On Labor Day it is good to recall Saint Joseph the Worker. When God decided to partake in our humanity, He could have had anyone for His foster father, and He chose a humble carpenter, a man who worked with his hands. Why?
The Bible gives us no indication that Saint Joseph was intelligent, brave or resourceful. He may have been all these things, but the Bible does not tell us. We know that he was of the House of David, but judging from all indications in the Bible he lived in humble circumstances. What made Joseph stand out to God other than the fact of his heritage?
Kindness I think, simple human kindness. This was graphically demonstrated at the very beginning when Saint Joseph first is mentioned in the Gospel of Saint Matthew 1:18 and 19:
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
The phrase “unwilling to expose her to shame” puts rather delicately what Mary would have been facing. If Joseph had wished he could have dragged Mary to the center of the town and publicly accused her of adultery. If proper procedures had been followed, a trial would have been held before a doctor of the law. If Mary had been found guilty of adultery she and the child within her womb would have been put to death by stoning. If procedures were not followed, a mob would have gathered and, Joseph throwing the first stone, Mary and her child would have been put to death by a stoning “lynching”, not an uncommon occurrence in the time of Jesus. Joseph would have been completely within his rights pursuant to the Law to seek Mary’s blood for what he must have assumed was her betrayal of him.
However, Joseph loved Mary. His love did not die when he thought she had betrayed him with another man. Instead, his first instinct was to forgive her and to seek to protect her and her child. God chose Saint Joseph I think because in his willingness to forgive and to protect someone he thought had gravely wronged him, he was very much a man after God’s own heart. In this great act of forgiveness and love we see in miniature the preaching of Christ and how we must emulate God in His love and forgiveness for all of fallen Man.
Many years later, when the woman caught in adultery was dragged before Him, perhaps Jesus recalled the great act of selfless love that caused Joseph to protect Mary from the Law.
“Joseph’s response to Mary has been the source of much dispute since the earliest days of Christianity. In English translation of the New Testament, it appears as a single sentence spread over two verses. …
Commentators down the ages have proposed three approaches to this enigmatic passage: (1) the suspicion theory, (2) the perplexity theory, and (3) the reverence theory. Let us examine them briefly.
The Suspicion Theory. In this reading of the Gospel passage, Joseph suspects that Mary has been unfaithful. He is devastated, but his love for her remains so great that he cannot bear the thought of her facing public shame— or, worse, the death penalty, since adultery was a capital crime, punishable by stoning. He decides to divorce her, as the Law permitted, until an angel deters him from that course of action.
The Perplexity Theory. According to this theory, Joseph cannot understand what has happened. He does not believe Mary could be unfaithful. Yet her pregnancy is undeniable and subject to legal penalties. Since Joseph is a just man, he finds a solution that respects the Law, but protects Mary as well. The angel, in this reading, provides the information that Joseph lacks and helps him to make a plan for going forward.
The Reverence Theory. This third theory presents Joseph as a man overwhelmed by awe when he learns of Mary’s miraculous conception. From the beginning, he knows of God’s singular intervention: “she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit.” Joseph feels unworthy to be involved, and so he decides he will cooperate just long enough to protect Mary’s secret and then make a quiet exit. In this reading, Joseph’s first impulse is like St. Peter’s when he said to Jesus, “Depart from me!” (Lk 5: 8), or the Centurion’s when he said, “I am not worthy to have you come under my roof” (Lk 7: 6). The angel, however, persuades Joseph to put aside his fears.
Each theory has saints and doctors of the church among its proponents. St. Justin Martyr and St. Augustine of Hippo advanced the first; St. Jerome the second; and St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Josemaria Escriva the third. …
The Catholic Church takes no official position on the interpretation of the brief passage in St. Matthew’s Gospel; and Christians are free to believe as they wish. The author of this book finds the reverence theory most persuasive.”
From “St. Joseph and His World” by Mike Aquilina
Love this post for so many reasons. St Joseph was not an ambitious man in that his occupation, a carpenter, would not have allowed him the luxury to dream big. Not only is carpentry a physically tiring job, it’s salt of the earth, unpretentious and requires focus and problem solving. It also requires you to be hardworking and tough. He taught Jesus this very job as he was growing up. I think St Joseph reminds the world, especially men, that all that is required of them is to do an honest days work, to work and toil it for their family and ultimately for God. The youth of today pick occupations that they think will afford them big ambitious dreams. St Joseph reminds us that this way of the world is smoke and mirrors if your dream involves self- glorification and nothing more. There is only true lasting glory if we work and toil with God and Heaven in our focus. I think that’s why so many people relate to St Joseph and have great devotion to him. I have a soft spot for St Joseph because he shares the same occupation as my father who still puts to use his nail and hammer skills at 75 years. St Joseph Pray for us.
Thank you QUOTERMEISTER.
I enjoyed the theories.
Thanks for passing them along.
Thanks Quoter-
How about a rapid fire sequence of the three responses of Joseph?
However he dealt with it initially we do know he stuck by Mary and Jesus day in and day out for enough time for Jesus to grow- and even after Jesus expressed “..I must be about my Fathers work” Joseph continued his legal fatherly response /responsibility as Jesus came home and honored/ remained obedient and respectful to Joseph and Mary