In relating the story of Jesus' birth, Matthew presents Joseph as caught in a terrible dilemma - his betrothed is with child, and because he is a righteous man, he settles on a plan to quietly break off the engagement.

Life does not always go according to plan! He has a dream in which an angel directs him to take Mary as his wife because the child is very special, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and is destined to save His people. How would most of us have reacted to experiencing such a dream? Would we have taken it seriously and followed the directions of the angel who appeared to us in the dream?

In our 21st century, probably not! However, I think all of us have had experiences at times, of confusion, when we do not know how to decide on a course of action, when we put our trust in an instinct, in a sudden inspiration, in an emotion that comes over us, and make a decision that seems to go against 'common sense.'

Ignatius of Loyola speaks of such moments when he talks about the practice of discernment. While we may not put much credence in dreams, nevertheless, we do feel that there are moments in our lives when we are 'visited by angels' whom we believe help guide us through difficult situations and help us make the right decisions. Joseph put his trust in the angel who visited him - and that made all the difference!