Matthew 1:20
The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.
Which class was it in high school where we learned about stress? Biology? Anatomy? Psych?
I remember learning there is good stress and bad stress. I can't say I can always differentiate between the two these days, but I know there are two different types. Same thing with fear. A good fear would be that feeling we have when we're watching a scary movie and the female lead is walking upstairs when the creepy music is playing and the serial killer is on the loose. Our gut is saying, "This is bad! Be afraid!" Good fear keeps us safe.
Bad fear is the kind we are warned against in scripture. It is not founded on our instinct, but rather, our doubt, lies and a lack of faith. In today's gospel, the angel tells Joseph, "Do not be afraid." There are plenty reasons Joseph could have shown fear - at least bad fear.
What would people think? Would anyone believe them? Would they be outcasts? Would he be able to be a father to the messiah? This is all speculation, but here is the angel telling him he has no reason to fear.
There's the wonderful saying, love drives out fear. And loving is really what Joseph was being tasked with. Love Mary. Love this new baby. Love God. Be the earthly father to love incarnate. When you put it that way, what is there to be afraid of? If you find yourself afraid of something today, ask God to show you where you can invite love in and drive the fear out.
