HEROES

We need heroes  - male and female.

We need examples - male and female.

We need models -  male and female.

It seems that the word, “heroine” has dropped out - and that our heroes can be male and female.

Just walk into any home, business, organization, government building, church - and we’ll see images of heroes - people who are examples and models of the values of that organization or that family.

Statues, pictures, images of great people sit atop of horses and pedestals in our parks and museums and government buildings - as well as churches.

Today we celebrate Joseph as hero.

He was the model husband, father figure, protector of Mary and Jesus.

In the scriptures he gets little press, but the press that he gets, says he was righteous.  Since that sometimes has negative connotations, I prefer saying, “He got it right.” It says he was a dreamer. He was a presence. He was a protector.

In the history of the Church - he comes down as a hero.  He is an example of a good worker - a carpenter.

He is a dreamer - and I wonder if this is a way in the scriptures of connecting him to the great Joseph - the Master Dreamer - as he is described in the book of Genesis. That Joseph gets a lot more press - and a lot more information about his personality.

Most Catholics have images of St. Joseph - always off to the side - background security for Jesus and Mary. I say off to the side also, because in many Catholic Churches his statue or picture is off to the side.  We’ve all heard people talk about the St. Joseph side of the church and Mary’s side of the church. Here at St. John Neumann - as well as St. Mary’s - St. Joseph is on the left - facing the front of the church and Our Lady of Perpetual Help on the Right facing the altar.

In our time Joseph has become best known in popular myth and meaning as the statue to bury upside down in your yard - or flower pot - if you want to sell your house. I’ve heard people say, “It works.”

I don’t po po that, because I think religion needs humor - the ability to laugh at all kinds of stuff.  Mine is to laugh at bishop’s hats and cardinal’s outfits.

I rather see Joseph as the patron of fathers as presence and protector.

I rather see Joseph as worker - a great stress when the communist party was stronger in Italy and Europe.

I rather see Joseph as the Patron of a Happy Death - I assume and assumption based on Joseph being older than Mary and dying somewhere in there before Jesus’ public ministry.

What’s next?

In reading the work - the writings of Elizabeth Johnson - who is a Sister of St. Joseph - from around my time at OLPH Brooklyn - taught by the Josephites - I see she explores more and more the feminine and mother side of God.  Pope John Paul the 1st, Albino Luciani, spoke about that as Cardinal and a tiny bit as pope. He only lasted a month. We are made in the image and likeness of God - male and female he made us.

All my life as priest I have wondered about the Catholic Church’s great stress on Mary - and I wonder - wonder - that’s the word I’m using. I do not know what I am talking about when it comes to this. But I wonder if because we stress the masculinity of God - the femininity of God has to show up somewhere. Protestants think we see Mary as God. We don’t. But I wonder about all this at times. I see the feminine side of God in Mary and I Hope we all see God in all of us - male and female.

So if we explore the feminine side of the image of God, will Joseph get more stress - on the masculine side?  

I don’t know.

Enough.

Ooops I neglected to say more on Joseph as hero - the title of this homily - maybe not. He is someone we look up to. Amen.