in the manger.
Back then, I thought the role of Joseph was simple. Being the foster dad of Jesus was easy. It was not a demanding task. But reflecting again on Joseph’s story and his role in the life of Jesus and Mary, it was really hard. It needed a lot of courage.
The Gospel (Mt. 1:18-24) for the 3rd day of Misa de Gallo focuses on Joseph. We are presented with the background of Jesus’ Birth. We have a glimpse of events “behind the scenes.”
Before Joseph took Mary as his wife, he had a big problem. He had, in fact, a psychological crisis. Mary was for Joseph, not only the most beautiful girl in their town; she was also the ideal girl – kind, caring, hardworking, prayerful, obedient, conservative. The list can go on. She will be a perfect bride; the best mother of his children. He would be the envy of the men of their place.
But one day, he noticed she was pregnant. She was gaining weight and her body structure was showing it. The change was noticeable. The first courageous act of Joseph was this: he never doubted Mary’s faithfulness for a single moment!
What his eyes were seeing could be mistaken. His feelings of what was happening to her physically could be wrong. But his reason can never condemn the goodness and the purity of Mary’s heart. His feelings was telling him one thing but his judgment was absolving her. She is just too noble and so gracious to be counted as a “sinner.”
Thus he planned to divorce her quietly and secretly. It was at this point that God had to intervene. God has to explain and send a messenger to put the story right. This messenger has to tell him personally the truth behind the mystery… in a dream!
From the angel’s enlightenment, Joseph had to bend and bow to the will of God. He became obedient and allowed God’s plan to happen in his life. He followed God’s will not only in this instance but throughout his life.
Joseph was committed to do God’s will. He made a decision to say “yes!” to God. He was consistent. His was a “daily yes.” It was expressed in the concrete circumstances of his life with Jesus and Mary. Finally, his obedience was conscious. It was a rational, intelligent, mature choice. It was a personal acceptance of God’s design for him.
Reflecting on the life of Joseph, the challenge for us is to do God’s will in our life. In reality, we can only do two things in our life: either we do what God wants or we do what we want. Either God is the center of my life or I am the center. Either I build God’s kingdom or I build my own kingdom.
The irony is that, the more I do what I want; I build my own kingdom; I put myself in the center, the more incomplete I become. I become empty and in bondage with myself. As Jesus says “loose yourself, then you’ll find yourself.”
Joseph lost himself in God. He emptied himself with his plans so that the “Emmanuel” can fill him up. Joseph realized that in order for his life to be meaningful he had to make a big space for Jesus. Jesus has to fill up his life.
Once I attended a seminar. During breaks, there were puzzles outside the lobby for recreation. One puzzle was most difficult because it had 1,000 pieces. But since the participants worked together to form the puzzle, it began to take shape little by little. Finally, it was completed except for one piece! The puzzle could not be complete with one piece missing.
The mystery of the missing piece was finally solved when one participant revealed he was keeping the last piece to have the honor complete the whole puzzle!
Our life is like a puzzle. God is the most important piece. Without Him we can never be complete. And we can only find our place in this world by looking at the greater scheme of things. God’s design for us makes our life meaningful.
Disclaimer: This section of the website is a personal creative writing of the author and does not necessarily reflect the official views, opinion, or policies of the Salesians of Don Bosco – Philippines South Province. For concerns on the content, style, and grammar of this piece, please contact us.
