Strength in Flexibility

Let’s return once again to Psalm 92. “The just shall flourish like the palm tree, shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon.”

Palm trees and Lebanon cedars are two very different types of trees. Perhaps the one that come to my mind first is their difference in flexibility. Palm trees are naturally flexible. If they were not, they would simply snap or be uprooted every time a hurricane or strong wind came along. Lebanon cedars are almost the exact opposite. They are sturdy and strong to withstand the earthquakes and floods that are natural to the region. 

Joe, the just man who is like the palm tree and the Lebanon cedar, is flexible under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and sturdy and strong against the tremors of the World. Yet, his strength is not his own. It comes to him from God. He is only able to withstand the onslaught of the World because he is flexible to the Spirit’s inspiration. Perhaps the greatest example of this is the flight into Egypt. He stands against Herod by following the Spirit’s direction to go to Egypt, not by a call to arms or open rebuke. He bends to the Spirit’s movements and as a result stands firm against the World. Can the same be said of us?

Youthful in Old Age

 First off, sorry that I missed posting last week. We're back on track.

In Psalm 92, we often look to Joe in the words "The just shall flourish like the palm tree." Yet, if we continue with the psalm, I believe that we will learn more about him. The psalmist continues:

The just shall flourish like the palm tree,

shall grow like a cedar of Lebanon. 

Planted in the house of the LORD,

they shall flourish in the courts of our God.

They shall bear fruit even in old age,

they will stay fresh and green,

To proclaim: “The LORD is just; 

my rock, in whom there is no wrong.”

What struck me particularly was "They shall bear fruit even in old age, they will stay fresh and green." For a while now, I have found myself going back and forth between seeing Joe as a young or elderly man. For most of history, most artists portrayed him as an elderly man following the tradition of several ancient apocryphal writings; recently, however, there seems to be a growing trend to depict him as a young man. Yet, this passage seems to indicate that Joe was an old man.

Was he young or old according to the reckoning of time? Who knows... I guess what's important is that he embodied the best of both. Either he was a young man with the venerability of old age, or he was an old man with the youthfulness of prime. I'm sure that he had a spark in his step and a sparkle in his eyes.

Consecration to Joe

Back in January, Fr Donald Calloway, M.I.C. Published his book on Joe which included at 33 day Consecration to Joe. If reading is not your thing, you can now be led audibly by Fr Calloway throughly the consecration.

You can purchase the book online: https://www.shopmercy.org/consecration-to-st-joseph-the-wonders-of-our-spiritual-father.html?source=ctsj

And the audio version: https://www.stjosephaudio.org/