In the Lectionary

December 18, Adv 4A (Matthew 1:18-25)

Joseph has a massive decision to make.

The british royals are not normally at the forefront of my attention. But now that Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, live here in Los Angeles, news about them stays on the front page.

Maybe you saw the news this summer, too, when Harry and Meghan returned to the Windsor family for the first time since relinquishing their royal duties, on the occasion of Queen Elizabeth’s jubilee. Their change in status showed. Instead of sharing front-row seats with Harry’s father and brother, they sat a couple of rows behind. They were no longer styled as his/her royal highness. Even their entrance was muted: instead of joining the royal procession, they walked down the aisle of St. Paul’s Cathedral by themselves, holding hands. Did they belong to the Windsor family anymore?

It is amazing how fast a person’s role, authority, and identity can be upended.