A Young Dominican Reflects on St. Joseph

 

Published in Dominican Ashram, Vol. 3, Issue 1 (March 2021), pp. 16-21. Reproduced with permission.

As a humble husband, father and head of the family, St. Joseph appears to be in the shadows of the life of Jesus and Mary at Nazareth. And yet, this carpenter of whom very little is said in the Scriptures, was declared the patron of the Universal Church, by Pope Pius IX in 1870. Celebrating the hundred and fiftieth anniversary of this momentous declaration, Pope Francis has declared the Year of St. Joseph affording an opportunity for the entire Church to contemplate more closely the life and virtues of St. Joseph.

At first glance, it may appear that the Dominican Order has no associations with devotion to St. Joseph. Interestingly, however, the Dominicans were among the first Religious Orders to introduce a liturgical celebration of St. Joseph into their calendar in 1518 (about 40 years after the Franciscans had done so). The observance of this feast by the mendicant Orders was the cause for its spread to several dioceses in Europe, before the great Dominican, Pope St. Pius V extended it to the Universal Church in 1570. In 1522, an Italian Dominican friar, Isidore de Isolanis, published the Summa de donis Sancti Ioseph (Summary of the Gifts of St. Joseph), the first essay toward a scholastic theology of St. Joseph. Another Dominican, Pope Benedict XIII, added an invocation to St. Joseph to the Litany of the Saints in 1726. Even with this brief historical background, one might ask whether there are any grounds for a special devotion to St. Joseph in the Order of Preachers. What does this silent, family man of Nazareth have in common with an itinerant band of poor, consecrated preachers?

 

Joseph, Protector of Jesus and Mary and of the Universal Church

St. Joseph was the protector of Jesus and Mary. As head of the Holy Family of Nazareth, Joseph was quick to heed the message of the angel: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt” (Mt 2:13). Joseph’s caring and protective heart is also seen in his concern for Mary’s honour and safety, his search for the child Jesus in the Temple, and his hard labour to provide for his family in Nazareth. A traditional litany of St. Joseph hails him as the Custos pudice Virginis (Chaste Guardian of the Virgin) and Christi defensor sedule (Diligent Protector of Christ). Pope St. John Paul II in his encyclical Redemptoris custos, said that Joseph, with Mary, became the first guardian of the divine mystery of the Word made flesh, entering into this mystery by the assent of faith. The mystic Johann Tauler, O.P. in a sermon for the Vigil of Epiphany says, “St. Joseph, above all, stands for unwavering steadfastness in a divinely blessed life and steady progress in doing God’s will. He forsooth, is the best guardian for the Child and his mother.” Then he goes on to add: “Prelates, priests and bishops, priors and prioresses of the Church should be guardians as was St. Joseph.”

In imitation of St. Joseph, every Dominican has a vocation to be a protector of God’s household, a protector and defender of the Church and her faith. As ‘Hounds of the Lord’, we are to be constantly vigilant so as to preserve the Lord’s flock from being carried away by the ‘wolves’ of error, falsehood and heresy. St. Joseph teaches us to be constantly attentive to God’s will and sensitive to our brothers and sisters in their needs and to read the signs of the times aright, so that we may respond fittingly for the salvation of souls. Pope Francis, in his homily at the Inaugural Mass of his Pontificate, said: “Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions.”

Being a protector also involves tremendous courage, a courage which Joseph displayed in heeding the angel’s message to take Mary as his spouse, naming the child Jesus and becoming his legal father, fleeing into Egypt and living in exile until the death of Herod who sought to kill the child Jesus. As a protector of the Church’s faith, then, every Dominican is necessarily called to be a person of courage – the courage to accept God’s will and its radical demands, the courage to obey in the face of doubts and uncertainties, the courage to respond to the signs of the times in the light of faith, the courage to be sensitive to the needs and sufferings of others, and most importantly, the courage to remain faithful to Jesus and Mary until the hour of death.

Joseph, Man of Communion with God

The little that is said about St. Joseph in the Gospels is enough for us to recognize that he was a man of deep communion with God, attentive to His inspirations and seeking to do His will in all things. Moreover, St. Joseph enjoyed the intimate love of Jesus in the Holy Family. Prayers and works of art abound which depict Joseph and the Child Jesus delighting in each other’s company and sharing their confidences. Surely, Joseph was one of the first to be able to ponder over and contemplate the great mysteries that God was unfolding before his eyes, in his own home. He was privileged to see and hear what many prophets, kings and holy people longed to see and hear. As such, he is an excellent model of contemplation and union with God, sharing a deep relationship with him – a relationship distinguished by its silence, trust and immense love.

Would not St. Joseph, in his quiet contemplation of Jesus in the heart of his own home, serve as an excellent model for Dominican contemplative prayer? In the religious observances of the Holy Family, be it at home, the synagogue or the Temple, Joseph was blessed with the company of Jesus and Mary – a grace that would undoubtedly excite the envy of even the greatest mystics. Pope St. John Paul II in Redemptoris custos speaks of the ‘aura of contemplation’ that we can discover in St. Joseph, and goes on further to say that those “souls most sensitive to the impulses of divine love have rightly seen in Joseph a brilliant example of the interior life. Furthermore, in Joseph, the apparent tension between the active and the contemplative life finds an ideal harmony that is only possible for those who possess the perfection of charity.”

In our Dominican celebrations of the Holy Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours, as well as in our personal prayers, may we also become aware not only of the presence of the Lord and His Blessed Mother in our midst, but also occasionally experience the presence of St. Joseph, a figure “lost, all lost in wonder”, inviting us to silent adoration.

Joseph, Eloquent in Silence

“Silence is the father of the preacher.” Indeed, this Dominican saying can well be applied to the foster father of the greatest Preacher, the Word Incarnate Himself. Here we could also recall the prophetic words of the Book of Wisdom: “For while gentle silence enveloped all things… your all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed.” ( Wis 18:14-15) Could we not consider the silence necessary for the Lord’s coming as being symbolized not merely by the quiet night of the nativity at Bethlehem, but also in the profound scriptural silence of the foster father from whose lineage the Son of God was to come into human history? The silence of St. Joseph has many lessons to teach us. While physical silence was imposed on Zechariah because of his unbelief, St. Joseph is overshadowed with a silence that is radiant with faith and confidence in God’s promises. This was because he was able, like the prophet Elijah, to encounter the Lord’s “still small voice” and make himself entirely obedient to it.

As the Book of Constitutions and Ordinations of the Friars Preachers states, silence is “the guardian of all observances and contributes greatly to the interior quality of religious life, to peace, prayer, the study of truth and authenticity in preaching.” (LCO 46) Indeed, St. Joseph’s intercession and example can avail us of much benefit in this observance.

Joseph, Model of Poverty

All four Gospels narrate that Jesus was known as ‘the carpenter’s son’, a fact that witnesses to the association that Jesus probably had with his foster father’s occupation. A remarkable thing about St. Joseph is that, even though he accepted the great mission of being the foster father of God’s Son, he did not demand to be provided for, looked after, or rewarded for carrying out this role. Rather, he provided for Jesus and Mary by the sweat of his brow. In his long hours with Jesus at the carpenter’s workshop, he might have been the first to introduce the Redeemer to wood and nails, the instruments by which he would one day accomplish his greatest work, our redemption. Pope St. John Paul II wrote in Redemptoris custos: “Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth… At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption.” This is an eloquent lesson for all of us.

Having been entrusted with the great mission of preaching the Gospel, Dominicans, on that score, are not exempted from a life of poverty. Rather, we are to preach the Word of God in poverty, following the mandate given by Christ to his disciples. At a time when luxury, comfort and convenience had been placing great obstacles in the Church’s mission, the mendicant, itinerant friars were able to bring about a much-needed renewal. Dominican poverty asks us to live a life that is poor in both fact and spirit, a poverty that embraces a lifestyle of simplicity, hard work, and attentiveness to the needs of our communities and the poor. From St. Joseph, we could learn the lessons of poverty and hard work

Just as Joseph of the Old Testament was named steward of Pharaoh’s household, so too Joseph of the New Testament was appointed steward of the Holy Family at Nazareth.  Thus, the liturgical tradition of the Church was quick to identify him with the Lord’s words in Luke 12:42 regarding the “faithful and wise steward whom his master will set over his household.” He thus serves as an excellent example of the stewardship that we are called to exercise in our convents and communities, in our offices and ministries, and ultimately, in the Church and over all of creation. Our vow of poverty ought to make us sensitive to the needs of the poor, so that we may serve them with greater generosity. The Dominican commitment to justice and peace is part of our response of compassion to the poor and vulnerable, just as Joseph responded with haste to protect the vulnerable child Jesus from the grasp of Herod, and also his spouse, Mary, from disgrace and punishment. The hardships and challenges that St. Joseph would have faced in guiding the Holy Family during their exile in Egypt are an invitation for us to be charitable to refugees, migrants and exiles, as well as to all who are deprived of justice and peace.

Joseph, Patron of a Holy Death

In the Book of Genesis, God promises Israel (Jacob) a peaceful death, telling him: “Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.” (46:4) These words ring prophetically true, since the Church, God’s new Israel, regards St. Joseph as the patron of a holy death, commending her departing children to his intercession. According to the wonderful plan of God, St. Joseph was welcomed into the eternal dwelling in Paradise by the very One whom he had welcomed into his earthly household.

In this Year of St. Joseph, the Dominican Order celebrates the eighth centenary of the Dies Natalis, the heavenly birthday of Our Holy Father St. Dominic at his death on earth. Jordan of Saxony writes that, at the hour of his death, St. Dominic received the eternal consolation of a home in heaven, in return for his mournful earthly dwelling. The friars of St. Dominic look back to the moment of his death with joy, not grief, because of the assurance that he gave them, that he would be more useful to them after his death.

In this Jubilee Year, we pray that we may obtain the grace of persevering in our vocation until the end. At the hour of death, may we merit to hear the words of Our Lord which St. Joseph and St. Dominic were privileged to hear when they had completed their earthly race: “Well done, good and faithful servant…enter into the joy of your Master.” (Mt 25:21)

Conclusion

Pope Francis writes in his apostolic letter Patris Corde: “Joseph found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift… Every true vocation is born of the gift of oneself, which is the fruit of mature sacrifice. The priesthood and consecrated life likewise require this kind of maturity. Whatever our vocation, whether to marriage, celibacy or virginity, our gift of self will not come to fulfilment if it stops at sacrifice; were that the case, instead of becoming a sign of the beauty and joy of love, the gift of self would risk being an expression of unhappiness, sadness and frustration.” Through the intercession of St. Joseph, may we receive the grace to serve God with greater love and generosity in our Dominican vocation.