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Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary-
Homilies |
"The Example of St.
Joseph: Listener, Hearer, and Doer of God's Word"
Homily for the
4th Sunday of Advent
Fr. Jonathan L. Reardon
19 December 2010
Year A
I suppose it
depends on the generation, but Hollywood seems to always have a
strong, silent role model for moviegoers. John Wayne: probably
not the most silent, but nonetheless, he filled the role of one
for whom words were second to action. Clint Eastwood is perhaps
another of these types. I don’t go to movies all that often but
one does not have to be a movie-goer to know that there are many
more “stars” in Hollywood that are playing the part of role
model for our younger generation – whether they realize it or
not and whether we would like them to be or not. People look up
to them because they seemingly can overcome all obstacles by
means of strength, wit, and charm. Just take a minute to think
of your favorite actor or actress or maybe your child’s favorite
“hero” – maybe you have Bieber-fever? I don’t really know what
that is but my nieces have it! Think of all these fictional
heroes and today we can compare them all to another unlikely
hero. A silent type hero whose strength is shown in his deep
humility: namely, St. Joseph.
It is typical
of the Advent Season, that as we draw closer to Jesus we find
ourselves staying very close to Our Blessed Mother. But the
Gospel today gives us an opportunity to reflect upon the man of
St. Joseph. Who was he? Sacred Scripture does not tell us much
about him except that he was a man from the House of David –
meaning he was a true descendent of the royal family. This
simple fact alone tells us that the King of Israel during the
time of Jesus’ birth – King Herod – was an imposter king.
Scripture also reveals to us that he was a just man – a holy
man. This is evident in his desire not to embarrass Mary when he
found out she was pregnant. At that time, divorce was basically
a written document signed by two witnesses that the husband had
divorced his wife and that she was now free marry another.
Joseph’s decision to divorce Mary “quietly” implies that he
refused to subject her to the public disgrace.
Yet, his decision and confusion over the matter is cut short
by a visit from an angel. Here, we get a glimpse into who this
man Joseph was really. The announcement of the birth and naming
of Jesus is the center of this section of St. Matthew’s Gospel
and it follows a specific pattern of announcement births – such
as Ishmael, Isaac, Solomon, and Josiah. The announcement to
Joseph is also accompanied by the famous prophecy of Isaiah,
found in today’s first reading, and a reference to the
fulfillment of the covenant made by God with King David. Being
of the House of David and also being a holy man, Joseph would
have been very familiar with this type of announcement. He
knows, therefore, that this is big, that this is something
divine – the fulfillment of the covenant with his forefather
King David is about to become a reality and he has a major part
in God’s plan.
Joseph’s actions following his dream is what make him a true
role model – particularly for Christian men of today. He
presents himself, by his own actions, as not only a hearer of
the Word of God but also a doer. I can only imagine how hard it
must have been for him, though, being the only one in the
household born with sin. Living with Mary, the Immaculate Virgin
and Jesus, the Son of God – anything that went wrong in that
house had to be Joseph’s fault. And yet it is he who was called
by God to be the leader and protector of that family. Even
though this child is not necessarily his own, Joseph shows forth
his true humility and love for God by bringing Mary into his
home and accepting her pregnancy as divine intervention in human
society. A little later on, shortly after the child’s birth,
Joseph will be called upon again to protect his family by
bringing them to Egypt in order to escape the slaughter of all
the newborn males in Bethlehem. He was called by God, therefore,
to be a man who listens, hears, and acts upon God’s word and to
lead his family by that Word.
Joseph’s openness to the Word of God, his ability to act in
accord with that Word and lead his family is what makes him a
true role model – far beyond that of the Hollywood type – even
for us today. He is a role model particularly for all Christian
fathers and families – spiritual, biological, extended, or
otherwise. It was his distinct humility before God that makes
him such a great hero. God did not choose Mary to lead that
family – though it was through her the child Jesus was born. No,
it was Joseph. He remained strong in the presence of adversity.
He remained strong and bold while called upon to protect his
family. But yet his greatest attribute was his faith – his
dependency on God. He does nothing on his own – he simply trusts
in God and in His plan. There is something within the male
spirit that seeks strength and personal achievement. The flaw
comes because we men have the tendency to confuse strength with
being self-sufficient. St. Joseph teaches all of us that great
strength comes only through our faith and trust in God Himself.
Christian fathers today are called to be men like St. Joseph –
listeners, hearers and doers of God’s Word; that by being
attentive to the voice of God in their own hearts they will have
the strength to lead their families on the path to holiness.
Like St. Joseph, any father’s greatest potential and strength is
developed only when he humbly turns toward our Heavenly Father –
the very source of our dignity and strength.
In a very short time, our God will come
to us, and so, in these last few days of Advent, like that of
St. Joseph, may all of us have hearts and minds open to the
voice of God drawing closer and closer to Bethlehem and with
greater faith, show Him that we too are hearers and doers of His
Word. St. Joseph: pray for us!
