| "This is the disciple who is bearing witness to these things, and who has written these things; and we know that his testimony is true." John 21:24 |
| "The Catholic Miscellany" March 23, 2006 “In March, remember St. Joseph as well as St. Patrick” By Jeff Kirby |
Mid-March is the time of year for wearing green and honoring St. Patrick, but it is also the time for honoring another saint who has often
been shown wearing green.
St. Joseph’s feast day on March 19 tends to be overshadowed by St. Patrick’s two days earlier. Depicted in the Bible as a righteous and
humble man, St. Joseph probably doesn’t mind being overlooked. But the great bishop, St. Patrick, would tell us to give the guardian and
foster father of Jesus more attention.
Following the Jewish custom, Jesus was circumcised and named on the eighth day of his life. According to custom, the man who was legally
known as the child’s father named the infant, thereby claiming him/her as his own. When Joseph named the Christ Child “Jesus,” a name that
means “savior,” he claimed him as his foster son. And for his whole life, Joseph taught, protected, and loved Jesus as his foster son.
Sometimes in the church, we present our saints as untouchable. We make them more mythical beings than real humans who had struggles. At
times we forget their humanity.
With St. Joseph, we can understand his fatherly affection and love for the baby entrusted to his care. We can empathize with his anxiety in
having to quickly take the Christ Child and Mary to Egypt, and relate to his human fear for the child and his mother throughout Jesus’ early
life.
We can comprehend Joseph and Mary teaching the toddler Jesus how to walk and talk, and how to pray and worship. We can imagine
Joseph taking Jesus into his carpentry shop so he could watch him work and learn his trade.
Sometimes we may wonder why St. Joseph was silent when, after three days of searching, he and Mary finally found the young Jesus
teaching in the temple. We can speculate about the emotions in his heart, and only guess what he may have wanted to say to his foster son
that difficult day.
No words of St. Joseph are recorded in the Bible. He is always seen in the company of angels or of Mary. Tradition says that he died before
Jesus began his public ministry.
Since tradition says that he was flanked on either side by Jesus and Mary on his deathbed, St. Joseph has been invoked by the church as the
patron of a happy death.
It makes sense that Joseph would die before Jesus’ public ministry began. Joseph had been appointed the protector of the Christ Child, and
we can only imagine what reaction he would have had to the Passion and what it would have done to his custodial heart to see his foster son
so mistreated and abused.
St. Joseph loved Jesus. He sought throughout his life to be a faithful servant of God, and a lover of Mary and Jesus, the God-Man. In this
way, perhaps we can see St. Joseph as a protector of parenthood, marriage and family life. In him, we see the example of the high vocation
and the intrinsic goodness of these institutions.
Jeff Kirby is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.
been shown wearing green.
St. Joseph’s feast day on March 19 tends to be overshadowed by St. Patrick’s two days earlier. Depicted in the Bible as a righteous and
humble man, St. Joseph probably doesn’t mind being overlooked. But the great bishop, St. Patrick, would tell us to give the guardian and
foster father of Jesus more attention.
Following the Jewish custom, Jesus was circumcised and named on the eighth day of his life. According to custom, the man who was legally
known as the child’s father named the infant, thereby claiming him/her as his own. When Joseph named the Christ Child “Jesus,” a name that
means “savior,” he claimed him as his foster son. And for his whole life, Joseph taught, protected, and loved Jesus as his foster son.
Sometimes in the church, we present our saints as untouchable. We make them more mythical beings than real humans who had struggles. At
times we forget their humanity.
With St. Joseph, we can understand his fatherly affection and love for the baby entrusted to his care. We can empathize with his anxiety in
having to quickly take the Christ Child and Mary to Egypt, and relate to his human fear for the child and his mother throughout Jesus’ early
life.
We can comprehend Joseph and Mary teaching the toddler Jesus how to walk and talk, and how to pray and worship. We can imagine
Joseph taking Jesus into his carpentry shop so he could watch him work and learn his trade.
Sometimes we may wonder why St. Joseph was silent when, after three days of searching, he and Mary finally found the young Jesus
teaching in the temple. We can speculate about the emotions in his heart, and only guess what he may have wanted to say to his foster son
that difficult day.
No words of St. Joseph are recorded in the Bible. He is always seen in the company of angels or of Mary. Tradition says that he died before
Jesus began his public ministry.
Since tradition says that he was flanked on either side by Jesus and Mary on his deathbed, St. Joseph has been invoked by the church as the
patron of a happy death.
It makes sense that Joseph would die before Jesus’ public ministry began. Joseph had been appointed the protector of the Christ Child, and
we can only imagine what reaction he would have had to the Passion and what it would have done to his custodial heart to see his foster son
so mistreated and abused.
St. Joseph loved Jesus. He sought throughout his life to be a faithful servant of God, and a lover of Mary and Jesus, the God-Man. In this
way, perhaps we can see St. Joseph as a protector of parenthood, marriage and family life. In him, we see the example of the high vocation
and the intrinsic goodness of these institutions.
Jeff Kirby is a seminarian studying in Rome. He is a member of St. Joseph Church in Columbia, S.C.