Question about Sunday's readings

[Veritas]

For some reason, the gospel reading got stuck in my craw. It states that Joseph not wanting to shame Mary, would quietly divorce her. Doesn't divorcing a woman shame her anyway? And if he had, she'd be a divorced pregnant woman. What's honorable about that? Was Joseph really being altruistic? Or was he embarassed and fearful? Joseph has always been held up as a great example to men and fathers and I realize that betrothal meant they were technically already married, hence he had taken her into his home. But I'm just confused how divorcing Mary would have been to her benefit.

 

[NDIrish]

I would imagine that he was confused and scared.

Our homily was a really good one yesterday. It basically said that Joseph probably had loads of questions, and not nearly enough answers. But he had a quiet, steadfast trust that things would work out in accordance to God's plan for his life.

He quietly went about his ordinary life, doing the mundane day-to-day duties of his work. He was not the Son of God, as Jesus was, and was not full of grace, as Mary was.

He was an ordinary person, like you and I, with lots of unanswered questions that fulfilled his vocation in his life.

For some reason, the gospel reading got stuck in my craw. It states that Joseph not wanting to shame Mary, would quietly divorce her. Doesn't divorcing a woman shame her anyway? And if he had, she'd be a divorced pregnant woman. What's honorable about that? Was Joseph really being altruistic? Or was he embarassed and fearful? Joseph has always been held up as a great example to men and fathers and I realize that betrothal meant they were technically already married, hence he had taken her into his home. But I'm just confused how divorcing Mary would have been to her benefit.

 

[Adammi]

Here is the NAB footnote on Matthew 1:19

8 [19] A righteous man: as a devout observer of the Mosaic law, Joseph wished to break his union with someone whom he suspected of gross violation of the law. It is commonly said that the law required him to do so, but the texts usually given in support of that view, e.g., Deut 22:20-21 do not clearly pertain to Joseph's situation. Unwilling to expose her to shame: the penalty for proved adultery was death by stoning; cf Deut 22:21-23.

 

[KennySe]

For some reason, the gospel reading got stuck in my craw. It states that Joseph not wanting to shame Mary, would quietly divorce her. Doesn't divorcing a woman shame her anyway? And if he had, she'd be a divorced pregnant woman. What's honorable about that? Was Joseph really being altruistic? Or was he embarassed and fearful? Joseph has always been held up as a great example to men and fathers and I realize that betrothal meant they were technically already married, hence he had taken her into his home. But I'm just confused how divorcing Mary would have been to her benefit.

If Joseph had publically divorced Mary, he would have had to give a reason.
"She is not pregnant with my child." meaning "She is an adultress", and the punishment for that was stoning.

So, he did not want her stoned, so he was planning on divorcing her quietly. The most likely manner for this was for him to skip town, abandon her.
Then, everyone would assume that he had impregnated her and he was a dead beat husband.

He was willing to smear HIS name, but not smear her name.

 

[Veritas]

If Joseph had publically divorced Mary, he would have had to give a reason.
"She is not pregnant with my child." meaning "She is an adultress", and the punishment for that was stoning.

So, he did not want her stoned, so he was planning on divorcing her quietly. The most likely manner for this was for him to skip town, abandon her.
Then, everyone would assume that he had impregnated her and he was a dead beat husband.

He was willing to smear HIS name, but not smear her name.

Well, if that was the case (and it's all purely speculation on our part) then I would say his intentions were honorable. Fortunately, God sent an angel to foil his plans so we will never know for sure. On that note, I think Joseph's obeying the angel was to a lesser extent a bit of a "fiat". He, too, had a choice to listen to the angel or reject the message. We can be thankful that his choice was the "right" one!

 

[KennySe]

On that note, I think Joseph's obeying the angel was to a lesser extent a bit of a "fiat". He, too, had a choice to listen to the angel or reject the message. We can be thankful that his choice was the "right" one!

Amen, indeed!

 

[EllenMoran]

NDIrish, we must have been at the same Mass or something on Sunday, because that's point for point what our priest said in his homily. Although, he didn't present the "deadbeat husband" idea, he said that the "divorce her quietly" meant to return her to her parents' home. Kenny, do you have articles or anything on the subject about what the common methods of "quiet divorce" were at the time?