Reference

Matthew 1:18-25

The difference between "living rightly" and "appearing to be right" is one that means either safety or danger for vulnerable people.  Using the story of how Joseph comes to practice a courageous love on behalf of the woman he loves and the child she carries, Fr. Allen explains why we, indeed how many today, choose "appearing to be right" as a way of protecting the status quo when God is calling all of us to practice a righteousness that actually "puts things to rights."  If we choose to live by appearances people will suffer and, sometimes, as Fr. Allen explains, some die; but the opposite is also true...