FOURTH SUNDAY IN ADVENT
Isaiah 7:10-14
Matthew 1:18-24
Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord?
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart,
who desires not worthless things.
Today the Psalmist paints for us the portrait of the archetypal righteous person. The ‘clean hands and pure hearts’ are metaphors for actions and motivations. These words speak directly to the figure of Joseph, who now takes centre stage on this last Sunday of Advent. In biblical tradition Joseph and Mary are very well matched. They are both God-fearing and lowly: God’s law has found a home deep in their hearts.
That Joseph doesn’t say a single word in any of the Synoptic Gospels endears him to me. We are left to imagine what he might have said. Would he sing a Magnificat that thanked God for his being of David’s line? Would he sing of the many ways through which God had made his purposes known to him- through the Scriptures, through the work of his hands, through his dreams? Would he long for the day when all peoples would be gathered into one? Would he praise God for the light that had shown him his path and pray that it may never be dimmed?
‘Speaking and teaching are the master’s task; the disciple is to be still and listen.’ (Chapter 6, Restraint of Speech)
When I was discerning monastic life, I remember asking if there were any qualities in particular that a monastery might hope for in a candidate. The only thing that I remember from the reply was that there was the hope that a candidate would be ‘teachable’. As my formation progressed I began to understand what this could mean. Embarking upon monastic life requires that you put your life in the hands of the community. You gradually lay aside your way of doing something and at least try to embrace the new way. Much of this path involves listening to others and following their instructions. On a bad day you may experience this as self negating and a little controlling. This isn’t the intention. Sometimes you just have to trust in the wisdom of the community’s ways and traditions. The understanding will come later. Much like Joseph, you quietly go on doing what is asked. In time, you will also be called upon to pass on the community’s traditions. Each moment of faithfulness, through thick and thin, will have played a part in you being able to say ‘This is our tradition’.
How is Christ calling you to be silent and listen this Advent?