.Matthew 1:18-25

The passage is written very much from the perspective of the male, Joseph. Yet there is another side to the story presupposed -- Mary. Imagine that you have a split screen television, kind of like a 24 Episode. On the one side, place the story as you see it from this male perspective; on the other side, imagine simultaneously the story from Mary's perspective. What do you find out about Joseph and Mary? How are they the same? How are they different?

Maybe here is the different scenes:
(1) engagement
(2) Mary pregnant
(3) Joseph's decision what to do/Mary's decision what to do
(4) The angel's appearance to Joseph/God's silence to Mary
(5) The Marriage

Isaiah 7:10-17

How does this passage help describe the situation described in Matthew? What is the purpose of this child? Why would Matthew refer to it in his gospel?

Benedict XVIth concludes his Encyclical on Hope with a reference to Mary. He writes,

"How do we find the way? Life is like a voyage on the sea of history, often dark and stormy, a voyage in which we watch for the stars that indicate the route. The true stars of our life are the people who have lived good lives. They are lights of hope. Certainly, Jesus Christ is the true light, the sun that has risen above all the shadows of history. But to reach him we also need lights close by—people who shine with his light and so guide us along our way. Who more than Mary could be a star of hope for us? With her “yes” she opened the door of our world to God himself; she became the living Ark of the Covenant, in whom God took flesh, became one of us, and pitched his tent among us (cf. Jn 1:14)."

How does Mary before the birth of Jesus teach us hope that we need as we live before Christ's coming in the fallen world? What type of persons do we need to be possessed by "the obedience of faith"?

Have wonderful evenings as you meditate on the Word of God.