We read about him before the
birth of Jesus when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and asked him to take Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:18).
Imagine
his dilemma. He was engaged to Mary when she found out she was due to
have a baby by the Holy Spirit. At first he considered doing what many
men with a pregnant girl friend whose baby is not theirs would have done
- run a mile in the opposite direction.
Being an honourable man he decided to break the engagement privately so as not to disgrace her. Remember, in those days being pregnant without marriage was very serious indeed and people risked being stoned to death. So to spare her and the unborn child he decided to leave her quietly and privately.
Then
the angel appeared to him in a dream; and based on that dream alone he
decided to marry Mary and raise her son as if He were his own.
Joseph was an ordinary good Jew, obedient to the Jewish Law. But God intervened
and shattered his life-expectations. He is called to a new level of
obedience. That of God.
Joseph was there when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and we read about him when
he took Jesus and Mary to Egypt to escape from Herod (Matthew 2:13) and
then when they returned to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19).
He is also mentioned when the boy Jesus was twelve years old and found in the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41).
So
as Jesus' foster father he was there during His early years protecting
Him from Herod and providing a loving family for the Son of God.
What
a wonderful man he must have been. Working quietly in the background,
without much recognition, doing God's will in raising His Son on earth.
So, what is his legacy to us?
Obedience and trust.
Despite
what his common sense told him to do, he did not walk away from Mary.
He trusted and obeyed God and decided to stay with Mary. He decided to provide for
her and a child who was not his. He taught the child carpentry and
raised Him up as his own.
May his obedience and trust be an example to us all. Especially when we are called by God to obey what He commands.
*******
This prayer to St Joseph
is said to be over 1900 years old. It was found in the fiftieth year of
Our Lord Jesus Christ. In the 1500's it was sent by the Pope to Emperor
Charles when he was going into battle. It is a novena to be prayed for
nine consecutive mornings for anything you may desire. It has seldom
been known to fail.
“O St. Joseph whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before
the Throne of God, I place in you all my interests and desires. O St.
Joseph do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from
your Divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord;
so that having engaged here below your Heavenly power I may offer my
Thanksgiving and Homage to the most Loving of Fathers. O St. Joseph, I
never weary contemplating you and Jesus asleep in your arms. I dare not
approach while He reposes near your heart. Press him in my name and kiss
His fine Head for me, and ask Him to return the Kiss when I draw my
dying breath. St. Joseph, Patron of departing souls, pray for us. Amen.”
I would love to hear his life story. I would think the Lord prepared him his whole life for what was to come. Hmm, well, He does that for each of us, doesn't He? God bless you, Victor. Thank you for this.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, Sandi; God must have prepared this man, all the way from the line of David, to be chosen as the foster/step-father of Jesus. God chose when the time was right for the world to receive Jesus. At the time the Roman empire was at its peak uniting the world as it was then. Greek was the universal language, (like English today), so it was easy for Christ's message to spread fast. The time was right and the man was there at that precise time - Joseph chosen by God.
DeleteAs you say, each of us has been chosen for a mission by God. But many are not listening or respond to the call. It is their free-will to decide for themselves.
God bless you.
...I often wonder what Joseph might have thought about all of this?
ReplyDeleteGood question, Tom. Like any man whose girl-friend became pregnant by someone else his obvious reaction was to flee. But he responded to a dream. In fact, there are three occasions when he responds to a dream. The first one is this one where he is told to take Mary as a bride. Then, when Jesus is born he is told in a dream to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt to flee from Herod. Then after a while, he is told to return to Nazareth because Herod is now dead.
DeleteIt takes a courageous, (and wise), man to respond and react to dreams. I believe God does speak to people today, in dreams or through other means. But when He speaks, He makes sure we know it is Him speaking and not us making it up in our imagination.
God bless you.