Matthew states that Jesus' birth did not occur like that of all his ancestors: "Mattan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ....". Then she clarifies how her conception took place: before going to live together, she found herself pregnant by the work of the Holy Spirit. He then speaks of Joseph's dilemma, which is resolved by the appearance of the angel in a dream. Ignace de la Potterie, in chapter The announcement to Joseph of the book Mary in the mystery of the covenantexplains that in the history of Catholic exegesis there have been three different interpretations of this text.
The first, which is reflected in the most widespread translations, is that Joseph suspected adultery on the part of Mary, but in his goodness he did not want to accuse her publicly because she would surely have been stoned and, therefore, he was thinking of abandoning her in secret. It is widespread in the ancient Church (Justin, Chrysostom, Ambrose, Augustine) and in some modern authors. The second sees Joseph convinced of Mary's innocence, but because he is faced with something he does not understand, he is about to dissolve the marriage contract. This is Girolamo's approach, taken up in the Middle Ages by the ordinary Gloss, and by some moderns.
The third hermeneutical hypothesis is that Joseph learned from Mary of the angel's announcement, but thought of leaving her, considering himself unworthy of being close to such a great mystery. This reading is also present in patristics (Eusebius of Caesarea, Ephrem Siro, Basil, Theophylact), in the Middle Ages (Bernard, Thomas Aquinas) and in several contemporaries. The words of Matthew: "Before they lived together, it turned out that she was expecting a child by the work of the Holy Spirit." would reveal that Mary told her husband the mystery of her conception. The following verses, according to de la Potterie, could be translated thus: "Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man and unwilling to reveal [her mystery], thought to let her go free secretly. But while he was thinking about these things, behold, an 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 with you, for, of course, that which is begotten in her comes from the Holy Spirit, but she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.'" Therefore, the angel would not have appeared to Joseph to communicate to him the divine origin of Mary's conception, which he already knew, but to reveal to him his vocation, by which he should not feel unworthy to take Mary as his wife and act as father to the Son of God. It is interesting that there is a variety of interpretations in the Church. This encourages us to study and freely choose the one that most convinces us.
The Homily in one minute
The priest Luis Herrera Campo offers its nanomiliaa small one-minute reflection for these readings.
