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Fourth Sunday of Advent, Year A - December 22, 2013
Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola, Chestnut Hill MA
Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.
Who is Joseph?
Up until the 14th century, he was a relatively obscure figure in
Christian devotions. And he still plays a relatively minor role among
Orthodox Christians. But, for over six centuries, and today more than
ever, he plays a central role in the life of the Roman Catholic Church. In
fact, at the bidding of Pope Francis, we now remember him by name in
the Eucharistic prayer at every mass.
Joseph is mentioned fifteen times in the gospels, but the
evangelists record not a single word spoken by him. In the infancy
narratives of Saint Luke, he is very much on the sidelines. In the infancy
narratives of Matthew, however, he plays a much more prominent role.
In the first chapter of Matthew’s gospel that we just heard, Joseph is told
not to be afraid, not to shun Mary, and to take Mary as his wife, because
she was pregnant through the action of the Holy Spirit. In the second
chapter, Joseph has two dreams: first, he is warned to leave Bethlehem
and flee to Egypt because of Herod’s plan to destroy Jesus by murdering
every boy child; then, while in Egypt, Joseph is told that it is safe to go
back to Nazareth because Herod’s reign of terror had come to an end.
Poor Joseph seems to have had some kind of sleeping disorder – God
kept showing up during his REM cycle.
This is not the first time in the bible that God communicates to
people through dreams. In the Hebrew scriptures, God communicated
through dreams to Abraham, Abimelech, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, Solomon,
and Daniel; in the New Testament to Zacharias, Pilate’s wife, Ananias,
Cornelius, Peter, and Paul. God can indeed communicate with us
through dreams, but that is not the important point. God communicates
to us in endless other ways. For most of us, God communicates with
subtlety through the ordinary experiences of our lives.
Joseph was an ordinary man, a good husband and father, a caregiver
who was honest, obedient, faithful and wise. He found himself in
circumstances that were, in many ways, beyond comprehension. But
because of his steadfast faith, he became Jesus’s guardian and loving
protector.
The context of Joseph’s life was vastly different than ours. Yet, like
Joseph, we are called to listen to God, to trust that experience, and to respond
with generosity and love, even and especially when we struggle to
understand what is happening in our lives. To that end, I conclude with
words from the homily of good Pope Francis when he began his papacy on
March 19, 2013.:
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God entrusts Joseph to be the custos, the protector. How does
Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even
when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal
to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple
of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the
spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the
journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful
hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt
and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later
in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop
where he taught his trade to Jesus. How does Joseph respond to his
calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being
constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and
receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. Joseph is a
“protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by
God’s will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the
persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things
realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly
wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to
God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the
Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our
lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
Let us respect each of God’s creatures and respect the environment
in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving
concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly,
those in need, those who are often the last we think about. It means
caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first
protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their
children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It
means building sincere friendships in which we protect one
another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has
been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it.
Be protectors of God’s gifts.
The Holy Father concludes:
In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous
man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness,
which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of
spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine
openness to others, for love.
In these last hours of Advent, as we prepare to celebrate anew the coming
of Christ among us, let us look to the example and intercession of Saint
Joseph. May each of us seek God in the ordinariness of our lives. And as
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we gather with family and friends in the coming days, may we be
protectors of one another: strong, courageous, open, compassionate, and
loving.