He was probably well known in his community for being an upright, quiet and righteous man. He’s the kind of guy who you’d know from Church as being a decent and well respected man by today’s standards. St Joseph, often the most overlooked person in the Holy Family setup hardly ever gets much mention in the bible except for a few instances here and there and yet, it is fitting and timely for this Christmas that we pay some tribute to understand the life and role of this man. Given the issues that I have been facing both personally and professionally in recent times, I have found and drawn strength and comfort from this little spoken saint.
There’s something about Mary
Our story with Joseph begins with a marriage betrothal to a young peasant girl by the name of Mary. God had preordained this man to be the earthly father to His son and soon after the engagement, Mary is overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and discovers she is with child. Right from the beginning, Joseph’s life is thrown into chaos. Everything that he had aspire to be was literally thrown out of the window. Charged with the fact that his fiancee was pregnant even though he didn’t have any physical relations with her, he did the most gentlemanly possible thing one could do – he planned to divorce her privately so as to not bring much shame to her. What amazes me was even though Joseph did nothing wrong on his end, he still wanted to ensure the dignity of this girl remained intact.
But of course, he was given the dream NOT to divorce her but to be assured that the child Mary would bear would be the Son of God and that he should remain with Mary. And so, Joseph, following on just a dream stayed the course. There are times where I do wonder whether he questioned the validity of his dream. What if he imagined all this? In any case, in the midst of all the confusion and puzzlement, Joseph continued to stay faithful to his mission.
The Census, the journey and Bethlehem
The second traumatic experience would then come when Ceasar Augustus issued a census. This meant everyone had to go back to their hometown to register, and Joseph, being from the house of David would have to leave Nazareth and travel nearly 160 kilometres on a donkey. One can only imagine how difficult that journey could have been. On a donkey. With a pregnant woman (whom you didn’t even impregnate) heading back to your hometown.
“Perhaps in my hometown, things will be better…after all I know my hometown” Joseph must have thought somewhere throughout the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Bu this couldn’t have been further from the truth. Its not to say Joseph didn’t have any money, or that the family was hardcore poor (as sometimes depicted in the narratives) but there was just no room in the inn. Joseph wanted to give the best, or at least provide some comfort to Mary and the child. Instead, all he was given was a stable. A stable. With animals and wild beasts outside with nature. I wonder if this was the height of Joseph’s frustration. I wonder how he felt. Anguish? Disappointment? A failure?
And yet, somehow the Father of our Saviour stayed the course and just focused on his task. I am sure in all of this he would have wondered about his life before his betrothal to Mary. Perhaps if he just divorced Mary quietly, he would have had to undergo all these perilous tasks. He could have had that quiet life he so desired and wished for. Perhaps if he didn’t heed to the angel’s dream he would have saved himself from all this trouble. It was a dream after all – why take it so seriously.
Baby Killer
And just as he was probably pondering about all this, Herod the Great now issues a decree – to slay all male children under the age of 1 year old. And through another dream, Joseph was lead to go to Egypt for protection. First it was Ceasar, now Herod, what’s next? And the killing of innocent children? Joseph must have thought of his friends who had male children. All of them to be killed innocently because of this baby. This baby who was his child, the one in his arms. One can only imagine how heavy his heart must have been on the way to Egypt. Wasn’t this baby supposed to be the Saviour, the bearer and provider of peace and joy.
Stranger in a strange land
Upon arriving in a foreign land. again another difficult moment – how do you settle in a foreign land? What would you do? After all all your clientele was in Nazareth. Where would you source for wood and other raw materials? More importantly who will want to buy your products? Most importantly, how will you take care of your family? With the gold running low, the worry and anxiety must have preoccupied Joseph’s mind. And yet, for 2 years, this would be their life, living in uncertainty.
A model for men
The king of the world was born in such a precarious state, admits tension, anxiety, hardships, uncertainty and even death. In the backdrop of all this calamity, St. Joseph is hardly given any focus during christmas. And yet, its safe to say that without Joseph, Mary wouldn’t have been able to look after her son. Without Joseph, Jesus wouldn’t have been taught any trade to survive on during his earthly time. In short one can see how immensely important this quiet and devoted husband and father played in the lives of Mary and Jesus. And I think we men can learn a lot from this quiet yet dignified simple man. There is so much of strength we can draw from him this time.
