A Man of Many Colors

I recently watched this video of Jordan Peterson speaking about the Old Testament Joseph and the significance of a “coat of many colors” (Genesis 37:3). I particularly liked his use of this coat as an analogy for being good at whatever you do. As he pointed out, Joseph did well by the grace of God in everything he did—from being a son, brother, servant, prisoner, and even second-in-command of Egypt.

When I heard this analogy, I almost immediately thought of St Teresa of Avila’s experience (and mine) that Joe has been patronage in all matters: 

... I am astonished at the great favours which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still does all that he asks...

-Autobiography, Chapter 6 (page 52)

A Prayer for Purity

I recently came across this prayer for purity written by St Alphonsus Liguori and wanted to share:

Mary, Mother most pure, and Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin, to you I entrust the purity of my soul and body. I beg you to plead with God for me that I may never for the remainder of my life soil my soul by any sin of impurity. I earnestly wish to be pure in thought, word, and deed in imitation of your own holy purity. Obtain for me a deep sense of modesty, which will be reflected in my external conduct. Protect my eyes; the windows of my soul, from anything that might dim the luster of a heart that must mirror only Christ-like purity. And when the “Bread of Angels” becomes my food in Holy Communion, seal my heart forever against the suggestions of sinful pleasures. Finally, may I be among those of whom Jesus spoke, “Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God.” Amen.

The Protodulia

In Catholic theological circles, there is a distinction between the honor or veneration that we give to God and that which we give to the saints. To God and to God alone belongs latria (worship); on the other hand is dulia (service) that we give to God and to the saints. For centuries now, a further distinction is made... that of dulia and hyperdulia. Hyperdulia belongs to Mary, the Mother of God. She is not God, and therefore cannot receive latria (worship); yet, she stands above all the other saints and receives hyperdulia ("super" service). Here is a good article that goes into these distinctions.

Recently, there has been a movement to make yet another distinction: protodulia (first place of service) to Joe. The Mother of God stands before him since she is the true Mother of God in every way; yet, he stands before all else as the father of God in regards to the humanity of Jesus (not in a biological sense, but in a real and relational sense). I bring this up now, because it really struck me I recently encountered this principle.

On Monday we celebrated Memorial of Saints John de Brébeuf and Isaac Jogues and their Companions. The second reading of the Office of Readings was taken from the spiritual diaries of St John de Brébeuf. In the entry, St. John wrote: 

... I vow before your eternal Father and the Holy Spirit, before your most holy Mother and her most chaste spouse, before the angels, apostles and martyrs, before my blessed fathers Saint Ignatius and Saint Francis Xavier – in truth I vow to you, Jesus my Saviour, that as far as I have the strength I will never fail to accept the grace of martyrdom, if some day you in your infinite mercy should offer it to me, your most unworthy servant...

Notice he begins and ends with God (latria), then he turns to Mary (hyperdulia), and then even before the angels and apostles, he places Joe "[Mary's] most chaste spouse". To place Joe before the angels and saints is a big (and dare I say 'bold') move. At the time, Joe still wasn't really recognized for his greatness. He was often still placed at least behind the angels and even John the Baptist, as is still the case in the Litany of the Saints. 

Finally, I conclude with these words that Pope Leo XIII wrote in Quamquam Pluries:

In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures.

Shema Yisrael

"Shema Yisrael!" 

"Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! Therefore, you shall love the LORD, your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole being, and with your whole strength." 

-Deut. 6:4-5

Joe would have prayed these words everyday as a devout Jewish man, and it would have been his duty to teach these words to Jesus. Hence this icon (the Shema is in Italian): 

I love this very short reflection by Fr Nicolas Buttet, in which he writes: "St. Joseph is the 'silent' doctor of this Nazarene school. He mastered the art of listening to the voice of God in reciting 'Shema Yisrael' ('Hear, O’ Israel') twice a day. So, his silence was actually an ability to listen and promptly obey."

Trust in the Lord

“Commit your way to the LORD; 

trust in him and he will act 

and make your righteousness shine like the dawn,  

your justice like noonday.”  

(Psalm 37:5-6)

I came across a small paragraph in Fr. Michael Najim's book, Radical Surrender: Letters to Seminarians, that pointed to Joe as a model for trust:

"Consider St. Joseph. He is a model of trust. the Gospel stories about Joseph so clearly indicated that he placed his absolute trust in the Lord. Once the Lord spoke to him, he did not question; he simply acted. God said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home' (Mt. 1:20). So Joseph chose not to be afraid, and he took Mary into his home. Then God said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt' (Mt. 2:13). So, Joseph rose and took Jesus and Mary to Egypt. He did not question; he just acted. He placed his trust in God..." (pg. 25)

How true it is that Joe is a model of trust! How wonderful it is to behold Joe as a splendid example of what is spoken of in Psalm 37! Indeed, Joe trusted in the LORD and certainly the LORD made his "righteousness shine like the dawn" and his "justice like the noonday."

Do Not Fear!

The first of Joe’s joys (say that ten time fast!) is the message of the Angel to settle the sorrow of his doubt around Mary’s pregnancy. Matthew relates to us that the Angel said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home...” (Matthew 1:20). 

Some time ago, I came across an article that Pope St John Paul II wrote entitled “A Meditation on Giveness”. It is a worthwhile read for sure, and I can not recommend it highly enough, but if you cannot read the whole thing, at least read this short section where he opens up the message of the Angel to Joe:

I think that every man, whatever his station in life or his life’s vocation, must at some point hear those words which Joseph of Nazareth once heard: “Do not be afraid to take Mary to yourself” (Mt 1:20). “Do not be afraid to take” means do everything to recognize that gift which she is for you. Fear only one thing: that you try to appropriate that gift. That is what you should fear. As long as she remains a gift from God himself to you, you can safely rejoice in all that she is as that gift. What is more, you ought even to do everything you can to recognize that gift, to show her how unique a treasure she is. 

I think Joe really recognized the gift that Mary was to him, and it was exactly this recognition that caused him fear. How often we think, "This sounds too good to be true!" when someone makes a tremendous offer. We recoil in fear that perhaps it is not. Joe received and cherished God's gift of Mary, as I'm sure that Mary received and cherished God's gift of Joe to her.

The Seven Sorrows

Two days ago, we celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross—the feast of suffering being transformed into glory. Yesterday, we celebrated the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows—the memory that Mary participated in the sufferings of her Son and thus, entered into the glory of her Son.

It seems appropriate to me that today, we should perhaps reflect on Joe’s sorrows. Like Mary, tradition has enumerated seven sorrows (and accompanying joys) of Joe:

1. The Doubt of St Joseph => The Message of the Angel

2. The Poverty of Jesus’ Birth => The Birth of the Savior

3. The Circumcision => The Holy Name of Jesus

4. The Prophecy of Simeon => The Effects of the Redemption 

5. The Flight into Egypt => The Overthrow of the Idols of Egypt

6. The Return from Egypt => Life with Jesus and Mary at Nazareth 

7. The Loss of the Child Jesus => The Finding of the Child Jesus in the Temple

There are a plethora of prayers that are based on this tradition. Here is one that I found to be helpful: http://osjusa.org/prayers/seven-sorrows-and-joys/ 

Saved from a Nail

I just came across this short article about a woman’s encounter with Joe, calling him “My Main Man”. I especially loved her closing words:

But I do know for sure that the saints are not far away and sometimes they really do get involved in our nitty-gritty matters, both big and small. And sometimes—even when we have not asked—their invisible heavenly fingerprints appear in the darndest places. I know Saint Joseph is not plastic, not by a longshot. This powerful guy with heavenly clout demonstrates over and over that he really does have my back. Not only does he help me navigate treacherous roads anytime I ask, but sometimes he extends his proactive care even when I haven’t a clue that I need it. 

Perhaps, he particularly loves helping us silently and in the background. Perhaps, he loves leaving for us those little gifts here and there that we really don't notice until one day, looking back, we recognize his presence. 

Happy birthday

The thought occurred to me yesterday: Joe obviously had a birthday and I’m sure Jesus and Mary celebrated it with him. I wonder when his birthday was and how did they celebrate? Did he take the day off of work? Did they stay up late to watch the stars move across the sky? Did they have a special meal? 

I found this particular Rabbi’s recommendation fitting for Joe: https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/652307/jewish/How-to-Celebrate.htm 

Perhaps we might make these a practice on our own birthdays.

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/

Active Contemplation

Today, we remember St Martha, the sister of Lazarus and Mary of Bethany. Martha is one of those saints who is often remembered for falling short of the mark; St Thomas the apostle is another. He is often remembered for being the doubter of the resurrection, and she is often remembered as not choosing “the better part” (Luke 10:42). 

Many have taken this passage to mean that those who live a quiet contemplative life as a religious sister or brother are in some way better than those who don’t. Yet, this is not what Jesus implies. Rather, we may very well understand Jesus to mean that we can go about frantic in life wondering how we will serve the Lord (and be stressed by how we look before Him) or we can chose “the better part” and simply listen to him tell us what he desires to say. 

Joe, I believe, acted as Martha should have acted. Yes, serve the Lord. Provide food and shelter for Him. Yet, do so quietly—not seeking to have others conform to our own wishes. I have often wondered, when Joe and Jesus worked together, did one or the other speak, or did they simply work in silence—listening to that “light  silent sound” (1 Kings 19:12) within them? I have to believe that there was a mixture of speaking and silence, but I think Joe would have found great consolation in listening to Jesus while they worked. In other words, Joe is a model active contemplative.

Joe and Mary of Magdala

Today, the Church celebrates the memory of St Mary Magdalene, the woman who first saw Jesus risen from the dead (Mark 16:9). Tradition tells us that Mary of Magdala went to France to bring the Gospel to the people there. 

Centuries later, not far from where she landed, Joe appeared to a shepherd. Today, there remains the Benedictine Monastery of Saint-Joseph du Bessillon at the site. Check out the story, and if you find yourself in Southern France, be sure to stop and pray.

Joe and the Holy Spirit: Lord and Giver of Life

Jesus called Himself “the Way, the Truth, and the Life...” (John 14:6), and in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, the Church acclaims, “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life...” In this we find yet another parallel between Joe and the Holy Spirit—both are lords and givers of life (albeit by nature in the Holy Spirit and by Grace in Joe).

Tradition has regularly applied the words spoken of the Old Testament Joseph, “he made lord over his household, ruler over all his possessions.” (Psalm 105:21), to Joe. Joe was called upon by God the Father to be in a certain way, the “lord of Life”.

So what about “giver of Life”? Consider this, had Joe not believed Mary’s marital fidelity to him, he could very well of had her stoned to death, which also would have meant the death of her Son as well. He chose, rather, to give physical life to Life. Further, when Joe enrolled Jesus in the Abrahamic Covenant through circumcision, he chose to give spiritual life to Life (cf. Deut. 30:15-20). And further still, by giving life to Life, Who gives us His own Life, Joe has given Life to us. 

So yes, Joe, like the Holy Spirit is the lord and giver of Life.

Silence: from Isolation to Encounter

A couple weeks back, I came across an "e-retreat" offered by Archbishop Christopher Prowse entitled Silence: from Isolation to Encounter. When I started, my life seemed really "loud" and I felt the need to return once again to being silent with Joe. I really wasn't at all surprised to find that a stained-glass image of Joe was present there in the background of the first episode. He once again made a more quiet "appearance" in the final episode on Mary. 

As I went through the retreat (usually watching an episode about every other day), it began to become evident to me, that Joe is a model of moving from isolation to encounter in silence. I can only imagine how alone and isolated he must have felt when he was deciding to divorce Mary (Mt. 1:19), or how abandoned he must have felt when he had to flee his home country to a foreign land (Mt. 2:13), or how empty he must have felt when Jesus was nowhere to be found for three days (Lk. 2:48). In each of these occasions, Joe remains silent, and in this silence, he encounters God's Presence.

If you have time (and honestly, who actually doesn't have the time to devote 20 minutes every other evening), I encourage you to enter into this time of retreat. Whether you enter into one episode a day, or one every other day (or perhaps every two days), I don't think it will be a waste of time. Do not be afraid to enter the silence. God is waiting... go and meet him!

Joe and the Holy Spirit: A Spirit of Adoption

St Paul says to us in his letter to the Romans: 

For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, "Abba, Father!" [to God]. (Romans 8:15)

It was through Joe that Jesus was legally adopted into the royal household of David (True Husband and Father). We could very well re-word St. Paul's words regarding Jesus and Joe:

For Jesus did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but He received a spirit of adoption, through which He cries, "abba, father!" [to David].

Some time ago, I shared a portion of St Augustine's reflection on the lineage of Jesus, in which he reflected on the linage of Mary as being a daughter of Aaron (One Mother, Two Roots). Hence, Mary with Joe form Jesus as both a king and a priest of the Old Covenant (albeit the fulfillment of the Old Covenant kings and priests). If we are made members of Christ (CCC, 1213), then we too are brought into the fulfillment of the Old Testament kings and priests. I wonder, therefore, if this gives any support to what St. Peter says to us:

But you are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own..." (1 Peter 2:9)

Providentially, I am writing this post on the Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, and it just really occurred to me that I have referred to both of them. Perhaps, yet another movement of the Holy Spirit and Joe together!

Joe and the Holy Spirit: The Desert

We're all familiar with Matthew's quote of the prophet Hosea, "Out of Egypt I called my son." (Mt. 2:15, Hos. 11:1). He very well could have said, "Out of the desert I called my son." Even though not all of Egypt was desert-like, in order to get from Egypt to Israel, one needed to pass through the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula. 

God sent the angel to Joe in the dream to "take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt..." and so it was Joe who "rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt", and again, it was Joe who led them back away from Egypt. It was Joe who led Jesus into the desert, a prefigurement of the time after Jesus was baptized and He "was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." (Mt. 4:1)

Throughout our lives, God calls us into spiritual deserts, when prayer feels dry and God seems distant. He does this in order to test the quality of our faith to see if we go to Him to feel good or because we love Him. But if we go into the desert not recognizing our identity as beloved children of the Father, we will not be able to withstand the temptations of the enemy. 

When we are in these desert periods of prayer, do we call on the Holy Spirit and Joe to lead us through it? Do we believe that they will provide for our needs? Do we trust that they will bring us out? Perhaps right now, you are in the desert. Call out to the Holy Spirit and Joe. They will journey through this time with you.

Joe and the Holy Spirit: The Incarnation

So, what started my intrigue into considering Joe as an icon of the Holy Spirit is the scene of the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38). The Archangel Gabriel said to Mary "The holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.” Isn’t this what Joe was called to do - to come to Mary and overshadow her in his protective mantle? Just as the Holy Spirit is not the Father of the Son yet remains intrinsic to the mystery of the Incarnation, so is Joe as well. I believe that we all are invited to receive the Joe's protection just as we are invited to receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit, and all just like Mary received. In this way, Mary can rightly be said to be Joe's spouse as well as the spouse of the Holy Spirit. May the same be mystically said about us!

Modeling the Trinity

A couple weeks ago, the thought occurred to me that Joe models in a number of ways the Person of the Holy Spirit. To be honest, I really haven’t completely thought it through, so I’m sure that as I continue to reflect on this and share, there will be some retractions.

Let me begin, not with the Holy Spirit, but rather, with the Father and the Son. Jesus once told His disciples "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father... Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me...” (John 14:9,11). Thus, to see either the Father or the Son is to see the other as well, and to model one is to model the other as well. So, when we say that Joe models well the Father,1 we can say that he models well Jesus, too. This explains why there are so many parallel images between Jesus and Joe: righteousness, called out of Egypt, etc. Yet, the Trinity consists in three Persons, not too.

Jesus also said of the Holy Spirit, "He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.” (John 16:13-15). So, to model the Son is also to model the Holy Spirit. 

The Greeks have a good word for this mystery of the Trinity: perichoresis. It refers to the Divine “dance” of the Trinity as if They are always twirling about making it impossible to fully distinguish one from the other. This idea is captured well in Andrei Rublev’s Icon of the Trinity (or The Hospitality of Abraham). Each of the angels depicted has the same face as the other two. To see the face of one is to see the face of the other two. So, too with Joe (indeed anyone who faithfully remains in God). To be like one is to be like all Three. In the weeks ahead, I’ll be sharing some reflections on the perichoris of the earthly trinity as the mirror of the Heavenly Trinity.