Build a House

March 19, 2012

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

"I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me." 2 Samuel 7:12-14

For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations. Romans 4:16-18

When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. Luke 2:48-51a

Piety

Father, the only way that your Son can live forever is if we keep Him alive in our society today. Help us to eb the New Carpenters -- building your visible and mystical Kingdom in our world like you build your temple in our hearts, minds and souls.

Study

Is it any wonder that Jesus would be the heir of a carpenter? Many of the earliest prophecies -- including today's reading from the Hebrew Bible -- spoke about the savior building a house for the honor and glory of God.

In today's Good News, Jesus goes on to speak of the need to "be in my Father's house." Yet these literal interpretations also lead us to the mystical connections as well. Being in "my Father's house" is as much a state of mind for Jesus as a physical presence. Thus when Jesus goes to Nazareth to grow up in the household of Joseph the Carpenter, he also maintains his mystical connection to the temple through the way he lives -- with humility (the Son of God living with the carpenter) and obedience (following the instructions of his Mother Mary).

So too with us. Certainly on the Sabbath when we attend church services, we are physically within the house of God. However, when we accept the sacrament of Eucharist at the Lord's Table, he allows us to leave with him and maintain that close presence no matter where the road leads us.

Action

How will you maintain that close presence to the Lord this week? My moment closest to Christ came on Saturday. A slow speed bike crash resulted in a pretty major gash on my leg. Sitting alongside Fairfax County Parkway, no fewer than eight Good Samaritans showed up to assist me until the rescue squad arrived. My wife cut short a trip to visit her mother to meet up with me late Saturday and drive me and my stapled leg home from the INOVA emergency room in Springfield.

Those eight slices of metal holding me together for the next ten days will remind me of all those Good Samaritans who came to my aid. Now, how can I play that forward this week?