St. Joseph as a Model

 As the Christmas season has now come and gone, we find ourselves in the in-between time of the two great seasons of the church - Christmas and Lent/Easter. Between these great seasons, we are left with what can feel like an awkward moment of Ordinary Time. The 'high' of excitement from Christmas is coming down and we await the liturgical excitement of Ash Wednesday, our beloved penitential practice for the 40 days and the liturgical change that lent brings.  The excitement of the seasons comes from the breaking of the ordinary; a change in the status quo, and a deepening in our closeness to God. But, we are left now with a valley of liturgical normalcy, so how do we make the most of it? 

What we have before us is an existential challenge to keep close to God, and keep cognizant of the spirit of each season, even that of Ordinary Time. God's grace is on full display through the incredible events of Christmas and Easter, but we would be wrong to ignore that same grace during the ordinary moments of our lives. Holiness is lived in the everyday, mundane, and ordinary habits of our lives. So the incredible task for us is to find God's grace in the routine of our day-to-day lives. 

This past Christmas, more than any other, St. Joseph has really stuck out of the Christmas story. His attitude and way of life seem, to me, incredibly difficult to resemble. Joseph was a discerning individual. And, as depicted in scripture, he was a man who wanted to do the right thing, while protecting those who he cared for. He was living his ordinary life, following the laws and preparing to move in with his wife. However, upon finding out that Mary was pregnant, and knowing that it wasn't his, he came up with a path forward that protected Mary but ended their relationship.  (Matthew 1:19). 

It is at this moment that Joseph has a dream in which the angel appears to him, and lays out what he should do instead. The angel tells him that the plan which God has in store for him is so much better, so much more consequential to history than his own plan. Upon awakening, one can only imagine, as did I during prayer, that Joseph must have mulled over this dream, trying to discern if it was; his guilty feelings, if he ate something spoiled the night before, or if it must have been from God. Joseph must have sat there thinking of the consequences that would come up for taking a wife who was pregnant with a child that was not his. His mind must have rushed with what others would say, what would actually happen if he said yes, and must have clung onto his previous plan, wondering if that path might have given him the joy he had planned for. Thankfully, Joseph was not deterred by these thoughts, he was a discerning individual and discerned that it was in fact God's word that visited him, and so he must follow, regardless of what followed ahead. 

Joseph's life changed in the moments of his ordinary, lived experience. Although we may say this event was extraordinary, all moments with God are extraordinary: whether it is with him in adoration, if its his effects in the confessional or if it's running into him in the poor in our community. All moments of God are extraordinary, we just need to be alert and keep awake for them. 

Joseph discerns. He changes his mind. He is attentive to the word of God, which was active in his life. 

That is how Joseph is the model for you and I, especially as we enter into the Ordinary season of our liturgical and spiritual lives. Like Joseph, we are called to be attentive to where God is calling us each and every day and to follow through with it completely. We can learn from the story of Joseph and Mary, the young individuals from Nazareth, that when we respond to God and do what he asks, we can change the world forever. 

So, as we enter back into the routine of our lives, let us together keep attentive to the active and living word of God in our lives. As we heard in the First week of Advent "Stay awake, Be ready" for the word of God, who is constantly trying to talk to us, even in the ordinary, in the mundane, in the everyday patterns of parenthood, married life, school, work, and just normal living. 

Find God today. Respond to God every day! 

Mike