 One of the most memorable books I read as a child was a delightful story about a little train that was given a seemingly insurmountable route, having to crest a hill that seemed way beyond its ability. As the little train contemplated the hill, it began to repeat: “I think I can, I think I can.” Sure enough, as the little train strained and struggled, it conquered its fears and the hill, leading to a newfound confidence. The lesson taught by this story was impactful given the positive approach to not giving up on a difficult task.* Of course, with age and maturity it becomes obvious that things are often not that simple; reciting an encouraging ‘mantra’ is helpful, but in truth, it takes more than this to accomplish tasks, especially in regard to the spiritual life. Our Christian faith teaches that with God all things are possible, and if we do not put our trust in Him, that which we could have done together can truly be insurmountable. Therefore, in our preparation for the beginning of Advent, it is important to enter into the stories of Mary and Joseph which challenge us to go beyond the temptation to only approach situations with positive thinking. Individually and together, they made the all-important choice that took them beyond willful thinking: they relied totally on God. In their love for Him, they turned to the Lord for strength as well as for discernment, and therefore they were able to proceed in trust and with peace.  In his Gospel, Luke made it evident that Mary trusted completely when the angel assured her, “Nothing is impossible for God.” (Luke 1:37) However, the role of Joseph in the coming of the Messiah is nothing short of breathtaking when you consider that when Mary told him she was pregnant, he had not yet had the benefit of an angel to explain things. Although the Gospels do not say it, we can be sure that as bewildered as Joseph may have been, he immediately turned to God in prayer. We can safely assume this because his holiness and closeness to God are probably why God chose him for this role in the first place. The best insight into this is found in Matthew’s Gospel in which Joseph is described as “a righteous man.” (Matthew 1:19) To be described as righteous indicates a life of holiness which was lived in total reliance on God; the righteous one possessed the graces of discernment, justice, and mercy. Also indicative of his righteousness is that his first thoughts were not of himself, but rather they were of Mary: Joseph “was unwilling to expose her to shame” and so he decided to divorce her quietly, and thus, to entrust her into God’s hands. He must have struggled mightily over this since he already loved her and knew she was pure and holy, without guile or pretense. The narrative goes on to reveal that after Joseph had prayerfully decided to divorce Mary, the same angel (presumably) that came to her visited him in a dream. The angel explained the situation, and so he obediently and confidently took her into his home, enabling the Incarnation of Jesus Emmanuel. And while Joseph was not without sin or immaculate like Mary, he shared with her the two essential traits which are the foundation of love and holiness: thinking of what is best for other rather than of themselves, and total reliance upon God.  A suggestion as we begin Advent is to focus our reflection on Joseph and the traits he displayed.** We can let him inspire us to turn to God with trust more readily than perhaps we do now, and as our relationship deepens, we can seek to grow in grace and virtue. We can reflect upon how to become more selfless, to develop this as a habitual way of living. As with Joseph, being a righteous person means learning to mix humility with bold confidence. In other words, humility comes from our recognition that graces do not come from our own power, but rather, that everything comes from God; confidence comes from utilizing the very grace and power He gives. It is important to recognize that while positive thinking helps, if our focus is only on self, (that is, we will ourselves to do something thinking the hoped-for result is from our own power), we will not be successful in growing in holiness, and will often end up disappointed instead.  During Advent, Joseph can enrich our journey toward the stable with Mary.*** Joseph, (like Mary), teaches us that God is always with us and there is nothing which He cannot do in order to accomplish His plan. Joseph helps us to realize that often the struggle or suffering we experience is part of our path to holiness and therefore has great value. He also encourages us to keep our eyes and ears open for the presence of God who often comes in unexpected ways. He teaches perseverance: when faced with a seemingly impossible situation or when praying for something that seems like it never seems to budge, we must continue to trust God’s wisdom concerning that which we do not understand. Finally, Joseph can be our model of selflessness, which includes humility before God who must always be first in our lives. St. Joseph the righteous one knew that only with total reliance on God would he be able to humbly live his call. Indeed, he embraced it with all his heart.  May we pray for the intercession of St. Joseph during our Advent journey! May we take the time to reflect on the ways St. Joseph lived as a righteous man and ask the Holy Spirit help our growth in virtue! And may we savor every moment of Advent so that the graces God wishes to impart may truly be received! Let us meet on the road to Bethlehem! Peace! Marana tha! Come O Lord! © Michele L. Catanese * The Little Train That Could by Watty Piper, first published in 1930 and still available at some bookstores. ** The birth narratives do not contain much on St. Joseph, or even Mary for that matter. However, what is there is more than enough to pray and meditate with for a lifetime. In Matthew’s Gospel, Joseph is present in chapter 1 and 2. Chapter 1 concerns everything through the birth of Jesus, and while it is outside the scope of Advent, we can learn more about Joseph in Matthew 2:13-15 and then 2:19-22 since these give us more insight into the obedience of Joseph when the angel comes to him again via his dreams. (Also, the genealogy that appears at the beginning of chapter 1 offers often overlooked insights into Joseph; he descended from the line of David, just as God said the father of the Messiah would.) After this, Joseph is no longer mentioned. In his Gospel, Luke offers the birth narrative by highlighting Mary in chapters 1 and 2; in these chapters the name of Joseph only appears twice! *** A good exercise might be in reflecting upon what Joseph’s reaction may have been when Mary departed immediately after their discussion to go to the hill country (to help Elizabeth); what might he have experienced of ‘Advent waiting’ while she was gone? We can meditate and pray over what those nine months of Mary’s pregnancy were like for Joseph, and so on.  Images:
1. My photo; train in Norway. 2. My photo; statue of Mary pregnant with Jesus which I saw in a church in Puerto Rico during Advent. 3. Image; St. Joseph Mirror of Patience by Fr. William Hart McNichols. This is a good time of year to purchase Advent images and icons for prayer and to share. You can find this one at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/st-joseph-mirror-of-patience-334-william-hart-mcnichols.html (Remember, I do not receive anything from endorsing the work of Fr. Bill except through knowing I have "shared the wealth" of the beauty of his work!) 4. My photo; trail in Big Bend National Park; Big Bend Texas 5. Image; San Jose Flor de Jese, by Fr. William Hart McNichols. Note as above; you can find this at https://fineartamerica.com/featured/san-jose-flor-de-jese-323-william-hart-mcnichols.html 6. Clip art; Advent wreath for the first week of the season. Note: In compliance with GDPR rules, I wish to make it clear that I do not gather any information on any of my readers at any time. Comments are closed.
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