4th Sunday of Advent - homily

I don't know if you get into the meaning of dreams or care to understand and interpret them. Dreams can be fascinating experiences. Psychologists tell us that in dreams the unconscious comes to the surface. Some of us might freak out learning what's in our unconscious after a bizarre dream or two. We see holy men have holy dreams in Sacred Scripture several times. Holiness is in their unconscious. I dream about football; well, I try, at least. You see what's in my unconscious! Lately, I've been watching old videos of the Washington Redskins' Super Bowl years before I go to bed with the hope that I'll dream about at least a winning season. I just can't even imagine it otherwise.


The Church has put a lot of stock in a dream by a pope. Pope Leo XIII had a dream at the end of the nineteenth century that was wild. He dreamt that God and Satan were having a conversation. God offered Satan one century to rule the earth. Satan chose the twentieth century. If we look at what happened during that century, we might think there is something to this. After the dream, Pope Leo was so shaken that he wrote the "Prayer to St. Michael" - "...defend us in battle..be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil..." Many parishes still recite that prayer today.

St. Joseph has a dream in today's Gospel. An angel appears in his dream. Has an angel ever appeared in one of your dreams? Joseph is a holy man. He dreams about Jesus...before Jesus is even born! What was he thinking when he woke up from the dream? Was this real? Was this a message from God? Was this a good angel in his dream? It could have been a bad angel like it was for Adam and Eve.

That discernment is real for each one of us. The image we get from cartoons or media of a good angel on one shoulder and a bad angel on the other is real. I have people coming to me often in spiritual direction, asking if certain messages or experiences are from God or the devil. How did Joseph discern that this was real and it was from God? One of the indicators is that he was "righteous". Joseph was right with God. He was holy and just. That would help him immensely to recognize God and what God is saying to him. Living holiness helps each of us to know what's from God and what is not. If we are "righteous", then we can discern more readily - and oftentimes more quickly- God's Will on a daily basis. With bigger things, we need prayer and spiritual direction to help us. Joseph knew right away (without the help of a spiritual director) that this was from God and he acted accordingly.

It's fitting that the birth of Christ would come about through the message of an angel...to Mary and Joseph. The birth of sin came about through the message of an angel - a bad, fallen angel. If we compare Joseph with Adam in their responses to the angelic appearances, we see sharp differences. Joseph received the angel's message in virtue, namely humility; Adam received his in pride. Joseph did the Will of God and "took his wife into his home"; Adam did his own will and he and wife "hid themselves from the Lord". The fruit of Joseph's encounter with the angel was the birth of Christ and eternal life for us; the fruit of Adam's encounter with an angel was the birth of sin and death.

Brothers and sisters, you are like St. Joseph at this Mass. Well, except this is no dream; the Mass is real! You receive God's message -God's Word - in silence. You actually have more speaking parts at Mass than Joseph had in the Gospel (he says no words but his actions speak loudly). If you receive the Lord's message in virtue, then you do as the Lord commanded and take Him into your homes: you take the Eucharist into your bodies and souls.

Finally, this Saturday, we will celebrate the event of a little baby being born in a horse's stall. This baby is said to be the Savior of the world. Is this event for real? Or is it just a dream? The question for each of us is, if this event is real, then what is my response?