Later in Advent we will hear the story of how Jesus came to be conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. When Mary spoke the truth to her betrothed about her visitation from the angel Gabriel, Joseph conceived of a different understanding of the truth; another man had gotten Mary pregnant, and justice required that he sever their relationship. This version of justice did not bring Joseph peace, however, and after the truth of Mary’s story was revealed to him in a dream, he was able to treat her with kindness and brought her into his home.
Mary and Joseph’s understanding of the truth converged relatively quickly, but this is not always the case. We all know of families who are estranged for years when a son or daughter speaks his or her truth, and a parent or sibling can’t accept it. “I’m gay”; “You can’t be, because God didn’t make you that way.” “I love this woman”; “You can’t, because she’s Muslim and we’re Christian.” “I’m an artist and I want to pursue a career as a musician”; “You can’t, because you won’t be able to support yourself.”
A lot of hard work is required for kindness and truth to meet: people must listen to each other, critically examine their own beliefs, and act out of love to allow others to be true to who they are. Similarly, when the hard work of determining the truth is completed, as when an inmate is proven innocent of a crime for which he has been convicted, justice can be enacted, which leads to peace.
Our pursuit of truth and kind acceptance of it — even when it looks different from what we ourselves imagined —is an important way that we can prepare the way for the kingdom (“kin-dom”) of God to flourish in our midst. This is the work not just of Advent, but of every season of our lives.
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