Homily by Fr Carlos yesterday, Solemnity of St Joseph
Time magazine publishes the Person of the Year. It recognizes person, group, idea or object that had the most influence on the news and people’s lives over the past 12 months for better or for worse. It also publishes the 100 Influencers of the years, in the categories of artist, innovator, Titans, icons, leaders and Pioneer.
I presume that these are mostly in the U.S. and Britain. However, I consulted my friend Google and asked it how many churches are dedicated to St. Joseph around the world: There are 31 countries who dedicated churches to St. Joseph. Top on the list is guess who: The U.S. with 71 or so churches besting Italy and the Philippines!
Now we ask: who is the true Influencer and perennial person of the year! And yet this silent man meant so much in the lives of so many peoples. Remember the population of the world at present is 8.9 billion. They pray to him for protection and intercession. We hear very little of Joseph in scriptures but his voice is heard among the believers addressing him in their hearts. Yet this humble carpenter received a role in the salvation of humankind by God albeit a hidden one. He let the power of God pass through him by his humility and silence. He was obedient though he did not understand fully what was passing before him, Mary betrothed to him – pregnant. He lived life with unanswered questions, but it was alright. We don’t really have to know all the answers to the questions we raise in life. This is called faith, to trust God even if God gives us only hints. The modern person today always seeks answer and that is why our soul is constantly laboring and burdened. St. Joseph shows us the holiness is within the reach of ordinary people like us. We don’t need fanfare. To be obedient to the mysteries of life is a peaceful life, it is life itself. It is the strength given in times of suffering and trials. We are longer alone in carrying and undergoing this suffering and trials but God strength is given to us to overcome them. In short it is mostly God’s work. Isn’t that better? Joseph accepted his mission from God by living in complete humility beside Jesus and Mary the central figures that brought about salvation. However, let us remember that it was he who legitimized, so to speak among fellow Jews, the lineage of Jesus to David. Joseph belonged to the house of David. By his silence, obedience and humility we can see that God’s greatest works can occur through people who remain almost invisible in history. In that sense Joseph becomes a theological symbol of trust, humility, hidden vocation.
This church of Gethsemani Abbey is dedicated to St. Joseph. How appropriate. It is a house of silence dedicated to God for the monks and those who come here to pray. However, what is most desirable is not a physical silence, or the absence of noise, but it is the peaceful silence of the heart and mind that we come to be healed from. In the true silence of the heart we can hear more than what our mind tells us about what live should be or what a monk should be. There are no programmed holiness, there is no such thing as a blue print for holiness. Our lives all of us here are constantly enveloped by the mysteries of God and here is where we fail to meet Him. God gives us hints like He did to Joseph in his dream that he should not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, not what we think life should be. If we do this we will never find peace. St. Joseph help our unbelief.