Today’s gospel focuses on Joseph who receives a message from God in a dream. An angel tells him to take Mary as his wife because her child is born of the Holy Spirit. Joseph wakes up and does what God says. No explanation of what his place is in all this is. No advice about how he would deal with the fact that she was pregnant before their marriage. No warning about the hardships that lay ahead of him. Joseph just does what his dream tells him to do. He gives Mary his strength. He gives her comfort in her hour of need, and he hopes that his faith and love will be enough to be able to finish what God asks him to do. Joseph not only enabled Christ to be born, he provides a safe nurturing place where Christ could grow. 

Joseph did what he did because he was a righteous man. He opened himself up to God’s voice and so was sensitive to divine visitation. Through his dreams God directed the course of his life and Joseph not only took those dreams seriously, he acted on them even though they left many questions unanswered. How many of us would have taken on as much as he did on the strength of a dream? Would you uproot your family and take off for another country because of a dream you had? In order to act like Joseph, we would have to be a lot more open and a lot more sensitive to the messengers God sends us. 

All Joseph had to assure him was his faith, a faith that told him God would be there every step of the way. That was obviously enough for him. He needed no other proof or explanation. Unfortunately, we do not operate on such faith today. We question and analyze everything we are asked to do. We try and control our outer life so much that our inner life is marked by a sense

of emptiness, unease, and incompleteness. So that is where God talks to us asking us to prepare a place where Christ can be born, nurtured, and allowed to grow. I know this to be true because it was into the restlessness and emptiness of my own life that God’s message convinced me that I was being called to this way of life. You may think it’s stupid to make such a radical change based on a “dream” that God was calling you. But once you get a glimpse of the divine, once you understand, as Joseph did, just how close God really is to you, and how involved he is in the life of his people, then, like Joseph, you can’t help but let go of the prejudices and fears that keep you from acting according to his will. 

God is still sending his messages to us, telling us what he wants us to do with our lives, telling us what he wants us to become. But like Joseph, we have to be able to recognize the sacred in our lives in order to hear those messages and to make the right choices. 

Somebody says something cruel about somebody else, not only cruel but funny, and everyone laughs. Do we laugh too, or do we defend the person even if we don’t like them ourselves? When a friend has hurt us, do we cut them out of our lives and act like we never were friends, or do we try and build a bridge over the hurt? When we are alone in our own thoughts do we think about our lost opportunities, our lost youth, our lost love ones, or do we take enjoyment in the life we have and thank God for the promise of each new day? Is our outlook on life destructive, cynical, self-defeating, or is it creative, hopeful, and glad. 

All these little choices and inner skirmishes that go into making up our days may seem to add up to very little at the time, but in the long run, they are important because it is precisely in all those small meaningless encounters with others that provide an opportunity to become more sensitive to the

messages God sends us. Maybe the message we receive is not as important as the one sent to Joseph in today’s gospel, but the message is the same, be strong… be merciful…help one another. 

In a way, God is asking each one of us to help Christ be born out of the emptiness which is inside of us. But unless we open up a channel for the word of God to enter we will not be aware of it. We will never see how intimately God is involved in our lives. We must open ourselves up to God’s divine presence, as Joseph did, and listen to what God wants us to do. Then we must try and create a place of safety, a place of welcoming for those who are in need, those we work with, those we live with, those who are forced to live on the streets, those who are closed off by walls of poverty, prejudice, and pain. 

Unless we act like Joseph and are willing to change the course of our lives for God. Unless we too seek to be righteous people and do as God asks us to do, Christ will never be born in us, nor have a chance to live among us.

Msgr. Michael Busch
St Jerome’s Parish
Ontario, Canada

The New Testament presents Christ as the new High Priest, offering the perfect sacrifice
to the Father. Though not explicitly stated, there are also many allusions in the New Testament to Mary as the Ark of the Covenant, a connection that was made explicit in the writings of the early Church. In this schema, drawing from the ritual practices of ancient Israel, is there room for St. Joseph? I think there is. If Jesus is the High Priest of the New Covenant and Mary is the Ark, I believe St. Joseph is the Levite.

Let me first say that, unlike the identification of Jesus as the High Priest and Mary as the Ark, the idea of St. Joseph as the Levite does not have widely recognized Scriptural underpinnings, nor am I aware of any other writers who make the connection. But from what little Scripture does say about St. Joseph, I think we can see a connection to the Levites of the Old Covenant.

Who were the Levites? The Levites were one of the twelve tribes of Israel. The tribe of Levi was unique in that all the ministers of the Tabernacle, and later the Temple, were of the tribe of Levi. Those descended from Levi’s great-great-grandson Aaron were the priests who offered sacrifice. The descendants of Levi who were not descended from Aaron functioned as Levites. The Levites did not offer sacrifice but had other roles, including carrying the Ark of the Covenant (1 Chronicles 15:2) and custody of the items used for worship (Numbers 1:50-53). They are described as being given to the priest to assist them (Numbers 8:19). The Levites also helped prepare the sacrifices, in particular the Passover lambs (2 Chronicles 35:11) and the showbread (1 Chronicles 9:31).

From this, we can begin to see a connection to St. Joseph. Just as the Levites were tasked with assisting the priests in the Temple and caring for the Ark of the Covenant, so St. Joseph was charged with serving the new High Priest and the new Ark, Jesus, and Mary. As the Levites helped prepare the sacrifices, Joseph helped Jesus, the Lamb of God, and Bread of Life, to prepare for His supreme sacrifice. St. Luke hints at this when he says that Christ was obedient to Joseph and Mary and so grew in wisdom, stature, and favor (Luke 2:51-52). St. Joseph’s teaching and example were part of Jesus’s preparation for His mission.

Seeing Joseph as the new Levite also helps us understand his marital continence. In the Old Testament, sexual relations, even between a husband and wife, rendered them ritually impure (Leviticus 15:16-18). It should be noted that ritual impurity is distinct from moral impurity. Sex between a married couple was not considered morally sinful, but it did make them ritually impure. For most people, being in a state of ritual purity had no bearing on their daily lives. However, priests and Levites were required to be ritually pure while fulfilling their duties. The priests and Levites were divided into groups that took turns throughout the year, and during their service, they were required to maintain ritual purity, which included sexual continence. If Joseph is the Levite tasked with serving the High Priest and the New Ark, then his service lasted not simply for two weeklong terms each year but from the time he took Mary into his home until his death. As such, we can understand his maintaining sexual continence so as to be ritually pure.

Understanding St. Joseph in the context of a Levite also shines a light on common the priesthood of the faithful. As the Catechism states, all of the faithful share in the priesthood of  Christ. St. Joseph was not a Levite by genealogy. He was descended of King David and of the Tribe of Judah. In fact, Joseph’s fear of taking Mary as his wife echoes David’s fear of bringing the Ark into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:9). Yet, St. Joseph fulfilled a priestly role. He did not do this by serving liturgically in the Temple but in the course of his daily life. In his role as a husband, father, and worker, St. Joseph also fulfilled his role as the Levite of the New Covenant. Likewise, the members of the lay faithful participate in the priesthood of Christ in the midst of their daily lives. We serve Christ and prepare the parts of our lives so that they can be united to His perfect sacrifice, just as the Levites served the priests and prepared the sacrifices for them.

Seeing St. Joseph as the Levite of the New Covenant also provides greater depth to his role in salvation history. He was not only there to provide for the material needs of Mary and Jesus. He had a sacred duty, one which is ultimately tied to Christ’s role as the new High Priest. As we draw closer to St. Joseph, he helps us to see how our daily lives also cooperate in the sacrifice of Jesus.

~Fr. Dotson
St Charles Borromeo
St Charles, MO

On January 19th, my family and I observed the one-year anniversary of the passing of my dad. It was an opportunity to reflect on the role he had in my life and the realization that dad really does matter. He taught me many things about life but the most important thing he passed on to me was the importance of having and growing my relationship with my Heavenly Father. 

The impact of the father on the spiritual lives of his family is critically important. Studies have shown that when men are active in the spiritual development of their children, they are much more likely to remain involved in a life of faith. It doesn’t take much of a look around to realize that we men have failed in our duties. Our children and their children are leaving churches of all types in droves. The level of spiritual development and engagement among our young adults and teens does not paint a pretty picture for the future. 

Perhaps it is time to step back and look at a role model we can all aspire to imitate. St. Joseph is the role model that all fathers should follow. His humble obedience to the will of the Heavenly Father is a shining example of what we as fathers and grandfathers are called to emulate. He was thrust into a role that would be hard to comprehend. Betrothed to a young woman probably in her mid-teens, St. Joseph has to deal with her pregnancy and the explanation that followed. Not wanting to disgrace or endanger her, he seeks to quietly divorce her. An angel of the Lord appears to let him know what he needs to do. He trusts that this is a duty that has been given to him, to raise this Son of God. 

We don’t know much about the life of St. Joseph, but we can see the results in his work. Jesus is raised by a man who teaches him a craft and lives the life faith he was called to live. St. Joseph was his guide, his mentor not only in his learning a skill but in teaching him the faith of God’s chosen people. He trusted the will of God and lived out as an example to Jesus. 

What St. Joseph shows and teaches us is the act of having a simple trust in God. He showed the strength of his character was in that trust. This is something all of us could work on. We don’t always know where we’re going but we know if we seek the will of the Father, we’ll get where we’re supposed to be. I suspect St. Joseph relied on that principle. Trust is a hard thing to develop especially when we don’t always see the results. I believe that this trust was further developed in St. Joseph’s life of prayer. It’s hard to develop trust without taking time to get to know someone. Prayer is that way in which we come to know God so we can develop that trust like St. Joseph.

In this year of St. Joseph, take some time in prayer to ask him to help guide you as he did Jesus. That is especially true for those fathers and grandfathers out there. Become that spiritual leader you are called to be. Show your children and grandchildren the importance of coming to know the Heavenly Father. Tell them the story of St. Joseph and his great trust in God. It’ll be a good lesson for them. 

Deacon Dave Profitt
Director, St. Anne Retreat Center
Melbourne, KY. 41058
www.stanneretreatcenter.org

We live in a competitive, status-driven society.  From an early age, we (and especially men) are told to get ahead, to be on top.  It sounds good but all around us, we experience the havoc it causes: insecurity, anxiety, fear, suspicion, division, rivalry – and ultimately violence.  Struggling to get ahead, be on top, more significant than others always takes away inner peace and creates outer destruction.  It makes it impossible to truly appreciate and love others since they could be seen as more important than we. How we need the example of St. Joseph, the “just man”!   His life shows us that strength and courage, as well as respect and love — and therefore authentic holiness –, come not from striving mightily to look better than others but from peacefully accepting the goodness and sufficiency of ourselves as we are – and others as they are.  Joseph was never the NUMBER ONE person in his marriage with Mary nor in his role as foster-father of Jesus.  Yet he was absolutely essential and important.  God’s work could not have been accomplished without that loving acceptance.  Human holiness is nothing other than genuine human “wholeness.”  What holiness/wholeness we’d discover if we’d “go to Joseph” and learn from him.  We’d have greater peace inside ourselves and this world, so wounded by destructive competition, would also know more peace –and be much safer besides! 

St. Joseph, pray for us!. 

~ Fr. Dan Crosby, ofm cap
 https://www.thecapuchins.org/ministries/detroit/st-bonaventure-monastery

Today, I would like us to focus on Saint Joseph and get to know him better as the man of God that he is. 

Matthew and Luke, the two Evangelists who speak most of Joseph, tell us very little, yet enough for us to appreciate what sort of father he was, and the mission entrusted to him by God. We know that  Joseph was a carpenter, betrothed to Mary. Saint Matthew refers to him as a “just man”, obedient to  God’s will as revealed to him in the Law and through the four dreams which he had. After a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph beheld the birth of the Messiah in a stable, since  “there was no place for them” in the inn. He witnessed and was present at the adoration of the shepherds on Christmas night and of the Magi when they came. 

Saint Joseph was a tender and loving father. The greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. In this way, he placed himself at the service of the entire plan of salvation. Joseph concretely expressed his fatherhood by making his life a sacrificial service to the  Holy Family. In the Holy Family, he turned his human vocation of domestic love into a superhuman oblation of himself, his heart, and all his abilities, a love placed at the service of the Messiah who was growing to maturity in his home. Joseph saw Jesus grow daily in wisdom and in years, and Jesus saw  Joseph grow in his sacrifice of self which deepened each and every day. 

Saint Joseph was also an obedient and accepting father. Joseph was deeply troubled by Mary’s mysterious pregnancy. He was unwilling to put her to shame, so resolved to dismiss her quietly But, as he considered this, God revealed his saving plan to Joseph in a dream. In a dream! I suppose that makes sense for the typical “guy way of discernment”. Got a problem? Take a nap! I think Saint Joseph and I are going to get along just fine this year Saint Joseph’s trust in God was authentic; his naps were not an escape from difficulty, but an authentic realization that there are moments in our life which we must leave to God. He deeply desired to do God’s will and trusted that God would show him the way. In every situation, Joseph trusted firmly in God, waited patiently for Him to show him the way, and obeyed promptly when the way was clear.

Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his own ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them, and make them part of his own history. Pope Francis tells us that “unless we are reconciled with our own history, we will be unable  to take a single step forward, for we will always remain hostage to our expectations and the  disappointments that follow.” The spiritual path that Joseph traces for us is not one that explains but accepts. Only as a result of this acceptance—not a passive resignation, but a courage and firm proactivity—can we begin to glimpse a broader history, a deeper meaning to how God is working in our lives. 

Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet, and hidden presence—an intercessor, support, and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. 

Pope Francis has given the Church this prayer as we get to know Saint Joseph better this year: 

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, 

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

To you God entrusted his only Son; 

in you Mary placed her trust; 

with you Christ became man. 

Blessed Joseph, to us too, 

show yourself a father 

and guide us in the path of life. 

Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage, 

and defend us from every evil. Amen.