Growing Closer to Jesus with Saint Joseph - Weekday Homily Video

May 1st, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. Joseph was a carpenter, and Jesus would have learned from Joseph’s hands the trade and tools of the carpenter. The tradition, and what we assume from the Scriptures, is that up to the age of thirty Jesus worked as a carpenter. If you happen to see The Passion of Christ, by Mel Gibson, there are some moving scenes during Jesus’ Passion, as he carries the cross, with flashbacks of Jesus making a table and showing it to Mother Mary. That would have been the way Jesus supported himself.  

 I often reflect on the fact that Mother Mary received a visitation from the angel Gabriel, while Joseph only received a dream. All of us dream every night, but Joseph was able to discern that this was not just an ordinary dream, that God was speaking to him on a deeper level. He was called to trust the words of his wife, that something which had never happened in the history of the world, a virgin conceiving, was true. 

Saint Joseph in the Holy Family

Reflect on how difficult it must have been for St. Joseph, raising a son who was God and being married to a wife who was immaculate and without sin. Have you ever thought about the fact that in the Holy Family, the only person who ever committed a sin was Joseph? I’m sure there are a lot of husbands who feel that way, but that was actually the reality in the Holy Family.

Joseph and Mary both would have endured ridicule in the small town of Nazareth. We get some hint of the local gossip from the gospel: “Where did you get all this?” If they criticized Jesus, then they certainly would have criticized Mary and Joseph. They would have seen Mary’s growing belly and, knowing the timing of the betrothal, would have assumed what anyone might assume, that Joseph and Mary could not control their instincts. They endured that. They did not grow bitter. They grew stronger and holier.

To Jesus, Through Joseph and Mary

If it’s true that a lack of devotion to Joseph and Mary leads to a weaker devotion to Jesus, then the opposite is also true. The more we honor and turn to Joseph and Mary, the closer we grow to Christ. But someone might ask: why not go directly to Jesus? Wouldn’t going through someone else make us more distant rather than closer?

It seems like a fair question. But it’s not always true that having something or someone in between creates distance. Think of it this way: who sees the stars more clearly, the person looking with the naked eye, or the one looking through a telescope? A telescope has the power to bring the eye closer to the heavens. In the same way, Mary and Joseph have a power to bring us closer to Jesus. Our Lady uses that exact language: “My soul magnifies the Lord.” She is saying, “I am like a magnifying glass for God.” You look at her, and God becomes bigger and closer. What is true about Mary is also true about Joseph.

The Dignity of Work

The feast day of Joseph the Worker speaks to the dignity that we are all called to in our work. Whatever kind of labor we do, whether in the humblest circumstances or as the CEO of a company, there is a dual purpose. One is to provide for our families. Second in the daily work of our lives, we work out our sanctification. The majority of our time is spent laboring, not in a chapel.

In many places, the corporate world today is not a happy place. It can be cutthroat and focused only on the bottom line. We are called to witness the dignity of our labor, to show that there is something more than just the bottom line. We are meant to bring dignity to our work so that it is more than simply a paycheck. We are witnesses to the power of Christ. St. Joseph did that.

Offering Our Work for Jesus

At the Father Peyton Center, we have had many workers throughout the last year, especially with all the construction and development taking place. I am often edified not only by those in leadership and the staff here, but very often by the men and women doing the hands-on work, building structures, working on the grounds, painting, landscaping, assembling furniture, and taking care of all the practical details that keep this place growing.

They understand that their mission is not just about putting up a wall, painting a surface, or laying stone. Through these tasks, they are contributing to something much greater. They are helping to build a place where families can come to encounter God, to pray, and to grow in their faith.

So, whatever it is that you do in your daily work, see it in the same way. Think of it as an opportunity to pass on Christ, to lift up another person and to strengthen them through what you do. St. Joseph did that in abundance. Mother Mary did that in abundance. Let us pray that through their prayers, we may carry that same awareness this day and every day.

• Today’s Readings
  
  
• Father Boby’s inspirational homily was recorded live during Mass at the Father Peyton Center today. You can watch the entire Mass on the Family Rosary Video streams channel on YouTube.
  
  
• Join the Rosary (11:30 am ET) and Mass (Noon ET) livestreams on the Family Rosary YouTube or Facebook page, Monday – Friday. Invite your friends and family to pray with you as well.