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In this liturgical year, Year A, we focus on readings from Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew writes towards the end of the first century AD, for a Christian community comprised of Jewish converts. In his gospel, he strives to demonstrate for them how Jesus is the fulfilment of the faith, hopes and promises of their Jewish faith, the fulfilment of all that is in “the law and the prophets” (Mt 5:17).

Galilee was no one’s idea of a place that could launch a ‘world changing movement’. Galilee’s history was not glorious. The readings this week refer to it as the “land of Naphtali”, which was one of the breakaway tribes of the Jewish people that formed the northern kingdom of Israel.

When Joseph learns that his young fiancée is pregnant, he must have been quite distressed. He probably thought that she had been unfaithful, had been attacked, or was delusional. He knows that the child is not his, so his long genealogy linking the family to David would be irrelevant. We can only imagine the confusion, hurt, and anger of this ‘man of honour’.