First Reading : Isaiah 7:10-14
Second Reading : Romans 1:1-7
Gospel : Mathew 1:18-24
Since I came across this didactic story it has never ceased amazing me. I just want to bring it across to you. I hope you wouldn't mind?
“A king had a male servant who, in all circumstances always said to the king, “Do not be discouraged because everything God does is perfect, he makes no mistakes.”
One day, they went hunting and a wild animal attacked the king, the servant managed to kill the animal but couldn't prevent his majesty from losing a finger. Furious and without showing gratitude, the king said; “If God was good, I would not have been attacked and lost one finger.” The servant replied 'despite all these things, I can only tell you that God is good and everything He does is perfect, He is never wrong.' Outraged by the response, the king ordered the arrest of his servant. While being taken to prison, he told the king again, God is good and perfect. He is never wrong.
Another day, the king left alone for another hunt and was captured by savages who use human beings for sacrifice. On the altar, the savages found out that the king did not have one finger in place; he was released because he was considered not “complete” to be offered to their god.
On his return to the palace, he ordered the release of his servant and said: “my friend, God was really good to me, I was almost killed but for lack of a single finger, I was let go.” But I have a question, “if God is so good, why did He allow me to put you in prison?” His servant replied; “my king, if I had not been put in prison, I would have gone with you, and would have been sacrificed, because I have no missing finger.”
In today's Gospel reading, Joseph was faced with a challenging situation. He had been engaged to Mary but before they lived together, he found out that she was already pregnant. Being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, he planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for He will save his people from their sins” (Mt. 1:20-21).
My interest here is what Joseph did when he discovered that Mary was with a child not of his own seed ever before the revelation by the angel came. The word of God said that Joseph was unwilling to expose Mary to the public disgrace. He decided to dismiss her privately. There is this notion from the law that such a woman should be condemned to death. The law is however clear as stated in Deuteronomy 22:23 - “If there is a young woman, a virgin already engaged to be married, and a man meets her in the town and lies with her, you shall bring both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death.”
Remember that Joseph did not initially know that Mary's conception was not of any man. What did he do? He showed compassion though he did not want to thwart the justice. In the face of such incidence, we are most often inclined to quick justice without giving room to compassion. This is why a boy, some said seven years old, was murdered in a broad daylight in Lagos in the presence of a crowd because they said he stole garri. Jungle justice always turns out to be a mistake because; there is no compassion in the justice.
To avoid such grave mistakes, we must be careful not to make hasty judgments with quick conclusions. In other words, we must think twice before we condemn. Joseph taught twice and in the process, the Holy Spirit revealed to him the exact nature of things: that Mary was actually pregnant but not by any man. She conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Appearance, they say, is deceptive. Things are not always the way they appear. There may be some hidden circumstances that we do not readily see. If we base our judgment on the outward appearance alone, it lands us into grave and regrettable mistakes. Just imagine what would have happened if Mary had been stoned to death for conceiving the Savior of the world. Salvation for all of us not only Joseph's own would be at stake.
Hasty judgment has a lot of implications and this accounts for greater percentage of problems we have in marriage and family life, work places, schools, market places etc. For instance, a man suspects that his wife is flirting and starts mistreating her without knowing exactly what happens. Guess what! Hot trouble in the family. A leader in an organization perceives that his vice is becoming more popular, what happens? A war is declared. One reads betrayal from the action of a friend and quickly concludes that the friend is not trustworthy. Guess the outcome. The list is quite endless. Such story is always chaotic.
Here are some of the causes of hasty and rash judgments:
1. When stressed up, one may be prone to rash judgments because one does not see reality as truly as it is.
2. Being tensed up and hot temperedness, diminish reasoning because one is already high. Actions taken in such moments tantamount to rash judgment.
3. Repeated incidence is another cause. If it is proven for instance that one normally steals, such a person may be held to ransom when a theft is reported around his area.
4. Deceptive appearance: we should always bear in mind that appearance is deceptive. Circumstances may bring someone into the spot of a crime he knows nothing about.
What are the ways out? To avoid hasty and rash judgment, it is necessary we take the following steps:
1. Give it time: Take some time to think about it. When possible, make some consultations.
2. Ask questions: Try to hear from the accusers and most importantly from the accused.
3. Take the matter bit by bit: By so doing, the truth or something near to the truth will start unveiling.
4. Place yourself in their shoes: Assume yourself to have fallen the victim. It will help you to judge with compassion.
5. Find if the crime is excusable: When you have exhausted all the excusable avenues and it still becomes clear that the crime is committed, the full justice must take place inevitably.
The way Jesus handled the issue of the woman caught in adultery (cf John 8:1-11) remains a classical example of justice and compassion in judgment. This is also seen in Joseph's decision in handling his family problem as seen in today's Gospel reading. Always bear in mind that in whatever circumstance you find yourself that God does not make a mistake as we heard in the story of the king and his slave. As we await the Messiah, always remember the lesson of this last Sunday of advent that before you condemn, think twice.
GOD BLESS YOU!!!
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