St. Joseph and The Worldly Inconvenience of God’s Plan

“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” This quote, credited to American director, writer and comedian Woody Allen, pretty much sums up a good 85% of my life to date. I do not expect it to be any different until the day I finally breathe my last breath. After all, if my “plans” serve no other purpose than to initially give me a direction towards which to move and ultimately provide occasions for God to go for a deep, full-on belly laugh which resonates throughout the heavens – then so be it. Omnia in bonum!

When I consider, though, how different God’s way of thinking is compared to mine and probably most of the people I know, it makes me wonder how Saint Joseph’s life was turned upside-down from the moment he found out his betrothed was expecting a child. Of course, it is presumptuous of me to say his life was turned “upside-down”. In truth, we could (or should) probably say that it was at that moment when his life was turned right side up – according to the most loving will of God.

When Life Happens

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. (Mt. 1:18-19)

These days, the drama of life is often the sordid and unfortunate fodder on which much of social media feeds. Nothing is too private or secret or sacred – for that matter – to be aired out in public for the sensual consumption of all and sundry. From this perspective, Joseph’s initial reaction and decision to the knowledge of Mary’s pregnancy are odd and do not make sense. He could have shamed her and made her situation known to everyone. Today, perhaps that would be equivalent to “cancelling” her, and would anyone have blamed poor Joseph?

Yet, Joseph was “a just man and unwilling to put her to shame”. Even then, he respected her enough not to want to “cancel” her. He chose not to subject her to humiliation and condemnation, even though he did not know much more then than the fact that she was expecting. This certainly would not have been part of the original plan of Joseph’s life.

A Leap of Faith

“But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

“Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son,

and his name shall be called Emman′u-el”

(which means, God with us).”

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife, but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus. (Mt. 1:20-25)

This was not your average, run-of-the-mill, “Good night and don’t let the bed bugs bite!”, sweet kind of dream. It must have roused Joseph – a man of faith – from his sleep to a state of alert wakefulness. He woke up from a dream of revelation and instruction, having been told the plan of God, with purpose and courage. To do this once would be admirable; twice unbelievable – yet, to Joseph was revealed the plan of God in stages in several dreams.

Through the course of time, soon after the birth of Jesus, Joseph had three more dreams, each one directing him and his family out of danger and into safety. Every single time he woke up from these dreams, Joseph did not waste time. His sense of urgency was a testimony to the immense and complete trust in his God. Joseph might as well have heard the angel Gabriel tell Mary, “For with God nothing will be impossible,” (Lk 1:37). He lived this truth with naturalness and quiet faith. Joseph was a man of few words but decisive action.

Raising the Son

Of all the people in the world to entrust the earthly upbringing and care of His one and only Son, it may seem puzzling to many that God would choose someone as understated and simple as Joseph. Why not a king? Why not a rich businessman or someone of great importance? At least a title would have been nice, right? It just does not make worldly sense – which is, perhaps, the crux of it all.

Joseph would not have been most people’s first pick for the role of foster father of the Son of God. He was not prominent or commanding, influential or enigmatic. The choice, however, belonged to God the Father and not anyone else. What truly mattered was the faith, hope and love which Joseph had in abundance, as a human being and a son of God.

Joseph: A Gift of Self

The following is a passage from the Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde, by Pope Francis on December 8, 2020, on the occasion of the 150^th anniversary of the proclamation of Saint Joseph as the patron of the universal church:

Joseph found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift. In him, we never see frustration but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust. Our world today needs fathers. It has no use for tyrants who would domineer others as a means of compensating for their own needs. It rejects those who confuse authority with authoritarianism, service with servility, discussion with oppression, charity with a welfare mentality, power with destruction. Every true vocation is born of the gift of oneself, which is the fruit of mature sacrifice.  

Joseph’s unique vocation as foster father of Jesus demanded much more than any other man of prominence, self-importance, and security would have been willing to give. He did not bother to waste time questioning God’s directives. He simply did what he had to do. For at least the parts of his life which were written of in scripture, it would seem that Saint Joseph had been on a “need-to-know” basis when it came to the plan of God. How do we measure up when it comes to trusting in our Father God? I do not know about you, but I am sorely lacking in this and continue to be challenged by the goings-on in this world we live in.

Passing Unnoticed

There are many people who aspire to “leave their mark” in the world. It is not considered strange to want to be noticed and praised, recognized for this important thing, and lauded for that admirable work. In fact, much of what makes up social media and mass entertainment could probably be summed up in eight words: “Hey, world: look at how great I am!” Nobody wants to go quietly into the good night. This was not the case for Joseph.

“And they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man. (Lk 2:50-52)

We hear nothing more of Joseph after this, other than a reference to him as the carpenter who was the father of Jesus. Certainly, can anyone else (other than the Blessed Virgin Mary) claim to have made as great an impact in the world as the man who raised the Child Jesus into Manhood? It could be argued, of course, that technological advancements in communication were non-existent then. And yet – I highly doubt Joseph would have been one to have a social media presence even if it existed then. He did not seek to be noticed.

Raised in Love and to Love

Joseph simply did what he had to do, and he did it well. There is no other possibility, and I will tell you why. Jesus, Who was greatly admired and beloved of those who knew Him when He walked this earth, did all things well. He was no slouch or third-rate hack. He attracted people to Himself, not purposefully out of vanity or conceit, but naturally because they knew He cared for and loved them. Jesus, the Son of Man, must have been brought up with so much love and affection, an abundance of faith and compassion by His parents – or else of what use was it to have been entrusted to them if He could just be an instant superstar in the wink of an eye?

“A father who realizes that he is most a father and educator at the point when he becomes “useless”, when he sees that his child has become independent and can walk the paths of life unaccompanied. When he becomes like Joseph, who always knew that his child was not his own but had merely been entrusted to his care. In the end, this is what Jesus would have us understand when he says: “Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Mt 23:9).” (Apostolic Letter, “Patris Corde”)

And Then There are God’s Plans

My husband gets four weeks of vacation every year, and it is around this time that we consider the year ahead and make plans. Plans: what a wonderfully luxurious word in these days of what sometimes feels like the pandemic edition of the film, Groundhog Day! Yet – plans we will make and do have, partly because these give us direction and something to work with. Mostly, though, it is with great hope that we plan ahead for a future which we choose to entrust to our Father God.

This year – especially this year – it is quite appropriate to ask Saint Joseph to intercede for us and our many plans. Whether they come to fruition or not, more than anything, I pray for the humility to recognize my limitations (lots of that to go around), the sense of humour to laugh at myself (especially when God lets me in on which of my plans He finds the funniest), and the same kind of trust Saint Joseph had in His divine providence.

Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

To you God entrusted his only Son;

in you Mary placed her trust;

with you Christ became man.

 

Blessed Joseph, to us too,

show yourself a father

and guide us in the path of life.

Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage,

and defend us from every evil. Amen.

(Apostolic Letter, “Patris Corde”, Prayer to Saint Joseph)