Week Two Reflection: The Annunciation to Joseph

Verses to memorize

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. (Matt. 1:21)

Passage

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Questions

1. “The Annunciation”, the first Joyful Mystery of the Rosary, refers to the visit of
   the angel Gabriel to Mary, announcing that she would become the
   mother of Jesus. Q: Are there really two “annunciations” in the
   Gospels? A: Yes, the passage above from the Gospel of Matthew
   fills out the story of Mary’s pregnancy (or the Incarnation), with the
   account of the announcement to St. Joseph. God did not leave
   Joseph in the dark. Q: Did God have a plan for Joseph? A. Yes!
2. Q: What does it mean when the Gospel says, “Mary was found
   to be with child by the Holy Spirit”? A: Mary did not become pregnant
   in the natural or physical way of a man and a woman. She conceived
   Jesus in her womb by a miracle of God the Father who sent the
   his Holy Spirit to her after she said “yes” to the angel Gabriel (Lk 1:38)
3. But this season of the Family Bible Challenge, our focus is not on
   Mary. We are looking at the Annunciation through the eyes, mind and
   heart of Joseph. Q: What was Joseph’s reaction to Mary’s pregnancy?
   A: He was afraid or perhaps he felt unworthy to be her husband; he planned to “dismiss” her quietly. It’s hard to
   know exactly what that would have meant. It seems that he did not plan
   to marry her.
4. Once again we see angels, (angelos is Greek for messenger)
   communicating between God and man. Q: What does the angel
   tell Joseph? A: Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife; she will
   have a son; name him Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshu’a =”one who saves”).
   He will save his people from their sins. Q: How does the angel appear
   to Joseph? A: In a dream. Q: Does Joseph obey the angel? A: Yes.
   He does the hard thing that God asked, even though women pregnant
   outside of marriage in those times were subject to stoning!! Think of
   the condemnation, the whispers and gossip!
5. Q: Can you think of a time when God was asking you
   to do something you did not plan on doing? Q: Parents, can you think of
   a time when you had to do likewise, and you were afraid or unsure?

Video

Courtesy of The Bible Project