“When God joins your family” (St. Luke’s: Friday, September 8, 2017; Mt. 1.1-23)
“When God joins your family” The Holy Family . I have to admit that I was a bit surprised as I read the readings for today’s mass. Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary , so I assumed that today’s readings would feature texts that had traditionally been interpreted by the Church as referring to Mary. Two things in particular struck me as I was preparing this reflection. First of all, (the shorter version of) today’s Gospel reading begins with the words “the birth of Jesus took place in this way…” So, we’re reading about the birth of Jesus as we celebrate the birth of Mary. Secondly, today’s Gospel is from St. Matthew’s account of Jesus’ birth, which is told from the perspective of … Joseph ! St. Luke’s version of the story fails to give Joseph even a single speaking line. Luke lets us know that Joseph is there, but it’s Mary who is visited by the angel Gabriel and, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, sings the unforgettable words of