Christmas Vigil, 2009

MATTHEW 1:18-25
IF YOU READ THE ENTIRE NEW TESTAMENT, JOSEPH IS MENTIONED ONLY IN THE GOSPELS OF MATTHEW AND LUKE. AND IT IS ONLY IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW THAT WE GET JUST A LITTLE HINT INTO WHAT KIND OF PERSON HE WAS. IT SAYS THAT HE IS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. HE IS OBEDIENT TO GOD AND THERE ARE FIVE TIMES GOD SPEAKS TO HIM THROUGH A MESSENGER – WHEN HE IS TOLD TO TAKE MARY INTO HIS HOME, WHEN HE IS COMMANDED TO TAKE MARY AND JESUS TO EGYPT; WHEN HE IS TOLD TO RETURN, AND WHEN HE IS TOLD TO RETURN BY A DIFFERENT ROUTE. AND THESE MESSAGES ALL COME IN DREAMS. WE HEAR ABOUT HIM ONCE MORE, IN THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, WHEN HE AND MARY GO TO THE TEMPLE TO FIND THEIR 12 YEAR OLD SON WHO DECIDED TO STAY THERE RATHER THAN RETURN HOME WITH THEM. AFTER THAT, HE DROPS OUT OF THE PICTURE COMPLETELY, AND THE OTHER THINGS WE “KNOW” ABOUT JOSEPH, THAT HE WAS AN OLD MAN, THAT HE HAD SONS AND DAUGHTERS BY A PREVIOUS MARRIAGE, THAT HE WORKED AS A CARPENTER, THAT JOSEPH TAUGHT JESUS HIS TRADE, THAT JOSEPH DIED WHILE JESUS WAS STILL LIVING IN NAZARETH, BEFORE HIS MINISTRY – THOSE THINGS AREN'T IN THE BIBLE, BUT YOU CAN MAKE A CASE FOR THEM, I GUESS, FROM THE BIBLE AND FROM THINKING ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED AT THAT TIME.
ON THE SURFACE, JOSEPH SEEMS TO BE A BIT PLAYER, AND ALONE AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE HOLY FAMILY, WE DON'T KNOW ANY OF THE WORDS HE MIGHT HAVE SPOKEN.
AND YET, JOSEPH IS AN EXTREMELY COMMON NAME FOR CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM BOYS. AND YET, JOSEPH IS THE PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH. AND YET, THERE ARE CONGREGATIONS OF PRIESTS AND RELIGIOUS WHO TAKE JOSEPH AS THEIR SPECIAL PATRON. AND YET AFTER JESUS AND MARY, THE THIRD MOST COMMON NAME GIVEN TO CHURCHES IS JOSEPH.
SO WHY IS THIS OBSCURE, HUMBLE MAN SO CELEBRATED? WHY IS HE A MAN WORTHY OF IMITATION? WHAT CAN JOSEPH TELL US, JOSEPH WHO NEVER SPEAKS?
JOSEPH IS RIGHTEOUS. THAT MIGHT BE TRANSLATED, “JUST”. TO BE RIGHTEOUS OR JUST MEANS THAT WE ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO WHAT IS RIGHT, AND WE VALUE THIS SO MUCH THAT WE WILL PUT ASIDE OTHER CONCERNS SO THAT JUSTICE IS SATISFIED. JOSEPH WAS RIGHTEOUS WHEN HE DECIDED TO QUIETLY DIVORCE MARY RATHER THAN DENOUNCE HER AND HAVE HER STONED. HE FELT THAT HE HAD BEEN SINNED AGAINST, AND AT THE SAME TIME, KNEW THAT THE PUNISHMENT WAS TOO SEVERE, EVEN THOUGH HE COULD HAVE DEMANDED IT. HE ACTED JUSTLY. WHEN THE ANGEL SPOKE TO JOSEPH, THIS HAD TO DO WITH GOD'S COMMAND. JOSEPH HAD GONE AS FAR AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE TO SATISFY JUSTICE.
THE TRIP TO BETHLEHEM TO REGISTER IN THE CENSUS WAS ALSO A REFLECTION OF JOSEPH'S RIGHTEOUSNESS. HE WAS WILLING TO GO TO GREAT LENGTHS TO OBEY A COMMAND FROM THE EMPEROR; JOSEPH WOULD HAVE NEVER CHEATED ON HIS TAXES, AND PROBABLY WOULD NEVER EVEN HAVE RUN A STOPLIGHT.
JOSEPH RECOGNIZES THAT HE BELONGS TO GOD, THAT GOD HAS A RIGHT TO EVERYTHING HE HAS, AND WHEN GOD ASKS SOMETHING OF HIM, HE DOES NOT HESITATE, HE DOES NOT QUESTION. HE WALKS TO JERUSALEM, HE WALKS TO EGYPT.
JOSEPH LETS GOD LEAD HIM. GOD LEADS HIM IN THE OBVIOUS WAYS I MENTIONED, BUT JOSEPH SPENDS MOST OF HIS LIFE WORKING, KEEPING THE SABBATH HOLY, PUTTING ASIDE WHAT HE WANTS TO DO TO TO SERVE HIS WIFE AND SON. ALL FATHERS IN THIS CHURCH KNOW WHAT IT IS LIKE TO BE A HUSBAND AND FATHER, AND WE ALL KNOW WE DON'T MEET THE MARK MOST OF THE TIME. JOSEPH DID MEET THE MARK. ALL HE CARED ABOUT, AFTER GOD, WAS THE WELFARE OF MARY AND JESUS. THAT WAS RESPONDING TO GOD'S LEADING; THAT WAS THE VOCATION GIVEN BY GOD.
SO JOSEPH, THE JUST MAN, LIVES A LIFE THAT ALL OF US CAN IMITATE – DOING EVERYTHING AS WELL AS WE CAN, LIVING A LIFE IN CONSTANT GRATITUDE FOR THE GOOD AND THE BAD, THE GREAT AND THE SMALL, KNOWING THAT WHATEVER WE HAVE IS GIVEN TO US BY GOD FOR HIS GOOD PURPOSES, AND KNOWING THAT WHAT GOOD THINGS WE ARE GIVEN FROM GOD ARE MAGNIFIED WHEN THEY ARE SHARED; AND BEING LED BY GOD IN THE ORDINARY AS WELL AS THE EXTRAORDINARY. AND JOSEPH SPENDS HIS LIFE GIVING HIMSELF AWAY.
WE HAVE NOTHING LEFT OF JOSEPH EXCEPT A FEW PASSAGES IN MATTHEW AND LUKE. AND IN THE CRÈCHE, OUR EYES ARE FIXED ON THE CHILD AND HIS MOTHER; JOSEPH STANDS IN THE BACKGROUND.
SO JOSEPH TEACHES US WITH HIS LIFE. BUT THERE IS MORE.
THERE ARE GREAT SAINTS LIKE THOMAS AQUINAS AND AUGUSTINE AND ALPHONSUS LIGOURI, WHO WROTE TIMELESS VOLUMES OF THEOLOGY, WHICH CONTINUE TO DEEPLY INFLUENCE OUR CATHOLIC FAITH EVEN TODAY. BUT JOSEPH TEACHES US INDIRECTLY, BECAUSE HE WAS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT JESUS TO READ. HE SHOWED JESUS HOW HE UNDERSTOOD THE JEWISH SCRIPTURES. HE TAUGHT JESUS THAT EVERYONE WAS VALUABLE, EVEN THE ROMANS AND THE SAMARITANS. HE PROBABLY TAUGHT JESUS HIS COUNTER-CULTURAL APPROACH TO WOMEN, CONVERSING WITH THEM IN PUBLIC, SEEING THEM AS REAL PERSONS AND NOT PETS OR SLAVES. HOW COULD HE NOT, LIVING WITH MARY? HE TAUGHT JESUS TO TAKE PRIDE IN HIS WORK AND TO DO IT AS WELL AS POSSIBLE, NO MATTER HOW HUMBLE. AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO HELPED JESUS SEE GOD REFLECTED IN FIG TREES AND STORMS AT SEA AND SMALL BIRDS AND FIELDS OF FLOWERS. AND BECAUSE HE WAS SUCH A GOOD, LOVING, WISE AND GENEROUS FATHER, JESUS HAD EXPERIENCED FATHERHOOD AT IT'S BEST, AND COULD COMFORTABLY REFER TO HIS HEAVENLY FATHER WITH THE SAME NAME HE CALLED JOSEPH – ABBA, DADDY. AND HE TAUGHT HIS FOLLOWERS A NEW WAY TO THINK ABOUT GOD – AS FATHER.
AND JESUS PASSES ON MUCH OF WHAT JOSEPH TAUGHT HIM, AND JESUS EVEN SPEAKS WITH THE SAME ACCENTS AND RHYTHMS THAT YOU COULD HEAR IN JOSEPH'S VOICE. SONS IMITATE THEIR FATHERS.
SO JOSEPH TEACHES BY HIS LIFE, AND HE TEACHES BY WORDS, WORDS WE HEAR THROUGH JESUS' VOICE. AND JUST AS HE PROTECTS AND INSTRUCTS JESUS, HE CONTINUES BE OUR PROTECTOR AND TEACHER, BECAUSE WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST.
SO LET US RESOLVE THIS CHRISTMAS EVE TO LISTEN TO JOSEPH. AND LET US MOVE HIM FROM THE BACK OF THE MANGER SCENE TO A MORE PROMINENT POSITION IN OUR HEARTS.