St. Joseph's Place
One
My father-in-law lives in a valley up in the mountains of southern Colorado. Looking out the living room windows, the radiantly beautiful mountains surround you, and create a panorama of snowcaps, trees, and hills, framing the river that runs on the edge of the property. It was in this living room that I recently had a conversation about the veneration of saints. We talked about how strange it sounds to say “I have seen the foot of Mary Magdalene. The rest of her bones are scattered throughout Italy. Or “The head of St Catherine is here, not sure where the rest of her is.” Why is it that we venerate the bones and belongings of saints? Well, there have been countless miracles associated with touching and reverencing the relics of saints. But why would God work miracles through saint bones? Isn’t the Eucharist more holy than any relic? This is where my mind went during the conversation. Ironically, the answer to all these thoughts and questions were all sitting around me as if listening and smiling to themselves. I am not referring to my family, I am referring to the mountains. Humans might reflect God more than mountains, but the mountains still reveal God. God is infinite, and so there is an infinite amount of him that can be revealed. And sometimes he uses things that are less beautiful, things that are not the best or brightest, to communicate His love. The Eucharist, children, laughter, poetry, saints, mountains; Our most holy God uses them all to reveal His face. And when we venerate saints, even their very bones, we venerate them because the presence of God touches us through them. God spills over, the saints receive, so, in imitating Him, they spill that same grace to us. God is amazing!
Two
This is the year of Saint Joseph. Why isn’t it the year of Mary? Why isn’t it the year of Jesus? These kinds of questions miss the point of Christianity, and in a way, the point of all Creation. Each part of creation reflects in a finite way the infinite God. Mankind is the pinnacle of all other created things, and reflects most fully the Trinity, but this fact doesn’t hinder God in using non-human things to express Himself. God’s face, God’s love is not obscured by the fact some things image him more, or differently. This principle explains why we Catholics have so many parts of our faith: Saints, sacraments, monks, nuns, crucifixes, holy water, all of them reflect and remind us of God in a unique way, creating a beautiful hierarchy that leads us up to Him. St Joseph is perhaps the best example of this. He is barely mentioned in the scriptures, and sacred tradition has only a little more information to offer us about him. But he doesn’t mind. He is content being outshined by his wife, who in turn is outshined by her son; just as the altar is outshined by the tabernacle, which is outshined by the eucharist. The depths of love and humility are revealed in the life of Joseph. He didn’t brag about his role or write an autobiography to preserve his legacy. He was content to be only in the first chapters of the life of Christ. Joseph, help me to be willing to leave my name off of my work. Help me be humble and simple as I live out the plan of God.
Three
In our culture we assume that airtime or limelight equates importance. Furthermore, if you are buried in the support role of a team, especially if that team has a leader who is well-known and dynamic, you or others may wrongly conclude you are not that essential. How many rock bands broke up precisely over petty squabbles about who got the most credit or attention for the band’s success? This is another reason to love Saint Joseph. If he were to compare his success based on those around him, he would have been constantly depressed. Here he is, the greatest human born with original sin, and he is called to be in a family with the greatest of all created persons and God himself. But Joseph accepted this great task with humility. He accepted his place in God’s plan, and knew it was mostly a supporting role. God has a plan for all of us. It may be a large loud plan, it may be a simple quiet plan. I want to stand with Joseph, to work like Joseph, to be humble like Joseph, to be happy like Joseph. And by the way, he is considered the second holiest saint in heaven, next to Our Lady of course!
Four
God created the world in a hierarchy of good things all leading up to Himself. And each in a different degree speaks of God’s goodness, truth and beauty. But greatness in God’s plan does not always mean greatness in the eyes of the world, or even in the eyes of the Church. Our vision is impaired and too often we see greatness or brightness as how much money, fame or influence you have. Saint Pope John Paul II had a great role to play in world events and the end of communism, but this was not his greatest achievement. Saint Therese of Lisieux had little to no discernible effect on the course of politics, but she is a Doctor of the Church, yet this is not her greatest achievement. Do not become discouraged if it appears that your roll in God’s plan seems less glorious than that of others. Don’t worry if you don’t appear to be winning hundreds of souls or changing the events of the world.
“St. Joseph did not do extraordinary things, but rather by the constant practice of ordinary and common virtues, he attained that sanctity which elevates him above all the other saints.” – St. Joseph Marello, Founder, Oblates of St. Joseph
Five
Saints are "...the mirror of Christ rather as the moon is the mirror of the sun. The moon is much smaller than the sun, but it is also much nearer to us: and being less vivid it is more visible." -G.K Chesterton
The Saints reflect the love of God. God chooses to share His beauty in creation. He reveals himself through the mountains, poetry, laughter, but most of all through the Saints. In this Year of St. Joseph we are to meditate on what God wants to reveal to us by joining Jesus in Joseph’s workshop. By time spent with Joseph, we will begin to learn what true greatness is, and learn how to accept God’s plan in humility. My wife knows I am not a very handy guy, so whenever anything goes wrong around the house, I call my dad who is incredibly handy. This year, when things go wrong, when I fall into comparing myself to others and the jealousy and envy that follows, or when I reject God’s plan because I think I deserve better, lets call on our Father Joseph, and by listening to him, and following his example, we will all become more bright, more vivid, more like God.