Imagine that you're a 20-something year old guy engaged to a younger woman, for whom you have deep love and respect. The two of you have not been sexually active-- you're waiting to be married for that-- and you understand, and are pleased, that your intended is a virgin. Life is good, and the wedding plans are progressing nicely. Then, out of the blue, you find out that your bride-to-be is pregnant, and obviously you're not the father. You're angry, heartbroken, disappointed-- you conclude that the women with whom you were going to spend your life is not the woman you thought she was. But you're a decent guy, and still love her (despite everything) so you decide to end the relationship as quietly and civilly as you can, so that she is spared public shame, or worse. OK, I think a lot of men could see themselves reacting that way, even though it might take some self-control not to lash out in anger and make some comments that you'd later regret. But here is where it gets dicey. After all this, you have a dream where an angel tells you that the pregnancy is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit, and you should go ahead with making the woman your wife. Really? That seems like craziness, doesn't it? Sure, the angel quotes scripture about a virgin giving birth, but what are the odds that's what is going on? Isn't it much more likely that your intended has had sex with someone else? Isn't that what everyone will think? After all, news travels fast, and did so even 2,000 years ago. If you accept this woman as you wife, even after all this, what will folks think of you? Is this story that the Holy Spirit is responsible for the pregnancy something you're going to tell your buddies? What possible proof can you give them-- that you had a dream about an angel? Of course, what I'm describing is Joseph's situation in today's Gospel (Mt 1: 18-25). I ask these questions just to try to get us thinking about Joseph's faith and how remarkable it was. Yes, we put Mary in a special place among the saints, and properly so, but she at least was given some evidence to support what the angel told her. The angel instructed her to check out the pregnancy of Elizabeth as evidence that what the angel was saying was true, and she did that immediately after the angel left. Joseph had nothing. He just woke up from the dream, and immediately "did as the angel had commanded him." No proof, no evidence, no considering his options, no time spent in prayer reflecting on what was said. He just did what he was told, as he will do again when he's told to flee to Egypt and when he's told to return to Nazareth. That's truly shocking faith, in some ways more shocking than Mary's. Faith like that can only be a great gift from God, a gift necessary for God to accomplish God's purposes in the life of Jesus. When God wants us to do something that will advance God's purposes in this time and place, will we be able to do that? It will take a special kind of faith. Will we have that faith? As we think about the upcoming feast of Christmas and reflect on these stories, we might take a moment to ask for faith like the faith God gave Joseph. We might need it some day.