Saying “Yes” when God calls
Mary’s “Yes” to God’s call required a willingness to accept the very real possibility of death for herself and her unborn child; for the punishment for pregnancy outside of marriage was stoning. As a young woman, approximately 12-15 years of age, she was not allowed to appear alone in public.
Joseph’s “Yes” to God required him to accept Mary and the infant in her womb as his own. In a society where honor was important above all else, this required enormous courage on his part. To accept and raise someone else’s child would be difficult for most, even today. To believe that Mary’s child was truly conceived by the Holy Spirit would strain the credulity of most anyone. Yet Joseph said “Yes” to God and that took courage.
It took courage to flee to Egypt, taking little with them, to avoid the death that awaited their child. They fled to an unknown land, not knowing what might await them when they arrived or how they would survive once they got there.
Their courage should be an example to us all. It should remind us that saying “Yes” to God is never easy. It takes courage to accept His will. But the consequences for refusing to do God’s will are unimaginable. Where would we be today if either Mary or Joseph had simply said “No” to God?
During this Christmas season let us offer thanks to Joseph and Mary for their courage to say “Yes.”. Let us pray that we will find the courage to say “Yes” to God when He calls.
