A priest professor in the Catholic Peace Weekly begins his weekly column with these words. For Mary and Joseph, the fact that an angel "passed by" meant something significant. They had to go through a major upheaval because of the visit.
The angel's visit in the Gospel is not just something that happened 2,000 years ago but something that happens to us today. The Lord's angel still visits our lives, informs us of God's plan, and guides us along a new path.
Every visit begins with a knock on the door and a greeting. When the Lord's angel visited, Joseph and Mary recognized the angel's greeting and responded. So, how can we realize the visit of an angel? The angel doesn't appear before our eyes.
A brother once confided to the columnist the difficulties of his faith. He was worried that his religious life was dry and meaningless and that he should continue to live with faith. So he gave him an answer. "I know you are suffering greatly from your faith concerns. But I wonder if this crisis is an opportunity. Can we escape the hamster wheel-like repetitive religious life if no such crisis exists? Since you have begun to seriously think about life and faith, I think you have truly entered the journey of faith. So, I hope you will have the courage to continue to move forward."
If there is nothing to worry about, our lives will only go around in circles. When a crisis comes to our lives, when we seriously question our lives and contemplate how we should live and believe in the future, that is the moment when the true journey of faith begins. And that is when the visitation of angels takes place.
Angels visit often through everyday events or encounters, primarily through things that make us seriously question our lives. Encounters with events that cause significant ripples in our previously peaceful lives, we cannot help but look upon them with surprise and doubt. The Bible says this is when angels visit our lives, and God's plan is revealed.
A great crisis came to Mary and Joseph's lives. They were shocked and doubtful after receiving the angel's visit. However, the two discovered God's great plan in it. Although the answer was not immediately visible, the uncertainty and instability continued (if the answer had been clear, there would have been no need to worry!). They had no choice but to entrust themselves to the Lord's plan.
Isn't faith ultimately a journey of realizing God's plan and learning to entrust everything to Him through such a process? This differs from 'letting go,' which is giving up on oneself. Entrusting means giving oneself to the One who has promised the future.
"Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38). "Joseph awoke from sleep and took his wife as the angel of the Lord had commanded him." (Matthew 1:24)
The angel's visitation occurs amid everyday life, primarily through events that make us reflect on ourselves and seriously think about our faith. The Bible tells us not to overlook the big and small things in our lives. The people we meet and our conversations with them are all moments when the angel of the Lord visits our lives. Let us ask the Lord for wisdom to recognize and respond to that visitation.
Happy New Year!
