There was no room for them within the inn, and Joseph turned away. To find again, a woman wrapped in silence. Had she heard? No sign appeared, nor stir of tranquil veil to tell of it. But Joseph knew, and silence and the glance that smiled at him could not Shut out the need for shelter that was yet unsaid. He knew! And suddenly it rose in him again what it was he knew, and what was here Beseeching in the night. An innocence that had been burnished flawless to return all brightness, till the Inexhaustible had searched for her this last and utter grace that left no more to give. …Like blessedness that had not been before…and he was guardian, Guardian! Whose task to fear not, but to throw his life about her as a cloak. To be a strength between her and the world’s uncertainties. To fend and guard, and break the fall of harsh rejection… He had not thought refusal was a word remaining in a language that had held her name.

Excerpts from A Woman Wrapped In Silence by John W. Lynch, reprinted by permission of Paulist Press, Inc.

For Reflection:

What aspects of these lines strike you most? Consider the relationship between Mary and Jesus. How was/is rejection of her, rejection of Him?  What is Joseph's response to the rejection? How do you see in his response the charisms that mark authentic masculinity - provider, protector, leader? What do you make of the surprise he experiences as expressed in the last three lines? How have you experienced rejection in your life?  During this beautiful season, ask St Joseph's intercession.

In Conversation With God Vol 1 Advent/Christmas Francis Fernandez-Carvajal Pb 387 pgs

The poverty lived by a Christian must be real poverty.  It should be bound up with his work, with cleanliness, with order in the care of the house and the condition of the implements he works with, with the way he helps others, and with sobriety of life....The poverty that God asks of all of us is not a matter of squalor, meanness, slovenliness or idleness. Virtue does not reside in these things.  In order to learn to live detachment from things in the midst of the world of men, we have to look at our Model, Jesus Christ, who for your sake...became poor, so that by His poverty you might become rich.