Opening Mass Year of St. Joseph August 16, 2020
Fr. Albert St. John the Evangelist, Jeanerette
Video of 8am Mass: https://youtu.be/eDQD0nNkF0w
St. Joseph has always been an important saint, but 150 years ago he was declared the patron of the Universal Church by Blessed Pope Pius IX. This is because of his special role in the life of Jesus, who is the head of the Church, and in the life of Mary who is the model and exemplar of the Church. So, the Diocese of Lafayette has decided to observe a special year of St. Joseph. As 2020 continues to be an unusual and mysterious year, I propose we take this chance to look to Joseph as a man of mystery; that we learn from him how to live in the tension that mystery creates in our lives.
He lived in the midst of mystery in many senses of the word. Joseph is introduced to us in the midst of uncertainty. Betrothed to Mary, he finds she is with child and immediately we are faced with mystery. What is clear to us is that this child is from the Holy Spirit. We are told that Joseph is a righteous man who does not wish to expose Mary to shame. What isn’t clear is exactly why Joseph wants the divorce. A common interpretation is that he suspects her of adultery – which means he should execute or at least put her on public trial – but that he wanted to show kindness and mercy by a quiet divorce.
Yet this assumes Mary didn’t tell Joseph of the visit by the angel or that he refused to believe her. And the passage even says “she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” as if that was part of what Joseph discovered. So, the other main theory is that Joseph’s righteousness is reflected in his reverential fear, not suspicion. Assuming Mary told Joseph and he believed her, Joseph would have felt unworthy to be so close to the presence of God. He would know of the many places in scripture where being too close to God’s holiness was a deadly thing – even the high priest only went into the holy of holies in the temple once a year… and he had a rope tied around his waist in case he died so others could pull him out without risking the same fate. Thus, Joseph felt unworthy to be the husband of a woman so miraculous and close to God so he wanted to remove himself out of reverence and humility. Yet, if Joseph believed her, why did the angel specifically tell him the child was from the Holy Spirit? It makes it seem like he either didn’t know or didn’t believe her, so he needed the Angel to tell him.
Despite centuries of reflection and study, there is no clear way to resolve the debate and there are great theologians and saints on both sides. What we do know, however, is that St. Joseph was a righteous man regardless. We know that once the angel told him what to do, he obeyed. We know that he named Jesus and raised him with great love and devotion. These truths shine out despite the mystery of what was going on in his heart. So, to even think about Joseph’s role in this story leads us to wrestle with seeing truth amongst mystery, with having faith in uncertainty.
And even if we believe – as I do – that his primary motivation was reverence and humility, there’s no guarantee he didn’t have doubts. It’s quite possible he believed Mary but was wrestling with uncertainty so that the angel’s message was a matter of reassurance rather than providing new information.
Still, once the mystery of Jesus’ conception was solved, Joseph remained a man of mystery in other ways. The sudden commands to flee to Egypt with an indefinite timeline for his return, the loss of the child in the temple when he was twelve years old – as father in the family, he had to wrestle with caring for them while not really knowing what would happen next and when. Even with angelic guidance, Joseph faced the same uncertainty and mystery of every family.
And even when each uncertainty or mystery was resolved – when he returned to Nazareth or when he found the missing child – there was one mystery that could never be “solved.” It is the mystery of who this son of his really was. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Joseph was told the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, but that does not remove the mystery. Even now when we can use fancy theological words like “hypostatic union” and talk about two natures in one person, the reality of God and Man in the same person of Jesus Christ is not something we can “resolve” in our minds. It remains beyond true comprehension.
And just imagine it for Joseph who saw this baby in all his messy humanity, who took direct and personal risks to protect him. Joseph who witnessed the child’s extraordinary wisdom in the temple, who knew the child was born of a miracle, who had multiple angelic visits. How strange it must be to try to reconcile the boy playing on the ground with the unfathomable power of God Himself.
Unlike the mysteries of missing information, this mystery is meant to remain. We do not solve it so much as we savor it, reflect upon it, and make it part of our lives. Just as we can’t truly comprehend God hidden in what looks like bread and wine or as we can’t fully comprehend God’s good grace at work in us in our darkest and most painful moments, so was the mystery of Joseph’s daily experience of his son, God and Man.
Yet he remained faithful all the while. We see no complaints, no disobedience. He gets no speaking parts in the great drama unfolding around him. But there he is, a man in the midst of mystery humbly carrying out what was entrusted to him. So must the Church be and so must we be. In the particular mysteries of your life and the world we know, learn from Joseph to be just, but kind. To make the best of plans yet remain open to the correcting guidance of God’s messengers.
In the mystery of your faith, learn from Joseph to simply contemplate and savor what you will never comprehend. To welcome Mary into the home of your heart, trusting that she has God’s special favor. To look upon Jesus with that mixture of awe and affection that comes from realizing God became man just so he could die to make us like God. And without simplifying it, without claiming to solve it, let your faith guide you through uncertain and mysterious times. Believe, hoping against hope so that this faith, this life of mystery may be credited to you as righteousness.