Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. For me, this holds a particular significance, as St. Joseph was my confirmation saint, and this brings me back in time to the confirmation preparation project when we were asked to choose a saint and write a two-pager about him or her. (This is going to be much shorter than a two-pager.)
Joseph was the consummate working man. While he may (or may not) have been previously married and widowed; Jewish custom and a few references to Jesus’ “brothers and sisters” in the Bible indicate that this is a possibility, not much is known about Joseph prior to his betrothal to Mary beyond today’s first gospel opener saying that he was the son of Jacob, thus putting him as a descendant in the line of David. Joseph was also very obedient to Jewish law, as shown by his decision to divorce Mary when learning of her pregnancy, until the Lord’s angel convinced him not to. He took Mary into his home instead, and became the earthly father figure to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Joseph raised Jesus as though he was his own, even though they both knew who Jesus’ true father was. Joseph knew that he wasn’t Jesus’ true father by way of his own life experience, and Jesus knew as well; read what He said at the end of the second Gospel Reading option of the day, about how He must be in His Father’s house--referring to the temple in Jerusalem--not the dwelling place of Joseph and Mary.
Most of what we know about Joseph was about his dedication to his job, as a woodworker. He was definitely not a slacker (not that slackers would be commonplace in the world at that time). It’s appropriate that Joseph raised Jesus in an environment where being dedicated to work is important. Jesus, of course, preached a work ethic which is far greater—working to build the Kingdom of Heaven and bring people into it, both in His present day and through all times. And that is still the work that we are compelled to carry out, in addition to our secular jobs.
There are a couple of other things that most people never picked up on, because they are subtle. But I find them to be relevant. A few weeks ago, we heard a gospel message in which Jesus said that we need to remove the plank from our own eye so we can be able to see the splinter in our neighbor’s eye. Obviously the lesson is to not point out the faults in others without examining our own faults first. But the language used, that of “planks” and “splinters”, is noteworthy. It makes sense that a carpenter’s son would use such terms, doesn’t it? Had Jesus been raised by a livestock farmer, or someone whose job was to press coins out of raw metals, would He have chosen different words? Also, does being born into the household where wood is the most prominent item connect to the means by which Jesus eventually dies in order to save us all, being nailed to a crafted cross of wood? It is something to ponder as we move closer to the day we commemorate His Resurrection in about a month. Because the Bible is inspired divinely, there are interconnections everywhere, and these may be ones that people gloss over or miss entirely.
Jim Hoffman
Assistant Director of Athletics for Compliance
Department of Athletics
St. Francis College
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