Back in 2013 the newly elected Pope Francis chose the Solemnity of St. Joseph, who is the Patron of the Church Universal, as the day he was installed as Pontifex Maximus. Heaven knows the Church needs St. Joseph’s intercession desperately during these days. We should invoke it often on behalf of the Holy Father. St. Joseph is also known as “terror of demons” and the one to whom you pray on behalf of someone who is dying.
In Scripture, Joseph is a pretty quiet figure. He disappears after the infancy narratives in Matthew and Luke end. Joseph, the righteous, that is, just man is with Jesus during the quiet years. These years between Jesus’s childhood and the beginning of his public ministry constitute the bulk of the Lord’s mortal life. While I admit this is speculative, it seems safe to surmise that Joseph hugely influenced Jesus's humanity, helping to shape and form the person he became, preparing him for his ministry, which culminated with his passion, death, and resurrection.
In terms of mercy, which is the essence of the God who is love, Joseph’s determination to put his betrothed, the young woman Mary, away quietly rather than expose her to the risk of being stoned to death when she turned pregnant unexpectedly, shows us his justness and righteousness. The Hebrew word that is used most often for God’s mercy is hesed. Hesed is perhaps best translated as “lovingkindnness.” Joseph seems to be suffused with hesed
Without a doubt, Jesus’s quiet years were defined by the warp and woof of everyday life. This morning I read the fifty-eighth chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict. This chapter is about the admission of new members into the monastery community. According to Benedict, during their novitiate, aspiring monks are to be exposed to every aspect of monastic life, even those parts that might seem unattractive. This is important in order for novices to root their discernment in reality. This can only be done through experience.
St Joseph and Christ child, by El Greco
Commenting on this chapter, Esther de Waal notes Benedict’s use of the word opprobia. She points out that this word is usually translated as “humiliations.” But in the context of this chapter of the Rule, she insists opprobia refers to those circumstances of daily life that are “negative, dreary, unattractive, or inglorious.” Throughout the Rule, Benedict is concerned that everything, even the most menial and repetitive tasks, be done with intention and the appropriate level of intensity.
Life in the monastery and, by extension, at home or work is not to be dreary and lifeless. Here is where de Waal’s commentary on this chapter really shines:
But [Benedict], as well as I do, [knows] that life is inevitably, for much of the time, far from ideal and that we have to live with that reality: a less than wonderful marriage, a house that is far from spacious and beautiful, a job that is not really rewarding or fulfillingHow does one deal with these realities?
The drudgery of the daily grind, de Waal asserts, “can be the most deadening of experiences.” This can easily lead “to resentment and bitterness.” It is the “ability to maintain patience and contentment under this sort of deadening pressure” that is the essence of living a life that is truly life.
In pairing de Waal’s commentary with today’s solemnity, I was powerfully struck by how much it applies to both the what and the how of what Joseph likely imparted to Jesus during those quiet years in Nazareth. For example, in thinking about marriage, as a Roman Catholic, I affirm that Joseph and Mary had a sexless marriage. I use “sexless” in a descriptively objective sense, as opposed to a pejorative sense. In other words, I am convinced that their relationship did not lack intimacy. As a Catholic, I also affirm that Mary was immaculately conceived. I believe that the Blessed Virgin is the only human being conceived in the natural way who was not tainted by original sin. Of course, this means Joseph enjoyed no such special grace.
So, while the sexlessness of their marriage may not have presented any difficulties for the Blessed Virgin, I can easily imagine that Joseph may have found this difficult and maybe even discouraging at times. I am not suggesting that sex in marriage is sinful. Quite to the contrary! I am merely suggesting that Mary was able to embrace her wholly unique vocation in an unwavering manner, whereas perhaps Joseph experienced some difficulties. One could just as easily point to Joseph's work as a tekton, which probably forced him to take work in other places, thus taking him away from home for periods of time.
St. Joseph, along with all the saints, shows us how holiness is made from the raw material of daily life. So, even from the perspective faith, when life serves you lemons, by the grace of God, you can make lemonade. St. Joseph, pray for us.
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