ST. JOSEPH: 

THE MAN BEHIND THE SCENE

INTRODUCTION

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph. We see statues of him on pedestals— or pictures of him on walls - in churches and homes and on memorial cards. We see images of him with the tools of his trade in his hand—Joseph the Carpenter—or with a flower, a symbol of his purity—as husband of Mary - or holding the Christ child or teaching him a trade.

QUESTION—WONDERING

When it comes to saints, I often wonder why it is or what it is that makes this particular saint, this particular person stand out from the rest of people. To stand out enough to be put up on a pedestal!

What is the energy! What part of us does the life of this saint touch that we want to accentuate!

That’s what hits me about saints. Or in other words, “Patron Saint of What?” and “Why?”

ST. JOSEPH

We know so little about St. Joseph. Yet the name “Joseph”, “Saint Joseph” hits certain cords in people’s hearts.

What is it?

What is it about St. Joseph?

What is it that makes him a big name among the Italians—a Jewish boy—famous among the Italians. Giuseppe! Today is a big feast day. There are lots of pastry and special ones just for this day.

What is that makes him a special saint among the Poles?

What is it that makes him so popular that so many orders of religious women chose to be named after him: “Sisters of St. Joseph!”

Today, this has lessened, with less kids being named Joseph.

But still, what about Joseph? Why Joseph? Why the fame? What myth, archetype does he touch? What does he touch in our life that makes him famous?

OTHER JOSEPH’S

In the scriptures we know more about Joseph of Arimathea than about Joseph of Nazareth. We know even more about Joseph of the OT. So what is it about St. Joseph that makes him so popular?

ANSWER

I think the answer is the reality that 99 % of the people on our planet are what we call: THE NECESSARY PEOPLE BEHIND THE SCENES OF LIFE.

That is the universal vocation of all: to keep all moving—to keep life going—to keep the planet going.

And I think Joseph is the patron saint of the anonymous people—all those people behind the scenes—while the main characters and actors on stage get the credit.

EXAMPLES

Take our everyday life.

Somebody puts the bread out and cereal out and someone fills the juice machine. We only know those things exist till they are missing and we have to go to the back box to get milk or the big plastic racks for bread. We only know the juice needs replenishing when its light is blinking.

Today’s papers. Who are the people who put the paper on the print presses? Who are the copy people? Who drives the newspapers to small and big stores,  so the store has them at 7:00 or 8:00 AM?

Who drives the bus? Who are the truck drivers?

Who does the dishes in the diner or the restaurant? Who put the cable down or cable up for our telephones or TV?

We watch the evening news and there is anchor woman or man.  We don’t see the camera crew. We don’t see the people who drove Martha Raditz  to Capital Hill and set everything up. Their name might be at the end of the news in small print, but we don’t stop to see it.

ST. JOSEPH

So I see St. Joseph as the example, the model, the archetype, of the person behind the scenes.

He represents Parents, Teachers.  Doctors, Truck Drivers, etc.

And what about telephone operators and air traffic controllers. What about FDA researchers who look at drugs. And what about those who put the weather together?

We only see the stars.

We really don’t see the dad after he walks his daughter down the aisle.

THE ENERGY

That’s where I see the energy when it comes to St. Joseph. We need a bit of encouragement every once and a while and on the feast of St. Joseph, the message is that everyone counts. Everyone is needed. We are the little people on the planet, but every little one counts. Today we celebrate Joseph. One of ours has made it.


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Picture on top: Holding Heaven - Dicianne