God invites us, as He did to Joseph, to play a role in His plan to build new heavens and a new earth
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
“Lo, I am about to create new heavens and a new earth” (Isaiah 65).
We celebrate the feast of St. Joseph this week on March 19. St. Joseph is a living lesson in some of the ways the Lord works to bring about the new heavens and new earth. Let’s focus on him for just a few minutes.
In 2 Samuel 7, the Lord says to David that it will not be David himself, but David’s heir, who “shall build a house for my name.” I propose that we read that in reference to Joseph. (It is, after all, the first reading for the feast day!)
Yes, the promise is immediately about Solomon, who would build the great temple of ancient Israel. And yes, it’s ultimately about Jesus, whose royal throne would endure forever. But, just for a moment, let’s look at Joseph through the eyes of that promise. It was, after all, Joseph who built a home for the holy family. And that’s the home in which Jesus — God in the flesh — came to dwell.
Back it up. When Joseph is pondering how to handle Mary’s pregnancy — a pregnancy in which Joseph knows he played no part — he plans to “divorce her quietly.” Then an angel comes to him, and how does the angel address him? “Joseph, son of David.” Yes, in one very important and completely unexpected way — this is the “son of David” who will build a house for the Lord.
And let’s not miss this crucial detail from the Gospel of Matthew: The angel tells Joseph to name the child. To name the child was to claim Him, legally, as one’s own. The angel named Joseph’s strength — that he was a son of David — then called him to use that strength as a service: to “build a house: that would protect a vulnerable mother and child.
Psalm 89 — the Psalm for the feast — tells us: “In heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.” Yes, that is immediately about David and David’s throne. But, for the feast, we can read it in regard to Joseph. As St. Bernardine of Siena says: “Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honor which He gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather, we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects all that He gave at Nazareth.” In Nazareth, Joseph built a house for the Lord. But, truly, it was Joseph who lived in Jesus’ house in Nazareth — and now Joseph lives in Jesus’ house in heaven. In heaven, He confirms his faithfulness.
Finally, we read from Romans on the feast day. St. Paul extols the faith of Abraham. Let’s ask ourselves: How did Joseph exhibit the same kind of faith as Abraham? Like Abraham, he obeyed a call to go somewhere he didn’t entirely know. Like Abraham, he trusted in promises that he did not live to see fulfilled before he died, and spent his life’s energy in service of those promises.
What Joseph did not do was go about thumping his chest at his great achievements. In a quiet corner of the world, he quietly put his trust in the Lord’s call, and quietly put his strength to work in service of his wife and child. In these quiet ways, God invited Joseph to play a role in His plan to build new heavens and a new earth. He does the same with us.
