Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.”    

Near the close of the movie "Star Trek," the elder Spock speaks to himself in the person of a younger Spock, an anomaly created by the time alteration that had occurred. He tells himself that sometimes one must put aside logic and "do what feels right." He said it even though he knew that the Vulcan mind must be ruled by logic. Earlier in the movie, Kirk had the opportunity to destroy Captain Nero outright, the captain who was responsible for killing Kirk's father and for the immense destruction throughout the then-known universe. He does it only when Nero refuses compassion. Kirk did what was right when he offered compassion, even though he could have been ruled by the same rage of revenge that possessed Nero. Life must always be ruled by what is basically right and good. When something happens that seems to demand some type of retaliation or hatred toward another, we must always be governed by some higher power of good.     

What is the best way to act in a difficult situation? Thousands of people in the world face such difficult situations every day. They suddenly must make decisions that in reality will affect the rest of their lives. What should be the guiding thought at such a time?

Joseph the carpenter had such a difficult moment in his young life. For some reason, his wife was pregnant, and he knew that he was not the father. He could have called upon the law to protect his rights, and in the process call down condemnation of his wife’s actions, bringing her to shame. Instead, he wanted to do the "righteous" action that would protect her future. He wanted to do "what felt right" which meant that he would just let things go, and change his own life accordingly. God, of course, eventually directed his actions.

With advice that any student of the Star Trek series would find very unusual, Spock says that sometimes you have to set aside logic, and be righteous instead. "Do what feels right" is the way he said it. Young Captain Kirk had made a like decision when he offered compassion to someone who had done everything he could to kill him and his crew.

Part of our Christian calling involves "doing what feels right" or as the Gospel describes, "being righteous" in our actions. It can be defined in many ways. It could mean refraining from doing something wrong even though we can easily get away with it. It might mean choosing not to retaliate against someone who does not like us when we could easily do it. It could mean that we refrain from doing what is just when being just will hurt another person, as was Joseph's case in Matthew's Gospel. People who want to do what feels right will never consider any selfish motives; they will only think in terms of what could make any situation better.

People can never plan for every situation, but the person who always wants to do what feels right will do what is best at every moment.                

PRAYER

Good and gracious God, your Son’s foster-father on earth, Joseph, was called "righteous" in his approach to life. He wanted to do what felt right no matter what. Help us develop a similar way of thinking in our own lives. Be with us, we pray.

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Questions, comments? Let me know. Email Fr. Mike

©2007 Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America