By Larry Peterson
I call
Joseph of Nazareth the "Shadow Saint" because so little is known
about him. There is not even one spoken word he ever said that was recorded. But his quiet life resonated like huge cymbals
being smashed together over the ages and into our very 21st century
existence. For it was Joseph of Nazareth who saved the Son of God so he could live to save all of us.
God sent His Son to us because without His perfect sacrifice we would have been lost forever. All humankind contributed to the death of Jesus Christ. He suffered and died for us because the love of God is so unfathomable it was the only way to give us all a second chance to grab onto the brass ring of Eternal Salvation. But without Joseph maybe the brass ring would not have been.
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| Joseph of Nazareth and his boy, Jesus Christ The ONLY man who could ever call him "my boy" |
Joseph, a
carpenter from Nazareth, was obviously humble and egoless and gave of himself.
He was a real MAN. And it was this man,
this quiet, shadow saint who single handedly saved the life of our Savior from
being put to death while He was still an infant. Imagine if he had not been
able to accomplish this.
As a man,
I try to imagine having to confront what Joseph confronted as Mary’s husband. He
accepted her pregnancy at a time when the scandal of such a thing oftentimes
meant execution for the woman. He was forced to put her on the back of a donkey
and take her 80 miles over rocky, dirt roads to Bethlehem for the census. She
was almost full term and the trip would have probably taken three to five days.
I would have been sick to my stomach praying we could make it. Then, upon
arrival, his wife goes into labor. There were no ERs, no cell phones, no 911
calls, no paramedics…you are on your own, end of story.
He was in
a strange town without friends and could find no shelter. He was probably
trembling and telling his wife, “Stay calm sweetie, it will be all right. Don’t
worry. Don’t worry.” And he is forced to
bring her to a dirty, smelly stable that is an animal shelter. Here she has to give
birth to her child who is the Son of God. As a man, he must have felt so
inadequate, so un-manly. His heart must have been breaking.
The
miracle of the Virgin Birth takes place and mother and child are fine. But then
Joseph discovers that King Herod wants to kill his baby boy. Okay guys, think
about it. You have made it this far and now you learn the army has been ordered
to find your child and kill him. They are out in force searching for YOU and
YOUR family. They are killing all boys two years old and under so as not to
miss killing your son. But it is you and your wife and child they want. Those
other children are ‘collateral damage”, an afterthought to Herod’s vicious orders.
The fear and anxiety within Joseph must have been overwhelming yet he did his
best to remain upbeat.
Somehow,
someway, with his resolve of faith and trust in God propelling him forward, he
made it to Egypt and saved his family. I have no idea how he managed to do it. Egypt
was three hundred miles away but he got them there safe and sound. He saved not
only the Redeemer and probably the Blessed Mother from death, he made it possible for all
of us to be saved too.
One final thought about this incredible person; Joseph of Nazareth was the only man who ever lived who could point to the Son of God and say, "That's MY boy." Imagine that.
St.
Joseph, thank you and please pray for all of us. HAPPY FEAST DAY
One final thought about this incredible person; Joseph of Nazareth was the only man who ever lived who could point to the Son of God and say, "That's MY boy." Imagine that.
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