My son Joseph studies engineering at a university thirty minutes from our home. He lives on campus, but when he returns to our noisy home, his quiet calm is palpable. He slips in the side door, a slight smile on his face, arms laden with a backpack and a basket of laundry. He stands silently in the middle of the kitchen floor and within seconds our 13-year-old chocolate Lab and 22-pound Siamese cat are encircling his legs. When he moves to the couch after dinner, the two granddaughters who live with us, ages 3 and 6, follow him – one cuddling up at his feet, the younger one scootching under the blanket to lie next to him. Even his bearded dragon, often dormant when he is away, perks up and starts slurping his worms again.
When he leaves, my husband says to me, “your calm just walked out the door.”
Saint Joseph remains quiet too. We know little of him except his genealogy in the line of David. “Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.” Saint Joseph is mentioned in all four Gospels, but says nothing. What we do know is that he shows up, he accompanies, he protects, he teaches, and, most of all, he provides safe shelter and quiet strength.
Despite his silence, Saint Joseph is fully present in the early life of Jesus. He receives the message of the angel to travel to Bethlehem and later to Egypt and Nazareth with his little family. Together with Mary he is “anxious” when an adolescent Jesus disappears from their caravan and “astonished” when they find him among the teachers of the temple in Jerusalem. They searched for Jesus for at least three days. Imagine searching for a child for this long. No words of Joseph’s are recorded, yet his presence and his demeanor must have strengthened Mary.
In their humble family home, St. Joseph brought this quiet strength. Oh, good St. Joseph, bring it into our homes too. Teach us the value of silence, humility, and obedience. Be with us in our earthly struggles and at the hour of our death.
Mi hijo Joseph estudia ingeniería en una universidad a treinta minutos de la casa. Vive en el campus, pero cuando regresa a nuestro hogar ruidoso, su calma serena es palpable. Entra por la puerta lateral, con una leve sonrisa, cargando una mochila y una cesta de ropa sucia. Se queda quieto en medio de la cocina y, en cuestión de segundos, nuestro labrador de trece años y nuestro gato siamés de diez kilos lo rodean. Cuando se sienta en el sofá después de cenar, sus dos nietas, de tres y seis años, que viven con nosotros, lo siguen: una se coloca a sus pies y la pequeña se mete bajo la manta para echarse a su lado. Incluso su dragón barbudo, que suele estar inactivo cuando él no está, se anima y vuelve a comer gusanos.
Cuando se va, mi esposo me dice: “Tu calma se ha ido por la puerta”.
San José también permanece silencioso. Poco sabemos de él, salvo su genealogía en la línea de David. Jacob fue el padre de José, el esposo de María. San José se menciona en los cuatro Evangelios, pero no dice nada. Sabemos que está presente, acompaña, protege, enseña y, sobre todo, brinda refugio seguro y fortaleza silenciosa.
A pesar de su silencio, San José está plenamente presente en la infancia de Jesús. Recibe el mensaje del ángel para viajar a Belén y, más tarde, a Egipto y Nazaret con su pequeña familia. Junto con María, se angustia cuando el adolescente Jesús desaparece de su caravana y se asombra al encontrarlo entre los maestros del templo en Jerusalén. Buscaron a Jesús durante al menos tres días. Imagínense buscar a un niño durante tanto tiempo. No se registran palabras de José, pero su presencia y su actitud debieron fortalecer a María.
En su humilde hogar, San José les brindó esa fortaleza silenciosa. Oh, buen San José, tráela también a nuestros hogares. Enséñanos el valor del silencio, la humildad y la obediencia. Acompáñanos en nuestras luchas terrenales y en la hora de nuestra muerte.
Beth Casteel writes from rural southwestern Pennsylvania. She and her husband are blessed with four adult children and four grandchildren. You can read more of her work at https://bethcasteel.com/ or you can check out her chapter in two collaborative books, Crowned With Grace, and Cloud of Witnesses, available at https://store.
Feature Image Credit: OMELI PODCAST, unsplash.com/photos/mans-statue-DcVFLfC55OI
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