The Power of Presence - St. Joseph and Modern Day Men

On March 19^th and 20^th the Church celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the spouse of Our Lady. St. Joseph tends to get lost in the shuffle when we think of great saints of our Faith. Let’s face it, he does not speak a word in scripture, God tells him, in a dream no less, to take Mary as his wife (Matt 1:18-23) then orders him to flee into the land of Egypt to save Mary and Jesus from the murderous wrath of King Herod(Matt 2:13-15).

But is this all there is St. Joseph? Could he hold a solution to the problems that plague masculinity in our society?

The Modern Family and The Holy Family

Masculinity suffers numerous attacks at the hands of secularism but one of the greatest lies they perpetuate is men are no longer necessary. If men are necessary they are no more than an idiotic moron who is good at loafing around, drinking, telling dirty jokes and chasing after women. Look no further than Peter Griffin from Family Guy, Homer Simpson from The Simpsons and Jay Prichet of Modern Family and you will see what I mean. Now, I have a confession to make, I watch The Simpsons and at times Family Guy. Sure, these sitcoms are funny and at times downright hilarious. And yes, as guys, we have tendency to be morons and stick our foot in our mouth. I know I do!

This is where St. Joseph serves as such a radical example. He flies in the face of this lie and testifies to all of human history that yes, men are necessary. In fact, we are the keystone which holds together the family unit and, through that, society.

If you are a man reading this, you are needed. I am needed. If you are a woman reading this, there are men in your life that are needed, not to lord their authority over you, but to offer themselves as a gift to you for your sake.

The Hidden Power of Presence

To understand the power St. Joseph brought to the Holy Family and the Church, you need look no further than the picture attached to this article of the Madonna and Child. Many images of the Holy Family do not include St. Joseph and they do not need to. He says far about his presence through his absence in these images. How?

If Joseph refused to listen to God what would have happened to Our Lady? Could she have been stoned to death? Sold into prostitution? What about Jesus? Would he have died of starvation? Been executed at the hands of Herod? Sold into slavery?

Presence Through Absence?

None of that ever took place because Joseph never abandoned Our Lady or Jesus. No matter the consequences or struggles, Joseph stood by and protected the woman and child he loved. He took a back seat so they could take center stage. He chose humility so they could experience glory. He chose death to himself and his desires so they might have life and have it abundantly. He protected and cherished Mary and preserved her purity and perpetual virginity. Jesus was never harmed by Herod’s sword because Joseph gave his “fiat” (his yes) to God.

This is what I mean by the paradox of Joseph’s powerful presence through absence in these images of the Madonna and Child. Because Joseph poured out his masculinity as a gift for his family, Mary and Jesus were protected. The numerous images we have of the Madonna and Child stand as a powerful tribute to St. Joseph’s protection, intercession and unceasingly love for the Holy Family. Without him, the Holy Family may have never been.

Every Man’s Redemption: Love of Others

While it is so important to honor St. Joseph, we need to remember that, like every man, he was human and imperfect. However, he stands as constant reminder of the beauty of redemption by following God’s plan and choosing to sacrifice our own good for the good of others.

In a small town in Northern Iraq, a young Navy Seal by the name of Charles Keating IV chose this sacrificial love. One morning, he saw hundreds of Isis fighters approaching the village. The Iraqi forces charged with guarding the village saw the approaching army and ran. Charles looked around at the villagers and knowing full well what would happen to the men, women and children, he chose to engage the enemy with four Seal brothers at his side.

Keating ran to a rooftop, leaving himself completely exposed and fought Isis hour after hour. The Iraqi forces saw Keating holding the village along with the four seals and chose to come to the front lines and fight alongside him. Keating was eventually shot in the neck and died en route to the military hospital.

To this day, Isis has never taken that village because of Keating’s protection. Under the protection of St. Joseph, the Holy Family never fell into harms way. And when we choose God’s will over our own, as St. Joseph did, our loved ones will be protected and any wrongs that have been committed will be redeemed.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Holy Family and the Modern Family, Pray for us!