St. Joseph at Christmas

In the Gospel of Matthew (Mt. 2: 18-25) for the last Sunday of Advent God’s plan for our salvation is at a pivotal moment. Mary is facing a grim future--she was found to be with child. In the Jewish law of the time she and the child could have been stoned or shunned for the rest of their lives, forced to live on the margins in poverty and destitution

At this point God’s plan for salvation depends upon Joseph. And what do we know of Joseph? Joseph is called a righteous man, a carpenter by trade.  He was of the lineage of David through Abraham. He was from Nazareth in Galilee. He was betrothed to Mary.

For a man who is pivotal to our salvation, he is remarkably quiet; he says nothing in Scripture. Basically, that’s all we ever know about Joseph. Except …that he has dreams to which he pays attention, dreams that he interprets as a man of righteousness and relationships as the voice of God breaking into his life.

In the first dream an angel appears and tells him what to do.  Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. It is a righteous thing. You are of the house of David. The Child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son. You will name him Jesus because he is coming to save his people, your people. from their sins.  This will fulfill the prophecy by Isaiah in which a savior will come,  Emmanuel which means God is with us.

This Gospel has been called the Annunciation to Joseph but Joseph does not get to ask a question or dialogue with the angel. He wakes up and does what the angel tells him to do which is, in essence, extending protection to Mary and the child to be born. The rest of his three his dreams go the same way. In all of them he is told to protect Mary and the child.

Because Joseph says nothing in the Scriptures, it is tempting to assign him our own thoughts and words. And we do. Pope Francis says, “I have a great love for Joseph because he is a man of silence and strength.” Francis continues, “Joseph is a ‘protector’ because he is able to hear God’s  voice and be guided by God’s will; protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness.  In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”

What about our own tenderness and strength? As I was working on this, I had been reading about the impeachment and other political and social news of the day. Tenderness is not in vogue in our society today. Tenderness is a fragile thing. For myself, I can let my ego, judgementalism and inattention to God’s voice get in the way of engaging my tenderness.

As we celebrate Christmas this year of 2019, a year of political and social division, a year of anger and rage, where is our tenderness engaged? During this Christmas season, as we pray for protection from all evil, where is the spirit of the silent, protective, tender Joseph in our lives?

Sr. Deborah Harmeling, OSB

Who could believe such a thing?

       Christmas is all about God’s love for us. God loves me! Unbelievable! Unbelievable? If the Word of God had not revealed this to us we could not have accepted it. We would not dare.

       Psalm 8 puts it this way: “When I look at your heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and the stars which you created—who are we that you should be mindful of us, that you should care for us?”

       My awe of God’s Creation has exploded to unimaginable levels by the findings of modern exploration of space about our galaxy, other galaxies, even perhaps those with planets capable of supporting living beings similar to us. Whoa! This is way beyond my imagination and I admit to being a bit humbled to even ponder how this great and awesome God would care for me. And yet I believe it to be. Not because my own limited understanding has it figured out, but because my forebears in faith have entrusted this message to me through the power of the Holy Spirit. And my companions in the company of Jesus share this faith with me.

       No wonder that Christmas is a time for us to gather together and remind ourselves of the Great Story of Love Incarnate.

      Sr. Dorothy Schuette, OSB

A Christmas Hymn by Richard Wilbur

As a child I had only a rudimentary understanding of the Incarnation. The Christmas crib, the Holy Family, giving rather than getting, and the fact that so many people had so little and we should be grateful—these were part of the Christmas experience. Jesus as redeemer and savior remained on the fringe of my awareness until much later. I must have filtered out the Advent texts of Isaiah.

Richard Wilbur’s text A Christmas Hymn or A Stable Lamp is Lighted has edged out many traditional carols for me. We visit the stable at Bethlehem briefly, then move to Palm Sunday. As the Pharisees tell Jesus to make his disciples stop singing Hosanna, Jesus responds, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would cry out.” Throughout the hymn Wilbur repeats the phrase “and every stone shall cry”. These stones pave the roadway to the coming kingdom, they cry for hearts made hard by sin and for the times God’s love is refused. They cry in praises of the child “by whose descent among us the worlds are reconciled.”

In an interview Richard Wilbur remembered the challenge set to him by composer Richard Winslow. If you write a hymn and you’re serious about it, you have no business filling in with maverick notions of your own. A hymn has to be perfectly orthodox so that a congregation can belt it out with one voice. He commented that Charles Wesley and Isaac Watts had met this challenge many times, and we who sing their texts know this well.

It is a gift to be able to encompass in one hymn Jesus’ coming among us, his life, death and resurrection. After I learned this hymn years ago, I began to notice the text of other Christmas hymns and carols. Some are fixed on the nativity scene, as in a tableau. Others engage us in the wholeness of the mystery.

Sr. Christa Kreinbrink, OSB

To listen to A Stable Lamp is Lighted click here.

Our Best Christmas Gift

          As this Advent reaches its fulfillment in celebrating the birth of Christ, and looking forward to His next coming, whether it be at our death or at His final coming, I ask myself, “Why did He come in the first place?” Actually, it was a gift from our Father in heaven.

            It seems to me as I scan the Gospels, Jesus’ whole purpose was to reveal God as a loving Father, and to do His Will to the very end.  Jesus calls Him no other name but Father, or “Abba” as in Mark 14:36: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you,” crying out in the most intimate way He could.

            A real father is a loving provider, teacher, and protector; he is the daddy who brings home the groceries, helps to put the children to bed at night, fixes things that are broken, teaches them how to ride a bike, to dive off the board and to swim, or to drive a car, to manage money, make it through education, and who protects them from danger, and even be the Santa who provides gifts at Christmas. 

            No father is perfect – but Jesus revealed to us a Father who is the perfect model. As a boy, He knew it: “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (Luke 2:49)

            Later he teaches, “No one knows who the Father is, except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” (Luke 10:21-22) What else does Jesus tell us? He mentions the Father to the Samaritan woman at the well. (John 4;21-24) In chapters 5-6 there is more of his teaching about the Father. He says, “I preach only what the Father has taught me.” (John 8) In His dialog at the Last Supper, it seems Jesus cannot stop; there is so much more to tell us! (John Ch. 13-17)

Like a good dad, the Father provides for all our needs. Jesus says, “Your Father knows that you need those things, (Luke 12:31) and in verse 32, “It has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom.” And, “How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” (Luke 11: 13) Wow! The Kingdom? The Holy Spirit?  Even after “he gave us His only-begotten Son. . . that the world might be saved through him”  (John 3:16-17) And don’t forget the daily bread and everything else to pray about: “When you pray say, ‘Our Father. . .’ ” (Luke 11:2) Thank you Jesus, for reminding us of all these great helps provided by our Father.

The Father protects his family from harm, Jesus tells us “Do you suppose that I cannot entreat my Father, and he will even now furnish me with more that twelve legions of angels?”  (Matthew 26: 53)

          “I believe in God the Father Almighty,” we say in our creed. I thank you God, my Father, our Father, for the gift of your Son whose birthday we commemorate every year at Christmas
        Sr. Mary Carol Hellmann, OSB

What shall we present to you, O Christ?

What shall we present unto you, O Christ,

For your coming to earth for us?

Each of your creatures brings a thank-offering:

The angels--singing;

 the heavens--a star

The wise men--treasures;

 the shepherds-- devotion.

What shall we present unto you, O Christ,

for your coming to earth for us?

May the blessings and graces of Christmas

be with you and those you love.

The Benedictine Sisters of St. Walburg Monastery

Hearing Again the Old Familiar Story

Interior of St. Francis Seraph Church
at another Christimas Event

     Yesterday at St. Francis Seraph school in Cincinnati, Ohio, we had a traditional Christmas program in church, with many parents and relatives in attendance. It was delightful. Drums, the piano, and voices of children from kindergarten through grade eight resounded in the friary church. A huge, magnificent Advent wreath hung from the ceiling above the center aisle, reminding everyone that we’re anticipating Christmas again, in line with a long tradition of more than fifteen hundred years. A near life-size stable left of the sanctuary completed the display.because of love for us. 

The familiar story, though old, was still received with expectation by the youngest generation. It is a love story, that of God becoming one of us

    As adults, we may not always appreciate all the extra work that the season brings with it in our culture. However, despite busy schedules, we can remind ourselves to pray as we go or to turn off the TV, car radio or cell phone sometimes in order to just be silent.  We can smile at another shopper, pray for the people waiting in line (and for all the drivers on the road!) Doing ordinary things with love and mindfulness can increase our awareness of God. Like a child in its mother’s or father’s arms, may we allow ourselves to be carried and nurtured.  And then, go and do likewise for others. Wishing you a blessed Christmas!

                                     Sr. Sharon Portwood, OSB