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4th Sunday of Advent Year A - 18/12/2016 - Gospel: Mt 1:18-24
Disrupted life
We often have dreams big and small and we would like to peruse our own dreams. Some people dream about doing something but dreams just come and go and we dream again about something else and let it go again and that person becomes a dreamer simply because they never take time to act it out. Others dream and start to carry out their dreams but give up half way and their dreams go into eternity. Only a few people who are able to make their dreams to be real in reality and they enjoy the fruits of their dreams.

There are a few people in the history of salvation had their dreams disrupted by God for the better cause. They gave up their own dreams and took up God's dreams for a specific purpose that God asked them to take part in, the saving salvation plan God had for mankind. The first person who comes to mind is Mary who vowed to live a life of chastity but she had changed her way of life after the Annunciation. After saying 'yes' to God's messenger to be the Mother of Jesus her life changed forever. Elizabeth, Mary's cousin probably had a dream for her son - John the Baptist - to be a priest like his father but she gave up her dream and let John to do whatever God called him to be - to be the forerunner of the Lord. The Bible didn't say what dreams Joseph had for his life but certainly God's messenger took time to convince him of marriage to Mary. Joseph said 'yes' to the messenger and it was not an easy task for Joseph to carry it out. It came to the point where he quietly lodged an application to divorce Mary and again the messenger of God intervened and Joseph had accepted to carry out his role as the earthly father of Jesus.

Many of us who try to follow God's will in our lives and we all know about the general call God calls us to be- to be an agent of God's love for the world and spread the message of God's love for all those who come across our path. However most of us struggle hard to work out a specific call God calls us to be as an individual. In living out the call of the Gospel we sometimes are certain about our vocation and yet other time we are unsure about it and that is the experience Joseph had in his own life. In times of doubt about our vocation we need to act like Joseph after finding a possible solution Joseph did not rush to carry it out but kept pondering about it. It crept into his sleep and Joseph couldn't sleep because something was not right that his heart was not at rest. Through pondering and prayer about it Joseph received God's guidance and he obeyed God's will.

Sometimes sickness and social conditions prevent us to follow our own dreams. Today many religious vocations are short by the authority who anti Catholicism and pressure from peer groups and lack of encouragement from family.  Sickness and accidents prevent many to continue the profession they once had. What we need to remember is that once we come to the end of a no through road; there is another road ready for us and those who keep looking will eventually find it.

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