Story of love...

It takes a good man to raise another man's child...

It takes a man of faith, a righteous man, to believe that his betrothed has conceived a child by the Holy Spirit...

It takes an obedient man, one who is not prideful, one who is willing to change course, to submit to the will of God... to forgo his plan to divorce his wife quietly; to rise from his bed and do "as the angel of the Lord had commanded him" (Mt 1:24) and take his wife into his home.

This is love... to seek the good of another. Joseph's intentions were always good- he was “unwilling to expose her to shame“ (Mt 1:19), even before he knew the whole story of Mary’s pregnancy...

And the whole story is the story of love... the love of the Father willing to send his Son to die for the sins of His disobedient children; the love of the Son willing to suffer and die to save His people; a child conceived through the love of the Holy Spirit; the love of a young girl willing to trust God's plan for her, and the love of an earthly father willing to care for his wife and child...

Oh, what wondrous love!