In The Workshop of St. Joseph

Today, amidst Lent – the season of immersion into the Paschal mystery – the Church has us reflect on the Nativity of Jesus. It is fitting that Joy and Suffering be intertwined, for such is our lot: we never experience unending joy or suffering; rather, we have an admixture of both. We can find numerous examples of saints who demonstrate how to live out this balancing act, none more than this saint of zero words and many titles: Saint Joseph!

Born To Die

The Birth of Jesus in the feast of Christmas is celebrated all over the world by people of every ilk and hue. Consider the virginal conception of Christ, fulfilment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel. (Mat 1:23, Isaiah 7:14). From this time on, God is with us in a never-before way. Consider also that this child was born in order to die. The Incarnation and Resurrection are bookends that encompass the time when God dwelt on Earth in a never-before way, becoming fully human. Emmanuel: God With Us.

Through His death, the gates of heaven are thrown open for sinful humankind. Through Transubstantiation, the Church Militant, Penitent and Triumphant are united in the Universal Church. He Was, Is and Ever will be with us. How fortunate are we!

Suffering

We only need to look at the saints to realize that suffering is part of God’s will for our lives. It can be a virtue or can be in vain; the choice lies with us. St. Joseph suffered as did his beloved wife, Mary. The two greatest saints suffered deeply, but they model for us how to join our sufferings to those of the Suffering Servant, their Son, Jesus Christ.

Consider the sufferings of Joseph. He had to undergo the trauma of seeing his betrothed visibly carrying a child in her womb, and today’s Gospel recounts his decision to divorce her quietly, which would likely be tantamount to a death sentence for Our Lady. Mary remarkably chose to keep silent and not defend herself, trusting that God would get her through her trial, which was fulfilled in the angelic visitation to Joseph in a dream. Shortly thereafter, they experienced the terror of fleeing from Herod, who sought to murder the infant God placed in their care, being refugees in a foreign land and returning to the tyrannical abuse of the Roman captors. In the Presentation, Joseph hears the prophecies of Simeon that his foster-child would be a “sign of contradiction” and that the heart of his beloved wife would be “pierced by a sword”. He bore all of this with dignity, echoing Mary’s fiat with his own and navigating the Holy Family through dint of hard labor and unceasing prayer.

Apprentices of St. Joseph

We would do well to emulate the great St. Joseph in our lives. The saint has done a masterful job of living out the words of St. John the Baptist: He must increase, I must decrease (Jn 3:30). Truly, this humble saint does the disappearing act so gracefully that not a single word of his is recounted in the Bible. Yet, he spoke volumes with his virtues. How, you ask? The Fraternity of St. Joseph’s Men’s Group, St. Thomas Aquinas chapter based in Charlotte, North Carolina, has put together a seven-day family devotional that I heartily recommend, especially for those among you, dear readers, who are fathers striving to raise your family in line with the Gospel message. There are seven guiding graces that follow this humblest of saints to be digested over the course of a week, diving into the virtues of Humility, Obedience, Discipline, Prudence, Patience, Suffering and Charity with practical tips and resolutions. But indeed, ALL are welcome to enter the workshop of Saint Joseph, for there is so much to be learned from him.

St. Joseph, Pillar of Families, pray for us! Help us become more like you!

[Readings: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a]