St. Joseph, Mentor of Life Skills and Humility

I was in college when a couple called at 5 am and announced “it’s a boy”.  For sure, their firstborn marked the happiest moment of their lives.

An angel revealed to Joseph “it’s a boy” but having been conceived in Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit.  Through this revelation Joseph would begin to embrace the special role that God gave him as foster father of the Savior.  In James Martin’s book, Life with the Saints, there is captured the humble character of Joseph as he grows into this role.

Joseph had a major role in Jesus’ formation by mentoring Jesus in carpentry.  In Joseph’s workshop, Jesus would learn vital life skills: how to age wood, how to make a plumb line, and how to drill a hole for a plank.  Moreover, Joseph would have passed on to Jesus a comprehensive set of life skills, especially the virtue of patience, since wood always needed time to age.  Later this may have been helpful for Jesus to patiently deal with a motley group of disciples.

Joseph would have also accompanied Jesus in his religious faith, introducing him to the cast of characters in the scriptures, teaching him Hebrew prayers, preparing him for the bar mitzvah, and taking him to hear from the rabbis.  Jesus’ very understanding of God as Father may have been significantly shaped by Joseph. 

Yet, when Jesus begins his public ministry, tradition would have it that Joseph had already died.  In the Church, Joseph is known as the patron of a “happy death.”  Richard Rohr once said, “how could it not have been happy?”  Joseph listened to the dream that God revealed to him and he humbly carried out the role of foster father.  Joseph was briefly mentioned in the gospel, but his life is marked by real humility.  This kind of life should be attractive to the believer because it moves us beyond selfishness to humility.  Joseph, humble and  righteous servant, pray for us,  so that our hidden acts of service may draw people to follow Jesus.