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."

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. 

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.

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!

Christmas is Coming

Yesterday and today, we have heard the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew at Mass. Yesterday, the Gospel of Mass was the genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17), and today, the Gospel of Mass is the Annunciation of Joe (Matthew 1:18-25). These two readings begin the octave of preparation for Christmas each year. Why?

First, I think this is one way in which we recognize the real importance of Joe in the story of the Gospel. In God’s Province, he was the one through whom God would fulfill His promise to David to set on his throne a son who would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:12-13).

Second, this marks the beginning of the recreation of the world. Recall that the Book of Genesis begins with two stories of the “beginnings” (Genesis 1:1ff, and Genesis 2:4ff). The first is like a litany, and the second is like a narrative. Same with Matthew’s opening. As God chose to prepare the world for Adam in Genesis, so the Father chose to prepare Joe for Jesus in Matthew. As Adam was brought forth from the soil, so Jesus was brought forth from Joe. As Adam was to have dominion over the soil, so Jesus is to have dominion over Joe.

We are approaching Christmas, or rather, Christmas is approaching us. Like Joe, are we allowing ourselves to be prepared for Him who is to have dominion over us? In the midst of the busyness of preparing for the day, are we regularly resting like Joe in prayer and listening to the Voice of God speaking to us? Shhhh. Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation of the Word (John 1:1-14). Do you hear what I hear? Do you hear the Word spoken to you - within you?

Christmas is coming! Come, let us adore Him!

Joe, the Silent Saint

Although I'm writing this post before I go on retreat, by the grace of God and the goodness of His gift of technology, it is able to be automatically posted on Wednesday (I hope). Leave it to God to work outside of time! The retreat I am on is a silent retreat, so how appropriate it is to write a little about Joe as the silent saint.

In one of earlier posts, I made the point that although there are no directly attributed words of Joe in the Scriptures, we can infer that he did indeed speak one word: the Word => "Jesus." Those who know me well, know that I can talk a lot, and in this way, Joe has been a major challenge to me. How can I model the man who says little but speaks volumes?

The answer is quite simple: the name of Jesus. How little do we just say His Name? If you're like me, we usually say It in the context of larger prayers. Yet, His Name is a prayer in Itself. To say the Name is to pray, "Lord, save us from our sins!" (Matthew 1:21) Perhaps, the next time we're having a rough day and we just want to complain to God in prayer, let us imitate Joe who never ceased praying the most simple of all prayers: "Jesus!"

Finally, pray for me as I continue on retreat. Jesus!

Who do you say that I am?

I have heard it often said that Joe never said anything in the Scriptures. I disagree.

The first chapter of Matthew concludes with the Joseph waking from his first dream. St. Matthew tells us, "When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus" (Mt. 1:24-25). "He NAMED him Jesus," or perhaps better from the Vulgate, "vocavit nomen eius Iesum" ("He CALLED his name Jesus"). You see, Joe spoke only one thing, or rather, one Word: "Jesus."

It has largely been a part of our Catholic Tradition that God the Father only speaks one word, the Word. Yet, we never receive an account of the Father speaking the Word, only indications. Why? Because the Word of the Father is not an audible word, it is a silent Word. Breathed and spoken, yet never heard with the ears of the head. For the Word can only be heard with the ears of the heart.

Now, comes the juicy part... The Word of the Father and the Word of Joe are one and the same Person: Jesus, the Word of God! "And the Word became flesh." (Jn. 1:14). Joe is the Living Icon of God the Father, Who breaths out the most precious Name! And only in this Name, we are saved (Acts 4:12).