It is hard for us to imagine the painful situation in which Mary and Joseph found themselves. She is pregnant with Jesus but is still not married to Joseph. She knows why because the angel had told her. But Joseph does not. The punishment for adultery even between people who were betrothed was death by stoning. One can imagine that many husbands would have been enraged and humiliated by such an event. Even in our own times it would be a shocking discovery. But here we see the greatness of Joseph. He has to terminate the relationship but he will do it quietly with the least pain to Mary. It is only then that he discovers the real situation in a dream. It is the fulfilment of a promise made a long time ago by the Prophet Isaiah: 'A virgin will conceive . . . and they will call Him Emmanuel' which means God-is-with-us. Through Mary Jesus is truly and fully human but through the power of God's Spirit He is also truly divine. Everything that Jesus says and does will be both human and divine. For us, He is the bridge between our humanity and our calling to be totally one with God.