When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the Angel had commanded him, and took the Virgin Mary to himself again, "and knew her not until she had brought forth her Firstborn Son, and he called His name Jesus." When we read the Gospels, we must enter into the Evangelist's mind, and not project our mind into the Gospel. The Evangelist himself marvels as he speaks of the wonder of the Savior's birth. His main task is to show that this birth came about in a wondrous manner. This that the Evangelist Matthew emphasizes is already the fourth proof of this. Firstly, he says that the Virgin Mary was only betrothed to Joseph; secondly, that she found herself "with child of the Holy Spirit;" thirdly, that the Angel, in a dream, showed that her pregnancy was wondrous and supernatural and, fourthly, we see here that the Angel now repeats this same thought with the words that Joseph "knew her not until she had brought forth her Firstborn Son." It is, therefore, as clear as day that the Evangelist has no thought of saying that, after birth, Joseph had carnal relations with Mary.

He was a kinsman of the holy Apostle Paul and one of those Jews who lived in a Hellenic milieu. Stephen was the first of the seven deacons whom the holy Apostles ordained for the service of the poor in Jerusalem. This is why he is called the Archdeacon--the first, or chief, of them. By the power of his faith, Stefanos worked many miracles (wonders) among the people. The wicked Jews disputed with him but were always confounded by his wisdom and the power of the Spirit who acted through him. Then the shameful Jews, adept at calumny and slander, stirred up the people and leaders against this innocent young man. They slandered Stefanos (Stephen), saying that he had blasphemed against God and against Moses, and quickly found false witnesses who supported their assertion.

This same Angel who had revealed to her the great mystery of her conceiving made haste to speak now in place of the silent Virgin. Explaining, then, to Joseph that which had already come to pass, the Angel of God went further, and explained to him that which was to be: "And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus; for he shall save His people from their sins." Saint John Chrysostom says: He does not say: "she will bear you a son," but simply "will bear," because she does not bear for him alone, but for the whole world. The Angel told Joseph to behave towards the Newborn as though he were His real father, and he, therefore says: "and thou shalt name Him Jesus." "Jesus" means "Savior", and so the next sentence begins with "for", meaning: "thou shalt name Him "Savior", for He shall save His people from their sins.

"But the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of the Holy Spirit." Before this, the Evangelist had given the genealogy of the Lord Jesus, or, more precisely, that of righteous Joseph, from the Tribe of Judah and the House of David. In this genealogy, the Evangelist listed men, born of men in a natural way, such as all mortal men on earth are born. He then suddenly begins to record the Lord's birth, and says: "But the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise" as though , with this "but", he wants to show the unusual and supernatural nature of His birth, completely divorced from the manner of birth of all Joseph's recorded forebears. Mary, His mother, was betrothed to Joseph. In the eyes of the world, this betrothal was seen as an introduction to married life; but, in the eyes of Mary and Joseph, it could not be seen like this.

"Now the birth of Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

"The Holy Mystery of Confession can rightly be called "the forgotten medicine." The whole world is lying in evil. Every one of us is infected with the deadly disease of sin, and one can be cured from this disease! The medicine is provided, and it is miraculous at that. You are healed the moment you take it. But we do not reach for it, to be healed and to lighten our conscience. Why? Because we have forgotten and neglected it.