“Unworthy and Still Called" - 4th Sunday of Advent Homily

First reading, Isaiah 7 makes it clear it's okay to ask God for a sign.

It's okay to weary God by asking Him for a sign.

It gets to the point where Isaiah's like, okay humanity, worried God enough, He's going to give you a sign, a huge sign, one of the biggest ever, the Virgin birth.

So I read that and as a pastor know that I

I cry to God for you to give you signs.

As many situations that you bring me into, thankfully.

I'm always pleading with him.

A friend of mine says I cry like a little baby on your behalf.

But I don't care what he says, it works.

If you worry God with asking for sign, he's going to give a sign.

So yeah, by all means.

And Joseph gets a sign, whether you ask for it or not.

He gets a sign of his life just when he's about to leave Mary.

We can't imagine the Nativity scene without Joseph.

The whole story.

If Joseph had left.

The problems, the trauma.

And yet we know people who have left their vocation.

Who left their marriage, who left the priesthood.

And I know them personally, it's brutal.

For them, especially everyone involved.

That's where Joseph wanted to go.

Joseph!

Saint Joseph.

And why?

I think because he felt unworthy.

That's the way I read this.

And I hear from lot of people, well, I'm not good enough for that, Father.

I'm not holy.

I'm not that holy enough.

Like that was my answer to the call the priest did so many years ago.

Like you got the wrong guy.

Not me.

We have all been there where Joseph was.

So when the angel says, don't be afraid, I think it said, don't be afraid to be

Good.

Don't be afraid to be with the perfect wife.

I'm sure he struggled the whole time with Mary.

Not good enough, not worthy.

But what's happening in the sign, God is telling him he's worthy.

This word worthy, it does come up a lot from each of us as our excuse not to help others, not to answer a call in the church, or to serve the poor, or to be a priest, or to be

married, whatever it might be in our capital V vocation.

Capital V, there's a V, okay.

None of us is worthy, starting with Joseph.

But God says we're worthy.

It's like community, we say it before every community, Lord, I'm not worthy.

but only say the word.

Jesus says three words, take, eat, do this with regards to the Eucharist.

That's what makes us worthy.

Providing our state of grace, that's a worthy communion.

He calls each of us and none of us is worthy.

And if none of us responded, if we're all bailing like Joseph, we'd have no church, or this would be a really weird experience.

You're just staring at the sanctuary for half an hour.

Not the express mass, but the express, I don't know, sit, without a priest.

But then you wouldn't be married and we wouldn't have families and ah.

At some point we take that leap.

Saying God's calling me and God makes me worthy.

I got to follow Joseph.

He was in the same boat I was or maybe I in where I want to bail.

Want to get out of this lane.

But he stayed and thank God.

I'm sure he did.

Thank God Joseph stayed the rest of his life.