♔ ST. JOSEPH HUMBLE ARTISAN ♔ - Venerable Pope Pius XII

Remember: Every Wednesday is dedicated to St. Joseph. Let us honor St. Joseph and contemplate his humble and just example of diligent labor and perfect union with God! May almighty God be praised and glorified through His wonderful mysteries! 

 

Venerable Pope Pius XII, 11 March 1958: O glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, humble and just artisan of Nazareth, thou hast given to all Christians, and particularly to us, an example of a perfect life through diligent labor and admirable union with Jesus and Mary.

✠ 1 OUR FATHER ✠ 10 HAIL JOSEPH ✠ 1 GLORY BE ✠

✠ Hail Joseph Son of David, God is with you! Blessed are you among men and blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ! Holy Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us and be with us now and as we sigh our last breath. Amen. ✠

 

⚒ JESUS & JOSEPH AT WORK ⚒

The time for transition in the life of Christ was at hand and he was to engage fully in manual work. In the years leading up to this, he spent most of his time with Our Lady in the home of Nazareth while his father worked to provide for the family. As Jesus grew he became more involved with St. Joseph’s work in the family’s carpentry shop. We are given a scene from this time by Servant of God Mother Cecilia Baij and a reflection by Pope St. John Paul II and Pope Francis:

Mother Cecilia Baij: When Jesus manifested to Joseph his readiness to serve him in his work, Joseph prostrated himself on the ground out of reverence for this ordination of God the Father, and proceeded to give thanks together with Jesus. After they had rendered the Divine Praises for that morning, Joseph went to work taking Jesus with him.

To see Jesus present in his shop made Joseph’s heart leap for joy … Turning to Jesus, Joseph said: “Oh my Jesus, my dear Son, you already know that my own desire is to be entirely at your service, but the Heavenly Father has decreed otherwise. In obedience to him, I shall command you in regard to those matters in which this is necessary. Nevertheless, as I have already stated, I shall do so only in order that I may fulfill the Will of God.”

In reply, Jesus encouraged Joseph to make his demands freely, and according to his own desires, as they were both obliged to carry out the designs of the Heavenly Father.

… The Divine Youth always stood by, ready to be of service, and he was most alert in regard to what might be required of him in order to be of assistance to Joseph. Even though Jesus knew what Joseph needed, he rarely performed tasks directly, because he wanted to be commanded to do so by Joseph, and, thereby, practice humility and submissiveness.  – Servant of God Mother Cecilia Baij

Pope St. John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos: Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he was a carpenter. This simple word sums up Joseph's entire life. … Having learned the work of his presumed father, Jesus was known as "the carpenter's son." If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus' work at the side of Joseph the carpenter… At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work  closer to the mystery of the Redemption.

Pope Francis, Audience, 1 May 2013: In the Gospel of St. Matthew, one of the times when Jesus returns to his native region, to Nazareth, and speaks in the synagogue, the Gospel underlines his fellow villagers' astonishment at his wisdom, and the question they ask one another: “is not this the carpenter's son?" (13:55.) Jesus enters into our history, he comes into our midst, being born of Mary by the work of God, but with the presence of St. Joseph, the legal father who guards him and even teaches him his trade. Jesus was born and lived in a family, in the Holy Family, learning from St. Joseph the carpenter's trade, in the workshop of Nazareth, sharing with him his commitment, hard work and satisfaction, as well as each day's difficulties. This calls to mind for us the dignity and importance of work. … Work is part of the plan of God's love; we are called to cultivate and safeguard all the goods of creation and in this way we participate in the work of creation!

Ecclesiastes 2:24 – There is nothing better for man than to eat and drink and provide himself with good things by his labours. Even this, I realized, is from the hand of God. 

♔ ST JOSEPH: FATHER & TEACHER OF CHRIST ♔

,And they kept saying, “Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph?” — St. John 6:42

Pope Benedict XVI, Yaoundé, Homily 18 March 2009:  There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, “of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24).

The Holy Bible does not give us a full account of the life of the Holy Family except for a brief mention in the Gospel of St. Luke, when Jesus is already twelve years of age. These hidden years were no doubt filled with the everyday joys and sorrows that families experience all the time.

According to Venerable Maria de Agreda, upon arriving at their home in Nazareth (having returned from their exile), St. Joseph straightaway set out to re-establish himself as a carpenter, opening up his shop to earn a living for his family:

 

The holy Joseph also ordered his occupations and his work so as most worthily to earn sustenance for the divine Child and his mother as well as for himself. That, which in other sons of Adam is considered a punishment and a hardship, was to this holy Patriarch a great happiness. For while others were condemned to sustain their natural life by the labour of their hands in the sweat of their brows, Saint Joseph was blessed and consoled beyond measure to know, that he had been chosen by his labour and sweat to support God himself and his mother. — Venerable Maria de Agreda

As years went by, Joseph, having now established his family and his work in Nazareth, would go on to teach his son in the ways of life. No doubt that he could learn a lot from his son, but Jesus chooses to respect his intelligence, his hard work, his human nature. In renaissance art, Joseph is often depicted in the background, not playing an active part in the life of Christ when the exact opposite would be true. Who would have spent the most time with Christ besides the Blessed Mother? It would be Joseph, his father.

For the first few years of life, the Child Jesus would have been reared mostly

by his mother while his father went off to work. Once the Child Jesus grew to suitable age, St. Joseph would take over and instruct him in the ways of life through work and schooling.

St. Francis de Sales: If princes of this world are most careful in choosing tutors for their sons, taking pains to secure the best that can be found, do you think that God did not select the man who was the most perfectly qualified to be the guardian of his eternal Son, the Lord of heaven and earth?

Joseph would most certainly have taught Christ how to read, how to pray, and how to work just like any other father would. This scholastic view of Joseph as teacher is rarely thought of among the theologians or painted in the arts. However, during the seventeenth century, many artists began to portray him as somewhat of a scholar, with an open book in front of him. In some of these paintings, he is actually pointing to a verse in the book, which we assume is our Holy Scripture, as he gazes at the Child Jesus. What does this mean to us? What is Joseph telling us? He was well aware of the prophecies that spoke of a future Messiah, and the depiction of him with the book while looking at Jesus is telling us that Jesus is in fact the Promised One and his father is showing this to us.

Let us not assume that just because he worked with his hands, he was illiterate and did not take the time to read the words of the prophets. We are told in Scripture that when Jesus came to this earth, he emptied himself and did not cling to his divinity, so as to be like one of us (Philippians2:5-9.) Jesus genuinely willed himself to learn from his father on earth and to grow as any other Jewish boy would. Joseph was a father, guardian, and teacher to his son. This Joseph of ours is both worker and intellectual, and no doubt he passed these ideals on to Christ our Lord.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, gives us words to meditate on concerning the fatherhood of St. Joseph:

We look at Joseph – as the model of the educator, who safeguards and accompanies Jesus in his journey of growth "in wisdom, years and grace", as the Gospel of Luke tells us. "He was not the father of Jesus, the Father was God, but he was a father to help him grow in years, wisdom and grace.

Let's start with his age, which is the most natural dimension, physical and psychological growth. Joseph, together with Mary, took care of Jesus, first of all from this point of view, he  'raised him', worrying that he had all he needed for a healthy development. Let us not forget that the faithful care of the life of the Child also led to the flight into Egypt, the harsh experience of living as refugees to escape the threat of Herod. Then, once they returned home and settled in Nazareth, there is the long period of the hidden life of Jesus within the Holy Family. During those years, Joseph also taught Jesus his work, Jesus learned to be a carpenter.

Let's move on to the second dimension of Christ's education, that of "wisdom". Scripture says that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. Joseph was an example and teacher of this wisdom for Jesus, which he nourished by the Word of God.  We can imagine how Joseph taught the child Jesus to listen to the Holy Scriptures, especially accompanying him on the Sabbath to the synagogue in Nazareth. Joseph accompanied Jesus so he would listen to the word of God in the synagogue.

And finally, the dimension of "grace". Again St. Luke tells us referring to Jesus: "The grace of God was upon him". Here certainly the part reserved to St Joseph is more limited than in the areas of age and wisdom. But it would be a grave mistake to think that a father and a mother do nothing to educate their children to grow in the grace of God.

The mission of St. Joseph is certainly unique and unrepeatable, because Jesus is unique.  However, in his guarding Jesus, educating him to grow in years, wisdom and grace, he is a model for all educators, especially for parents. St. Joseph is the model educator and father, the model for dads.

 — Pope Francis, Homily 19 March 2014       

Proverbs 4:1-7 – Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding! . . . When I was my father’s child, frail, yet the darling of my mother, he taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart hold fast my words! Keep my commands, do not forget; go not astray from the words of my mouth.”  

St Joseph the Worker

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ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER

Words of the Saints and Scripture concerning St Joseph the Worker

At Nazareth Joseph's days were filled with work which necessarily took him away at times from his Infant God. During these hours Mary replaced him, but when evening brought him home again, he would pass the entire night in adoration, never tiring, only too happy for the chance to contemplate the hidden riches of Jesus' divinity. For he pierced the rough garments the Child wore, until his faith touched the Sacred Heart. In profound adoration he united himself to the special grace of each one of the events in the life of Jesus.   

- St. Peter Julian Eymard

Joseph was a craftsman from Galilee, just one man among many. What had life to offer to someone from a forgotten village like Nazareth? Nothing but work: work every day, with the same constant effort. And at the end of the day, a poor little house in which to rest and regain energy for the next day. But the name Joseph, in Hebrew, means "God will add." God adds unsuspected dimensions to the holy lives of those who do his will. He adds the one important dimension which gives meaning to everything, the divine dimension. To the humble and holy life of Joseph he added — if I may put it this way — the lives of the Virgin Mary and of Jesus, our Lord.   - St. Josemaria Escrivá

For Joseph, of royal blood, united by marriage to the greatest and holiest of women, reputed the father of the Son of God, passed his life in labor, and won by the toil of the artisan the needful support of his family. It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the laborer is not only not dishonoring, but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled. Joseph, content with his slight possessions, bore the trials consequent on a fortune so slender, with greatness of soul, in imitation of his Son, who having put on the form of a slave, being the Lord of life, subjected himself of his own free-will to the spoliation and loss of everything.   - Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries

Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he was a carpenter. This simple word sums up Joseph's entire life. For Jesus, these were hidden years, the years to which Luke refers after recounting the episode that occurred in the Temple: "And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them" (Luke 2:51). This "submission" or obedience of Jesus in the house of Nazareth should be understood as a sharing in the work of Joseph. Having learned the work of his presumed father, he was known as "the carpenter's son." If the Family of Nazareth is an example and model for human families, in the order of salvation and holiness, so too, by analogy, is Jesus' work at the side of Joseph the carpenter… At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption.
- Blessed Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos

A Reflection on St Joseph

Painting  at the Church of St Joseph, Nazareth. (Built on the spot of St Joseph's Shop)

 

A Reflection on St. Joseph

 

Of all the great patriarchs who walked this earth and of all the men who most selflessly served their Lord, there is no man more humble, more just and more closely united with Christ, than St. Joseph of Nazareth. In Joseph, Jesus not only found the most noble of fathers, but a true friend who willingly abandoned himself to the Divine Will of God, receiving all the sufferings and graces that came with it. St. Joseph’s mission was apparent as he was to be the Virgin-Father of the Redeemer and the Chaste Spouse of Holy Mary. 

St. Joseph, by taking on the role of father and husband in this earthly trinity, was to become a role model and intercessor for all mankind. He shows us how to humble ourselves – making our hearts more receptive to the graces which God wishes to send us. Only when we do this can we allow Him to enter since our prides and arrogances act as locked doors to our inmost being. The Lord is constantly knocking in the hopes that we may allow Him entry into our humble abode (Revelation 3:20), however unlike St. Joseph who willingly opened wide the door to his heart, many of us continue to place obstacles behind our own doors and reinforce our locks. We refuse to open our hearts to God’s Will, instead selfishly clinging to our own. Because St. Joseph denied himself, therefore allowing the Lord to enter his heart, he had the strength to carry the crosses which were given to him through his earthly life. 

St. Joseph accepts life’s heavy crosses and difficulties which in time becomes a means of sanctification. In the Gospel of St. Mark (8:34), Jesus addresses the crowd with an invitation to those who wish to be His followers. Without forcing or demanding that they follow Him, Christ respects the gift of free will bestowed upon mankind. He advises the people that if they wish to be with Him, they must first deny themselves, and then willingly take up their figurative crosses. Only after they have committed themselves in this way will they be ready to become His true followers and true friends. Before Jesus was even born, St. Joseph had already denied himself and had his own cross to bear. However, shortly after wedding the Blessed Virgin, his became an even heavier cross as is shown to us in the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. 

How fitting it must be that St. Joseph be known as “St. Joseph the Worker” and “St. Joseph the Carpenter”, given that his only Son would one day work the redemption of the world by the wood of the Cross. When Our Lord was born into this world, St. Joseph lovingly fashioned a cradle for him out of wood. The Holy Family was supported by the labor of St. Joseph with Jesus later working by his side. There is no doubt that St. Joseph and Our Lord both had deep respect and love for the work they performed. A piece of wood was not just so, as it would carved and whittled into something beautiful, sometimes becoming a part of something great. St. Joseph appreciated the wood with which they worked as it contributed not only to the roof over their heads, but the food on their table, which would in turn nourish them. The wood which was once a means of support for the Holy Family would later have a part in the redemptive plan as Jesus embraced His wooden cross on the road to Calvary, only to spill His blood upon it for the salvation of souls.

St. Joseph, who would be there to kiss the delicate fingers of the Child Jesus who would sit atop his workbench as he worked, who would be there to teach his Son in the ways of God and manhood, would be absent from the latter years of His life. Not to witness the public ministry of Jesus, nor to kiss His bruises at the crucifixion, St. Joseph would have to accept the honor of being made the Patron of a Happy Death, by departing from this world, while in the arms of his beloveds: Jesus and Mary.

Just as St. Joseph whittled and carved wood with his hands to support his family, so too did God shape and mold Joseph into a likeness of His own image not only for his role as Head of the Holy Family, but for his role as intercessor for us today. The Heavenly Father deigned to choose Joseph specifically to be His reflection on earth – to live as the Virgin-Father of the Redeemer by loving and nurturing the Son of God, greater than any natural father would. In return, Our Lord most certainly loves and honors St. Joseph and still recognizes him as a father, granting his holy petitions and desires. Our Lord has not forgotten His most faithful guardian and has raised him to be with Him in the splendor of the Heavenly Father’s house, crowning him with the glory of eternal life! (St. John 14:2-3, St. James 1:12)        

 

+ Benedicamus Domino!

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