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Fourth Sunday of Advent

Today's Lectionary Readings
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His name is Jesus, but all His friends know Him as Emmanuel!

This section of Matthew's gospel is rich in helping us
understand Jesus and his Holy Family. The first element that jumps out
is Joseph's description as "just" when finding out
that Mary is with child. The Greek word for "just"
indicates "faithfulness to the law." Joseph could have
insisted Mary be stoned to death, but he wished to separate from her
in "private." His faithful following of the law but
kindness toward Mary suggest what must have been a difficult struggle
for him. One can only imagine the internal dialogue: "The law
says this, yet my heart says I love her and respect her...what do
I do?"

Joseph's strong desire to follow the "rules" while
being compassionate, kind, and respectful is something we at Catholic
Charities can understand. Society blames our clients for needing our
services, and accuses them of working the system or coming here
illegally or not following the rules, all in the name of
"justice." However, we see in our agencies' staff and
volunteers the same compassion that Joseph extended to Mary. They
accept each person as they are, without blame, without accusations,
and with compassion and care. Like Joseph, they model what it means to
be truly just. Justice is about balancing compassion and care for each
person in their individual situations, along with respect for the
guidance and needs of the larger community.

Further into this passage, we see the guidance about naming this most
special child. His name is to be Jesus - literally Yah (Lord) Saves -
but he is known as "Emmanuel," literally "God is
with us." Each of us, like Jesus, is given a name upon our
birth. Yet we often come to be known as something besides just a name.
"Emmanuel" indicates that our loving God is known as
among, with, around, and beside each of us.

As I look at Catholic Charities, I can confidently say that I work
with people who are truly known as companion, friend, confidant,
dedicated, and empathic - among a host of other fitting titles! What a
team it is. We may be named Catholic Charities, but across this nation
are known as effective, impactful, and generous because of our love
and commitment to just and compassionate service with those most in
need. This is something to be thankful for during Advent: to serve in
solidarity with such a just and compassionate team.

Fr. Ragan Shriver is Associate Professor of Practice and Director of
the MSSW program at the University of Tennessee - Knoxville, and
Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Integration at
Catholic Charities USA.




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