Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Go Joe!

I found this online at work today. I thought it was great.

The url for the article is http://www.slate.com/id/2206832/

"The Hidden Man of Christmas
Putting St. Joseph back in the picture.
By James Martin
Updated Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2008, at 7:01 AM ET
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Christmas cards tend to fall into three categories: the family card (cheerful children in red and green sweaters), the secular card (snowmen, snowflakes, snowy villages), and the religious card. The religious card usually bears a portrait of the Virgin Mary gazing beatifically at the crib of her newborn son, Jesus. Behind her, the picture is just as some of the Gospels describe: shepherds, animals, maybe even the three wise men, though they actually were late on the scene.

But where's St. Joseph? Where is the man to whom, according to the Gospel of Matthew, an angel announced the birth of Jesus? Where is the guy who married Mary even though she was already "with child," the man who helped to raise Jesus, the carpenter who taught Jesus his craft?

He's off to the side or stuck in the back, behind a shepherd. And he's old, balding, and stooped, looking more like Mary's father than her husband. Sometimes, he's not there at all. Many Christmas cards show just Mary and Jesus. And how many carols even mention Joseph? He is at the Nativity scene and in American Christmas traditions. That's a loss since Joseph can be a powerful figure not only for fathers but also for the average believer.

For a number of reasons, Joseph has presented something of a problem for the Catholic Church over the past two millennia. The miracle of Christmas was not only that God became human but also that this was accomplished through a virgin. Naturally, Mary is one of the stars of the story. But the emphasis on her virginity may have meant that her marriage to Joseph may have been an uncomfortable reality—after all, if they were married, didn't they, well, have sex? That flew in the face of what became an early tradition in the Catholic Church—Mary's "perpetual virginity."

Better, then, to have Joseph in the background. Some scholars have posited that this is also the reason that he is portrayed as elderly in all those paintings, even though some experts estimate he was around 30 years old at the time of Jesus' birth. Lawrence Cunningham, a professor of theology at Notre Dame and author of A Brief History of the Saints, told me, "Nine times out of 10 in Christian art, Joseph takes on more of father-protector role rather than a husband. That was a way of solving the sexuality problem." Cunningham points out that in some paintings, Joseph is shown dozing off in the corner of the stable or even leaving the scene of the Nativity entirely, "out of modesty."

But don't blame Western artists for giving Joseph short shrift. They didn't have much material to go on. Joseph is given no lines to speak in any of the Gospels, and he disappears entirely after Jesus' childhood. Significantly, he is absent during Jesus' public ministry and even at the Crucifixion, where Mary is featured prominently. This has led some scholars to believe that he must have died before the end of Jesus' earthly life.

So what do we know about Joseph? Apart from his trade—he's called a tekton in the Gospels, which is usually translated as carpenter but is more likely a general craftsman—not much. But Pheme Perkins, a professor of the New Testament at Boston College and the author of the widely used textbook Reading the New Testament, says you can draw some interesting conclusions if you read the Gospels carefully.

"The most obvious assumption in antiquity would have been that Joseph had been married before and was a widower," she said. "Most likely, an arrangement was made for him to find a young wife." This is the basis for the Catholic tradition that Jesus' "brother and sisters," who are mentioned in the Gospels, were from Joseph's first marriage. (Mainline Protestant churches are more comfortable with the possibility that Mary could have given birth to other children after the birth of Jesus.)

And given that Mary seems not to have been forced to remarry after her husband's death—the tradition in first-century Palestine—Joseph must have been a good provider, too. "He must have left them well-off," Perkins said. However, she's not certain that his portrayal as an elderly man in so many works of Christian art necessarily had to do with sexuality. "We usually make revered figures older," she said. "If you look at most of the paintings of St. Peter and St. Paul, they look older, no matter what stage of life they're in."

Though most of Joseph's life goes unmentioned in the Gospels, he carried out an astonishingly important task: raising the son of God. For the first years of Jesus' life, and perhaps into young adulthood, he would have learned much of what he knew about the Jewish faith from his mother and his foster father. Perhaps the practices Jesus learned alongside Joseph in the carpentry shop—patience, hard work, creativity—were put to good use in his later ministry. Joseph represents the holiness of the "hidden life," doing meaningful things without fanfare.

Perkins and Cunningham both see Joseph as a central figure in the Nativity story, one who can speak to contemporary men and women. The Gospel of Matthew makes clear that he is a "righteous man" who does what God asks of him. After discovering Mary's pregnancy, Joseph thinks of "quietly" ending their marriage plans, so as not to "disgrace" her. But an angel reassures him in a dream. "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife," says the angel, who explains the unusual circumstances of the birth. Joseph's "righteousness" enables him to listen to God and carry out his difficult task.

His personality shines through wordlessly. "Here is a model of someone who represents all the virtues in the Hebrew Bible," says Perkins. "He is asked to do something shocking, but because he's righteous, he follows God's guidance. And it's no fun—not only to deal with that, but with the rest of the story—the flight into Egypt, too."

During that latter part of the Christmas story, when the holy family flees from the murderous King Herod, Joseph was responsible for protecting Mary and her son in extreme conditions. Moreover, says Perkins, "To have to take your family into Egypt—that's not a direction that Jewish stories want to go. It's the wrong way." She calls him a "model for how people can follow God through difficult times."

Maybe it's time to take a fresh look at this "model" and restore him to his rightful place in the Christmas story. Remember his natural age. Reimagine him in our art. And recall his very human example of "following God through difficult times." That's something that can offer encouragement not only to fathers but to every believer.

At the end of our conversation, Cunningham told me about one of his favorite paintings, by a Coptic nun, portraying the flight into Egypt. "It depicts the infant Jesus sitting on the shoulders of a young, robust Joseph," he said. "Mary is actually standing at one side and a servant on the other." St. Joseph is at the center of the picture.

So the next time you're singing "Silent Night" and get to the part about the "Mother and child," don't forget about the fellow in the back, the guy who cared for them for the rest of his life, silently."

James Martin is a Jesuit priest and author of My Life With the Saints.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Ebb & Flow

I always hear about how when you're close in your relationship with God the devil is trying especially hard to get you to fall into sin.

Yesterday at Mass I was reminded of how when you fall into sin, God tries even harder to bring you back to Him.

God is good.

Friday, December 12, 2008

Redemption

PHEW!!!!

As of 3 PM yesterday, I am done with school for 2008. You have no idea how relieved I am. This quarter really became a struggle for me this last month. It's been nonstop movement...always on the go. I am looking forward to catching up on much needed sleep. Seriously, my body needs a rest. I've abused it with numerous cans of red bull and several 5 hour shots. Combine that with bad eating habits...not good. So here's to the days of bumming it in your PJs, laying on the couch and eating full meals. I can't wait! Sometimes we all need a little retreat from the world. I think I need one right about now. Who knows if I'll actually get it?

So looking back at the year of 2008...I feel like it's been a year of redemption for a lot of us. Whether it was at the beginning of the year or happening just now, it seems to me like many people are making some sort of a "come-back". People are getting back into their "element". Or maybe I'm just looking too much into it...especially after watching 24 Redemption..haha. Well all I've got left to say is...winter break here I come!!!!! :D

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Happy Advent!



It's been a crazy month and a half...but hopefully the hustle will soon be over. I've been running on very minimal sleep for the past month, living off red bull and 5 hour shots, and surviving on a tight budget. The past four weekends consisted of 3 retreats and a hectic Thanksgiving break. It amazes me how I haven't just completely crashed already. I know that the main thing that keeps me going is my faith. This past weekend on retreat I was reminded of this:

"Nothing is more practical
than finding God,
that is, than falling in love
in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination,
will affect everything.

It will decide
what will get you out
of bed in the morning,
what you do with your evenings,
how you spend your weekends,
what you read,
who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you
with joy and gratitude.

Fall in love, stay in love,
and it will decide everything."

Pedro Arrupe, S.J.
former Superior General
Society of Jesus


Some people wonder how I never really stress out or go crazy during times like these. It's because I don't think I've ever felt more fulfilled and moved than I do now. This has been a very frustrating, confusing and yet peaceful journey for me these past few months. I really don't know what I'm going to do after I graduate, but I know that I am more open to the Spirit than I've ever been. That is what brings me comfort and gives me hope that whatever happens, I'm being led down the right path. Despite all the uncertainty, I am at peace that God has plans for me. I'm slowly and slowly learning to trust more. This past weekend on retreat, I was given this Bible verse "at random" (I put this in quotes because I know it was just another reminder from God)

For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe! plans to give you a future full of hope. When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me, you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot; I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you, says the Lord, and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you.
-Jeremiah 29:11-14

I've heard these word before, but they been more true to me now than ever before. This is why I am at peace. I am happy and blessed to have spent my 21st birthday with Jesus on retreat. Great times. Thanks to all for the birthday greetings. It really made my weekend!

In other news, I found this rendition of my favorite Christmas song. Check it out and watch it all the way through. I promise it's worth it! Happy Advent everyone!