Wake Up to the Dream

On this Fourth Sunday of Advent we hear about the first of three dreams that St. Joseph had which encouraged him to cooperate with God’s plan. It was a dream coming true in a most surprising way. Prophesies of old had foretold that God would send a Messiah from the house of David. This Messiah-King would re-gather the tribes of Israel, lead them in conquering their enemies, and reestablish the kingdom of Israel. The Scriptures often refer to the kings of Israel as shepherds. Since some of them were not good shepherds, God promised to come and shepherd them himself; that is, to be their king. 

In a most ingenious way, God wove these prophesies together and presented them as stunning news to Mary and Joseph. Mary heard the news through an announcement from the Archangel Gabriel (Luke 1: 26-38). Joseph also heard it from “the angel of the Lord” (Gabriel?) in a dream (Matthew 1: 20-25). It was surely not a dream that was concocted by his psychological state, which was preparing to divorce Mary quietly. Rather, It was the dream of God: a dream into which Mary and Joseph were born; a dream which was beginning to awaken them.  

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home,” said the angel. “For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 

Saint Matthew interprets this dream as the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means, ‘God is with us’” (Matthew 1: 23, cf. Isaiah 7: 14). The King, the long-awaited Messiah, is also God-With-Us. God has come to shepherd His people out of the grasp of their most dangerous enemies: sin and death. He name is Jesus, which means “Yahweh saves.” He has come through the power of the Holy Spirit as the Son of God—not son of Joseph. But God was inviting Joseph to wake up to the dream and claim his special role in its fulfillment. 

God has a dream for each one of us. It may be different than the dreamy plans we have for ourselves. Sometimes we may only see our plans and have difficulty imagining anything better. Let us remember to offer our plans and dreams to the Lord, every morning and every night. Imagine if St. Joseph prayed like this before he went to sleep: “Abba, Father, I am so confused. It seems I should divorce the one I loved. But I will do so quietly. Oh! If there’s a better plan, Lord, please let me know.” 

Ask God to send His angel into your dreams, whether you are sleeping or awake. His plans are always better than our own. God is with us every moment of the day or night. But we need to listen for His quiet voice in the stillness of prayer. May these long quiet nights of Advent and Christmas help us to awaken to our special role in God’s dream.