Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from December 23, 2007
"Joseph her husband, since he was righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly." Matthew 1:19
I heard of a woman recently who returned to church having been away for many years. She was ashamed to come to mass because her husband had left her and she was divorced. Many divorced Catholics labor under the false judgment that they are excommunicated. Only remarriage raises questions of status. Many cases would qualify for an annulment.
Bishop Keating, former bishop of Arlington, extended the grounds for annulment to include "Psychic incapacity to enter into, or sustain the marital commitment." With an annulment, a divorced Catholic is entitled to be married again even in St Peter's. But people wonder, "Does not an annulment say that the marriage did not exist? And what are the implications for children born of the marriage?" An annulment does not nullify the civil aspects of marriage and makes no judgment on the status of children. It simply acknowledges that the conditions for the Sacrament of Catholic Matrimony were lacking.
The warmth and welcome of a congregation often is the first step that enables divorced Catholics to have the courage to clarify their status with a priest.
The Gospel for the fourth Sunday of Advent presents Joseph in a similar struggle between law and conscience. Being a righteous and just man, he has trouble with an 'out of wedlock' pregnancy. He would share Mary's 'shame'.
Conventional code morality tends toward exclusion and judgment. Joseph needed an angel in a dream to raise his sights to a higher law. Jesus would assert that all of the laws and all of the prophets are summed up in the injunction: love your neighbor as yourself. "As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you, remain in his love." The Law of Christ is best summed up in the Johannine phrase; "Love one another as I have loved you." Ultimately the angel was prodding Joseph toward the law of the Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit she has conceived.
As we approach the Christmas season, let us look at the separations and exclusions that occur in our families, often for the best of reasons. Let us rise beyond our codes and judgments to a new openness to the Spirit that heals and reconciles. This trust will lead us to a realization of God's presence, Emmanuel, God with us.