God's faithfulness is Confirmed by Beth DeCristofaro
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever. (2 Samuel 7:16)
He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. (Romans 4:22)
The
promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your
faithfulness,
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
(Psalm 89:2-3)
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. … "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Matthew 1:16, 20-21, 24)
Piety
I have fixed my eyes on the hills
Jerusalem my destiny!
Though I cannot see the end for me
I cannot turn away.
We have set our hearts for the way;
This journey is our destiny.
Let no one walk alone
The journey makes us one.
(lyrics, "Jerusalem my destiny", Rory Cooney)[i]
Study
In this year of St. Joseph, we might wonder if Joseph had any idea of just what kind of duty he was taking on when he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. Or was Joseph's faith enough for him? Was it sufficient that Joseph's God commanded and he was his God's man? Joseph was a man of action, not words, in the Gospel. He could not see the end, but he knew his journey and his people's journey was to the city of God.
In 2013 our family visited Cairo, Egypt. Among the many awe-inspiring sights was a visit to the Church of Sts. Sergius and Bacchus (Abu-Serga), said to have been built on the site of a shelter wherein the Holy Family stayed during their exile in Egypt. The small crypt was not open to tourists; sustaining more than 1,000 years' worth of floods from the Nile River took its toll on the structure's stability. The church was quiet, dusty and we could feel the sacredness of walls that had seen worshipers for a millennium. A story goes that Joseph worked on the nearby fortress initially built in 525 BCE! After Joseph whisked his family out of danger, theirs was not a bucolic stay in Egypt. Joseph had to find a job, conceivably as a refugee; there was a language problem. According to tradition, the Holy Family traveled throughout Egypt, outrunning Herod's soldiers until another angel told Joseph that it was safe to bring his family home again.
On this day, an alternate Gospel is allowed. Luke's story tells of Jesus' speaking in the Jerusalem temple unbeknownst to his frantic parents who searched high and low for him. As we know, when Mary and Joseph found Jesus, 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 9:49-51) Did Joseph talk with the Rabbi back home in Nazareth about his very precious son, sighing and holding his head in his hands? What we know is that Joseph obeyed and brought the Son of God to manhood in a faith-filled home. He modeled courage and fidelity to the God of Abraham on the road to Jerusalem, their destiny.
Action
God's actions in the world come from a place of mercy, forgiveness and patient love, as witnessed to by the authors of the Old and New Testaments. For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness. To me, that is astounding in itself. But more difficult to understand and accept is that God's actions in the world come through those who say "yes" while not knowing the end. And yet, we do know the end. Our destiny is to always, through the ending of time, be a child of God.
Today's verse before the Gospel describes St. Joseph: Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord; they never cease to praise you. (Psalm 84:5) How well can it describe my life?
Take stock of our Lenten journey thus far. Are our eyes still set on Jerusalem whether we feel? Jesus is right beside you. Speak to him asking for directions around roadblocks, dead ends, U-turns, and thank him for showing you the way.
Illustration: "Protection and strengthening of the Holy Family Crypt at Abu-Serga church", Moneer F. Tewfik, Adel Fareed and Raoul Fouad, 2001 hms.civil.uminho.pt
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