By Bishop James Conley
Any reflection on Christmas demands the mind to wonder and delve into its many paradoxes. The early Church Father St. Augustine of Hippo ponders theses paradoxes of God’s entrance into the world, saying:
“Man’s maker was made man, that He, Ruler of the stars, might nurse at His mother’s breast; that the Bread might hunger, the Fountain thirst, the Light sleep, the Way be tired on its journey; that the Truth might be accused of false witness, the Teacher be beaten with whips, the Foundation be suspended on wood; that Strength might grow weak; that the Healer might be wounded; that Life might die.”
Augustine is ruminating about the transcendence and simultaneous immanence of God. The Eternal Word, the second person of the Holy Trinity, whose very nature is to exist, has created the world. Then, in taking on human flesh, he has now entered into that same world.
The stories of creation in the Book of Genesis inform us that we are made in the image and likeness of God. We reflect God, which is evidenced by the fact that we can think, choose and love.
The Holy Trinity—the three persons in the one God—has been a family for all eternity. Because we are made in the image and likeness of God, the human family has been designed by God to reflect the Holy Trinity. In other words, we do not just reflect God as individuals, but also as members of a community.
Jesus demonstrates the love that has occurred within the Holy Trinity for all eternity, but in a human way. He shows us what reflecting the Trinity looks like: how we are to pray; how we are to treat each other; how we are to love unconditionally. God lowered himself to become a part of the human family so that we might be a part of the family of God for all eternity.
Not only did Jesus come into our world and show us how to interact with others, He did it in a familiar manner: he entered into a human family, the Holy Family.
Jesus freely chose to be a vulnerable infant, completely dependent upon Mary, Joseph, and all those around him. God’s entrance into the world would not have happened without the love and faith of a family—the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—who gave the necessary human love to the newborn Prince of Peace.
We rightfully recall the fiat or “yes” of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as she agreed to give birth to the Son of God. Mary is in the words of Wordsworth “our tainted nature’s solitary boast” as she said “yes” to God at every moment of her life, remaining free from both original sin and personal sin. She remains for us both the greatest model of a Christian disciple and greatest intercessor of any creature.
However, St. Joseph is the one member of the Holy Family who is often forgotten. Perhaps, he wanted it that way. Perhaps he preferred to work behind the scenes.
The Church has always revered the sanctity of St. Joseph. Since 1870, he has been declared the Patron of the Universal Church. As you may know, Pope Francis has proclaimed this year as a “Year of St. Joseph.”
In his recent apostolic letter on St. Joseph entitled Patris Corde, he noted how everyone in the world can connect to the life of St. Joseph. He said: “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”
From our first glimpse of St. Joseph in Sacred Scripture, we see that he is a man of justice and love. When he was betrothed to Mary, but had not yet taken her into his home, he learned that she was with child. While he was troubled by this news, he did not want to “expose her to public disgrace,” and so he decided to “dismiss her quietly” (Mt 1:19). Later, through a dream Joseph is told by an angel not to fear taking Mary as his wife.
How different things might have been had Joseph not been a man of justice and love. Mary was a pregnant, unmarried woman. She could have been humiliated. She could have been put to death.
The world that Jesus entered into was not necessarily a friendly one. We know this even from the context in which Jesus was born. The courage of Joseph is those difficult times is noteworthy.
Joseph and Mary had to travel this arduous journey by foot from the hill country in Nazareth all the way to Jerusalem. Scholars believe they had to do this to be counted in a census for Roman tax purposes. There was no exemption for them, even though Mary was with child.
Joseph endured the humiliation of being homeless in Bethlehem as they arrived with no room at the inn. He humbly endured the reality that this child entrusted to him would be born in what was essentially a barn. Even after the birth of Jesus, he had to travel to Egypt, a foreign land, with Mary and Jesus to escape the murderous wrath of King Herod.
And yet, we never hear of St. Joseph complaining about any of this. He accepted his role as father and quietly carried it out. This can only be accomplished by a man of great prayer. St. Pope John Paul II alluded to Joseph’s closeness to the Lord saying, “The total sacrifice, whereby Joseph surrendered his whole existence to the demands of the Messiah’s coming into his home, becomes understandable only in the light of his profound interior life.”
This “Year of St. Joseph” gives us the opportunity to remember the holiness of all members of the Holy Family. Jesus entered into the fallen world to save the human race. Mary lived every moment of her life without the stain of sin. Joseph lived his life as a prayerful and just man who helped Jesus throughout his life.
The end of the life of St. Joseph has always been something of a mystery. Sacred Scripture does not indicate when he died. Most scholars believe that he would have died before Christ’s crucifixion because at his crucifixion, Jesus handed his mother over to the care of St. John. Had St. Joseph been alive, he would have had no need to do this.
Traditionally, St. Joseph is believed to have died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. For this reason, he is known as the patron saint of a happy death. There is no happier death that one can have than being in the presence of Jesus and the Blessed Mother.
The intercession of St. Joseph was of particular, personal importance to me during this past week. My 92-year-old mother Betty Conley had been ill beginning a few weeks ago. She was in the hospital briefly, and then went on hospice care. On December 19, she passed away. I am grateful that I was able to be by her side during her final days.
I frequently thought about and prayed to St. Joseph leading up to the time of my mother’s death. I was able to give her the anointing of the sick and the apostolic pardon. I have no doubt that St. Joseph interceded for her, granting her a happy death.
On behalf of my family, thank you to all who have offered your prayers for my mother and for all of us during this time of grief. Despite our sorrow, we know that this is also a time of joy, for Christ has entered the world and he has saved us.
Be assured of all of my prayers for you and your families during the solemn and joyful season of Christmas.
