“Walk a mile” in St. Joseph’s sandals

How would you like to “walk a mile” in St. Joseph’s sandals?

Joseph of Nazareth: a kind and gentle man… an honest fellow… a competent craftsman: Joe the Carpenter.

But — like Mary… Zechariah… Elizabeth… and John the Baptizer —Joseph was ALSO one of the chosen ones whose participation was CRITICAL to the safe and loving childhood of Jesus: JESUS…who was to become the Messiah.

Joseph was a man who carried on the deep faith of his ancestors, who observed the many Jewish traditions that connected him with the sacred history of his people.

It wouldn’t surprise any of us if occasionally Joseph might have felt a little dismay… a little discomfort at having been the one God chose to help parent this little child born of Mary.

As we look back NOW, of course, we know that the role Joseph had to play was CRITICAL … through Jesus’ childhood… adolescence… into adulthood. We know NOW that Joseph was a special person… set aside … chosen by God to do a job that was committed to him alone … and to no other.

And that’s the way it is for each of US. We, too, are special… set aside… God’s chosen ones. And it might be good — now and then — to think of Joseph as a model… as we try to live up to God’s awesome expectations of US.

Henry Nouwen, the great spiritual writer, talks about what it means to KNOW that I am “chosen”… to KNOW that I am “special”… that God has assigned some work to ME that he’s not assigned to any other person.

Nouwen says, “When I write that we are God’s chosen ones, I mean that we have been seen by God FROM ALL ETERNITY as ‘unique’… ‘special’… ‘precious’ beings.”

So long before JOSEPH was born — “from all eternity” — Joseph existed in God’s heart. And long before any of US were born… WE existed in God’s heart.

Long before our parents noticed how cute we were… long before our teachers saw signs of our special gifts … long before any of that… we were already “chosen” … just as St. Joseph had been chosen.

Just as the eyes of God had seen JOSEPH as precious… as infinitely necessary to do what God needed to have done… so God sees US in that same way. God chooses us with perfect awareness of the special qualities that only each of us possesses.

Think about this the next time you’re in a room full of volunteers… or at a meeting with a group of people who are trying to do something good. Look around the room, and ask yourself, “Why US, Lord? Why ME?”

Think about the temptation to be “uncertain”… the temptation to “lack confidence”… in YOURSELF… and in “those around you.” That’s when you have to look around the room and say: “Lord… if you’ve brought us together, you must have a job for us to do that we are extremely qualified for. So I put all my faith and all my trust in your assignment of this work to us.”

Think about JOSEPH’S “temptations of uncertainty”… HIS lack of confidence, that — had he “succumbed” to it — he might have screwed up the whole deal.

Sometimes… we’re taunted by those dark voices telling us, “You’re not so special! Who do you think you are? But we must preserve our special-ness in spite of those voices. This is a tough job… a lifelong battle.

We must REMEMBER that — (in God’s eyes) — WE ARE PRECIOUS… and we have been given a special job to do.

Each of us has been chosen to do some definite service, which God has not committed to any other person.

THINK about Joseph… when the job “God has assigned to YOU” seems a little overwhelming.

~Deacon Denny Williams
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Grand Rapids, MI 49506