Today as we come together on this wintry weekend, we celebrate the Fourth and Final Sunday in the Advent Season. And traditionally we always talk about Mary as the gospel centers around her conception, and her own waiting and anticipation for the coming messiah.
            But what strikes me today in that gospel reading is actually Joseph who is also a focus. He is reassured by a dream to take Mary as his wife; to believe that her child is a child of God and to even name Him Jesus the Savior. We tend to think that once that dream takes place, all of the trepidation and the hesitancy on the part of Joseph was over. I am not so sure.
            If Mary becomes the pregnant symbol of waiting for the birth of the savior, is Joseph any less of that symbol as well? He not only had to wait for the mystery to unfold, but he also was charged with all the tasks of preparation, of a journey, of the responsibility that lay heavy upon his shoulders. Joseph took to heart the words of the angel  “Do not be afraid” and trusted as fully as Mary in the promise of God. 
            As we approach this final week of Advent and we continue our waiting, may Joseph remind us to make the necessary preparations for the birth of Christ into our lives. May these days lead us to the fullness and the fulfillment of all God’s promises in our lives.