Such was his intention

Mass Readings: March 15

First:	2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16
Resp:	Psalm 89:2-5,27,29
Second:	Romans 4:13,16-18,22
Gospel:	Matthew 1:16,18-21,24

Matthew 1:20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord  appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

God has promised His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.  That poses some problems when you consider the weakness of us humans.  How can we be trusted to care for God's Kingdom and not let it fail?  The answer I think is that God has plans of His own and He works in ways that we don't always expect.

Joseph thought he knew what the "right" thing to do was.  He was a righteous man. But Paul says that being righteous according to the law is not enough.  We must have faith.  Faith isn't always knowing the right answer, but it often means trusting God when we don't know the right answer, or when we don't have any answer.  God's Kingdom is beyond human comprehension. We can act in faith, but we can't have complete knowledge to manage the kingdom ourselves apart from the Holy Spirit.

Father, I often think I know the answer, but help me, by your Holy Spirit, to trust that you may have plans that don't always make sense to me or fit into my plans.  Help me to be willing to do what you would have me do, even if I don't think it is the right thing.

Amen