By Tom Thomas.
Recently I was upset at a situation where I felt I was not treated with respect by the other party. While being still in an agitated frame of mind, I reacted and messaged the other party over WhatsApp. He also replied and the back and forth went on, leaving the feelings of both sides hurt. The dangers of modern-day instantaneous communication are such – whatever frame of mind we are in, sending a message in that frame of mind can have positive or negative consequences. The time to sift through the emotions and arrive at a balanced response does not seem to be very common, though that is common sense.
Leafing through the Gospels of the Advent Season, in Mt 1:19-21 we read, “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Further, we read on in Mt 1:24 & 25, “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.”
In Mt 2:13 we read that “…behold an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child to destroy him. And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there till the death of Herod.”
Further down in the same chapter Mt 2:19-21,” But when Herod died, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt saying “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who sought the child’s life are dead. And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel.”
What do these verses tell us about this “just man”? A title not used lightly in the Bible. This appears only ten times, starting with Noah in Gen 6:9. John the Baptist in Mk 6 and Cornelius in Acts 10:22 are also described as just or righteous men.
St Joseph used his discernment to find out what to do in the most difficult situations that one could be in. And he found the answer in discernment, by being with the Lord by himself.
In today’s context, if I compare how I would face a difficult situation? I would reach out to my friends, family, over WhatsApp, call or even face-to-face meeting taking inputs from all that most often are contradictory, leaving me confused what best to do to address the situation. Turning to the Lord would be like an afterthought, not the first thing what I would do.
But this is totally wrong. How St Joseph approached the huge problem he faced, is the right way. Solely depending on the Lord and not on anyone else for guidance. And once receiving the answer, acting upon that with full faith and zero doubt. In this context, it is good to read the following words:
“Many times, we feel imprisoned by what has happened to us: “But look what happened to me!” – and we remain imprisoned in that bad thing that happened to us. But particularly in front of some circumstances in life that initially appear dramatic, the Providence is hidden that takes shape over time and illuminates the meaning even of the pain that has touched us. The temptation is to close in on that pain, in that thought that good things never happen to us. And this is not good for us. This leads you to sadness and bitterness. A bitter heart is so ugly.” Says Pope Francis in the Catechesis on St Joseph, 1st December 2021.
The following quote also sums up beautifully the life and vocation of the just man – St Joseph. May we be inspired by St Joseph to follow his example in difficult situations. Let us Go to Joseph!
“In human life, Joseph was Jesus’ teacher in their daily contact, full of refined affection, glad to deny himself to take better care of Jesus. Isn’t that reason enough for us to consider this just man, this holy patriarch, in whom the faith of the Old Covenant comes to full fruition, as a master of interior life? Interior life is nothing but continual and direct conversation with Christ, so as to become one with him. And Joseph can tell us many things about Jesus. Therefore, never neglect devotion to him—Ite ad Ioseph: “Go to Joseph”—as Christian tradition puts it in the words of the Old Testament (Gen 41:55)” -St Josemaria Escriva