Solemnity of
St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Within
any relationship, there is bound to be some kind of suffering. It is usually because of some
misunderstandings. It can happen within
marriage relationships. It can even
happen to the best of friendships. These
can be called Passions. We get the word
Passion from the Latin word Passio which means suffering. It is how we get the Passion of the
Christ.
When
Joseph discovered that his wife is pregnant without his own doing, he wanted to
divorce her quietly. He wanted to part
ways from her. If he did so publicly,
she would be stoned according to law and traditions. Since he was a righteous and just man, he
wanted to spare her life. The word
righteousness means being in right relationship with God or to be observant to
God’s teachings and commandments. The
word Just means to give the other their due.
But Joseph can also be described as a holy man. How do we know if someone is holy. Fr. Bill McCarthy explains simply that we can
always tell a person is a holy person because they love intensely. They have a great love for God and neighbor. Even before the Angel appeared to Joseph in a
dream, Joseph was already a holy person.
It is conveyed by wanting to spare the life of his beloved wife.
What
people usually miss when they hear this reading proclaim is this; The amount of
anguish on the part of Joseph. He loved his
wife dearly. Parting from her nearly
broke his heart. This was not an easy
decision for him. If Mary found someone
else, he wanted her to be happy and wanted her to be with this new person. Some people may get the impression that he
was so mean for wanting to divorce the Blessed Mother. But he only wanted her to be happy.
The
problem was that he didn’t ask her what had happened. The blessed Mother didn’t reveal the
pregnancy to Joseph because it was not yet the appointed time. There was much anguish within their relationship. This is described as their First Passion. There will be more Passions for the Blessed
Mother, and the greatest one will be when her crucified son is put into her
arms.
Although
it is not written in the Gospel, but we can imagine the reconciliation within
their relationship shortly after this first Passion. Joseph, now understood that it was the Holy
Spirit that has overshadow her, or covered her, (Old Testament image) because she
bears within her the New Covenant, which means that she is the Ark or the
container; just like the container in the Old Testament that contained the
Tablets of the Ten Commandments, the Staff of Moses, and Manna in a jar. These are all signs of the Covenant between
God and the Chosen people.
What
usually happens when we make a mistake?
We apologize. That is what St.
Joseph does to the Blessed Mother. She
too apologizes for not telling him. This
is to convey their virtue of humility.
Humility is after making a mistake, we need to undo the wrong by humbly
apologizing. There was a mutual apology
between Joseph and Mary to model for us the virtue of humility. Without humility, it can lead to further
pride, compounding pride with further pride, and creates further isolation within
relationships. Humility helps us to see
our sins, and also tears down tension within any relationship.
One
other factor that we often miss, and I think people tend to dismiss the Blessed
Mother from their faith has to do with this powerful love story. We all are attracted to Love Stories. Many people spend three hours or more
watching Titanic. Many watch daytime
soap operas, or other movies about love.
As people with deep faith and hope and love, I would venture to say that
you all deep down understand that this is a love story, and one of the most
powerful love story in the world. Our
traditions to preserve this love story, but sometimes it gets lost in the
Translation.
For
instance, the reason why we have grottos for the Blessed Mother is a very
simple one. When she was living with
Joachim and Anne, there was a grotto at their home. It was a place for them to go where is quiet
and cool away from the scorching heat.
When Joseph took the Blessed Mother into his home, he too built a grotto
for her, so that she can be comfortable and rest. He did that to make it an easier transition
for her. And because he loved her so
much. When people build a grotto for the
Blessed Mother, it is to re-live the love story of Joseph and Mary.
When
we crown her with flowers in the month of May, it is also to re-live the love
story. When Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, at the Temple of Jerusalem, he presented her with a crown of daisies. You can also imagine her blushing a little
bit. Our traditions are to retell and
relive this wonderful love story, and learn how to respect and revere each
other as a gift, just like this holy Family.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
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