The Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Turin exhibits a large painting by the painter, Lorenzoni, representing the Holy Family at the altar of St. Joseph. The painting has two sentences which reads: Ite ad Joseph — “Go towards St. Joseph,” and the verse from the Bible: constituit eum dominum domus suae, — “he made him lord of his house” (Psalm 105:21)
To go to Jesus, together with Mary, as the writing says, we must “go to Joseph.” Of course Joseph is not the destination, but he will accompany us to Jesus.
The “Lord of his house” would know how to lead his household through the moments of its joys and sorrows and that was what Joseph did while he was entrusted with the care of the household of Mary and Jesus—in Bethlehem, in Egypt and in Nazareth.
The painting is an invitation to rediscover the spiritual and educational centrality of St. Joseph, in a world that stands in need of authentic ‘fathers’.
St. Joseph exercises his custody of the Holy Family with absolute silence. In the modern scheme of the world’s powerful people, they assign ‘agents’ to be their personal guards or to carry out special duties. Such ‘agents’ work in secret and prefer to remain anonymous.
The title ‘agent’ was suited to Joseph. He was a no-nonsense guy with a specific mission to carry out and does precisely that, while remaining anonymous all the while. Sounds like a Hollywood thriller, but Joseph conducts himself with humility, in silence, but with a constant presence and total fidelity, even when he does not understand. From the marriage with Mary to the episode of the 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is beside Mary and as a caring companion, best friend, beloved spouse.
On their journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours of childbirth; in the dramatic flight into Egypt and in the frantic search for their son in the Temple; and then in the daily life of the house in Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught Jesus his trade—Joseph lived his vocation as a guardian in constant attention to God, open to his signs, available to his project, and never cared for his personal concerns. Thus we would see him waking up from sleep and doing things that were never in the plans!
In Joseph we can see how one responds to his vocation, with availability and promptness; but we also see what the centre of the Christian vocation is: Christ!
St. Joseph teaches us of our two-fold mission: guarding, keeping, preserving Christ in our life and to guard and preserve others! It is therefore easy to imagine St. Joseph as a model for parents, educators, anyone who takes care of someone.
In addition to this, Joseph teaches to “guard or keep the mystery.” We must accept that we do not understand everything, especially the plans of God.
For St. Joseph, walking into the unknown seemed so natural, for he had placed his trust in God.
