It’s not by chance that the Lord chose a carpenter to be the foster-father of the Son of God. Right from his betrothal to Mary, Joseph would have started to build a home for the Holy Family. However, then they had to leave that house and travel to Egypt, Joseph, being a carpenter, could then prepare another home; he possessed a skill that would provide a solid home for the Holy Child and His Mother.
Years later, when the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, Joseph would have had to renovate their old house - which would have fallen into some state of disrepair.
Going deeper we can sense how Joseph helped form Jesus and influenced His vision. A good carpenter creates something. We can imagine how Joseph would have transmitted a sense of life as building, how to do it, and why. Maybe Joseph particularly liked to pray Psalm 127 with Jesus: “If the Lord does not build the house, in vain do the builders labor”. As the young Jewish father of the Messiah, he would have been awestruck by the responsibility that the Scriptures enjoined on each to pass on the Covenant. to lead his family so that his home would be a place where God dwells – knowing that indeed the Son of God was dwelling in his home! In Jesus, these teachings, these truths, come to fulfillment. Each Christian home is to be truly a domestic church! A temple of the Lord. Carpenter Joseph would have understood and taught his Son, Jesus that the Lord (Jesus Himself) is the Master Builder, guiding all creation to the “Strong City”, the Heavenly Jerusalem.
The Gospel text we hear proclaimed today from the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus transmits the New Law of the New Covenant. He tells us clearly: You have to choose! Yet He speaks as the Divine Carpenter: Build your house on rock! Houses are built, step by step, first on solid foundations, then gradually coming to completion. We now await the coming of Emmanuel, God who comes to a family, a home, showing us how to build our Holy Families. During this Advent, let the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, teach you, as you pay special attention in love to one another. How are you building your Holy House? Build your home on the rock who is Christ!
Let us at Family Rosary journey with you this Advent: please keep visiting familyrosary.org and our follow our social media pages for this year's beautiful Advent resources.
