Wednesday September 8, 2021 - Nativity of the Virgin Mary - Happy are you, Blessed Virgin Mary, you are worthy of all praise: from you has risen the sun of justice, Christ our God - Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ Matthew 1, 18-23

Yesterday we heard the passage where Jesus was calling the Twelve Apostles. Today, we are facing Mary and Joseph, formalizing their union to be the parents of Jesus, to found a family. This passage from the Gospel is familiar to us during Advent, but once again, on the occasion of Mary's birth, it is offered to us. Although it is Mary who is at the center of the celebration, the Holy Scriptures teach us above all about the sanctity of marriage, obedience to the will of God and the fulfillment of his words.

God did not make the incarnation of his Son an extraordinary event, given his divinity, but he made him entirely "human": born of a father and a mother, of a well-established family. Marriage, in God's plan, is a call to holiness: "A man will leave his father and his mother, he will be attached to his wife, and the two will become one" (Gn 2, 24 ). Joseph and Marie are already engaged.

In Jewish culture, an engagement makes a couple into full-fledged spouses, although they do not yet share the same roof. Thus, having learned of Mary's condition, Joseph could only consider her as an adulterous woman, a woman of doubtful virtue. Infidelity is one of the main problems of the couple, and Joseph decided to repudiate her in secret, because by officially breaking their engagement, he would have to announce it publicly which will result in the stoning of Mary as an adulterous woman.

It is sad nowadays to see that couples, in the event of a problem, only have recourse to trial and divorce. Whereas it is precisely in these moments of trials that we must turn to God and listen to him. He is not in God's desire to break the bond of marriage, so he orders Joseph: "Do not be afraid to take Mary, your wife, into your home".

The fact that Joseph took Mary for his wife is an obedience to the will of God and a fulfillment of the Scriptures: the Messiah is of the line of David.

Another temptation, which tends to become a social phenomenon, is to think that in order not to have disillusionment, it is not necessary to start a family by marriage, but that it is enough to procreate. However, God teaches us that the good of the child passes by a life within a well established family.

Also, let us pray to God, so that the engaged couples, that those who are preparing for marriage realize that mutual and sincere love takes precedence over procreation. Let them take the time before making a decision, for starting a family is the expression of the perfect love with which God has loved us and has remained faithful to us.