The Pastor's Pen

March 23, 2025

As I write this on the feast of St. Joseph, I find myself pondering two things about this Saint.  The first is the result of watching too many reels on Facebook about people who are creating amazing pieces of furniture out of wood.  What is common to each is this.  Each carpenter had to approach each piece of wood on the wood’s terms, not on theirs.  “I was hoping to do this (fill in the blank) but once I cut the wood open, I realized that could not happen. Instead, I thought of doing _____. ”  They all were so amazingly present to what the wood was telling them about itself, and not what he, the carpenter, wanted to impose upon that wood. 

I wonder if that is one of the strengths of St. Joseph, why he was seemingly able to pivot so easily (yet, not without cost) when warned in dreams.  His life as a carpenter taught him to be present to the wood and the task that was before him.  That ‘training’ allowed him also to accept whatever was before him in life, the people, the events, even his dreams, not on his terms, but as they presented themselves to him.  And to be open, then, to what God is inviting him to know and do.  He is described in Scriptures as a just and righteous man.  I can’t help but think that this generous hospitality to what is was the source of his faith.  His was a confident trust that God loved him and wanted what was best for him.  And an openness to whatever and wherever that would call him.

So when the angel appears and says: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home”, he is able to do just that. And when the angel says to “flee, because Herod is seeking the child”, he does just that.  And after Herod’s death, “because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee.” There is something in that gracious hospitality to what is that produces profound movements in his faith life.  And can do the same in ours… 

So, a little challenge from this aspect of St. Joseph – “How present am I to the people and moments and events and challenges of my life?”  Could I live with a carpenter’s attention to what is – in my teen age’s son’s world?  - in dealing with a parent with dementia?  - in the challenges of the workplace??

Secondly, and here, Joseph’s witness is a bit more uncomfortable to ponder, especially in light of today’s political and social realities.  Joseph and Mary (and infant Jesus) were political refugees, fleeing from a government that threatened the life of their son.  In Egypt, they were immigrants in a foreign land.  Our canonical scriptures are silent about what that time was like for them.  Was Joseph able to practice his carpentry trade?  Did Mary labor as a migrant worker to help make ends meet?  How easily did they pick up a new language?  Were they ever afraid of being deported back to Galilee?  We don’t know from Scriptures. 

What we do know is this.  There are fathers in our cities and at our borders today who, like Joseph, face impossible decisions about how to keep their family safe in a foreign land. In his Lent message for 2025, Pope Francis suggested that “it would be a good Lenten exercise for us to compare our daily life with that of some migrant or foreigner, to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father.”  Perhaps we begin that exercise by reflecting on the example of St. Joseph and the flight into Egypt. 

Let me leave with this prayer from an address by Pope Francis on December 29, 2021

Saint Joseph,
you who experienced the suffering of those who must flee
you who were forced to flee
to save the lives of those dearest to you,
protect all those who flee because of war, hatred, hunger.
Support them in their difficulties,
Strengthen them in hope, and let them find welcome and solidarity.
Guide their steps and open the hearts of those who can help them. Amen.

----- 

A reminder of our Tuesday evening Lenten Holy half-Hour’s – from 6:30 to 7pm.  Join our clergy for some focused prayer and reflection during that time of adoration.  And, (I did not know this) there is a group that leads a rosary right at 7pm each Tuesday night.  And, like last year, Masses on Easter Sunday will be at 7am, 8:30am, 10am and 11:30am.  There will be no evening Mass on Easter Sunday night.