Holy Cross Monastery, West Park, NY
Br. Bernard Delcourt
The Feast of Saint Joseph, March 19, 2024
Click here for an audio of the sermon
Hail, Joseph, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed
are you among men. Pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen.
are you among men. Pray for us sinners, now and at the
hour of our death. Amen.
I would be remiss if I didn’t wish a blessed name day and
a happy birthday to our Brother Josép, named after
today’s celebrated Saint!
I too have an old fondness for Saint Joseph. His name was that of my maternal grandfather. Grandad Joseph died two days after my birth. I only came to know him through my family’s stories about him. In my childhood, he was a quasi-mythical figure in my conscience. He was deeply beloved by my elders. I had dreams about him.
And Saint Joseph is the patron saint of my native Belgium. Because of these connections, his name always
carried the notion of loving, provident responsibility for
me.
In my imagination, Joseph of Nazareth is a young, warm, caring, and cheerful man with a make do attitude. He is not the stern and ancient man so often portrayed. He is a man with full agency who listens to God in his life. He is a man who diligently complies with God’s wishes. And he wonderfully brings that to fruition in raising God’s Son as his own. We have a lot to be grateful to St Joseph for. Joseph of Nazareth is not unlike his namesake in the Hebrew bible, Joseph, son of Jacob. The Joseph of the
Hebrew scriptures was also a dreamer and a discerner of God’s will. And he too, was an instrument of salvation for God’s people. Joseph of Nazareth listens to God’s will in no less than four dreams. And each time, he doesn’t dawdle wondering about the validity or the meaning of the message. He promptly puts God’s stated will into action. Joseph is obedient to God. He is a good model for us monks, who vow to put
obedience in practice in our lives.
I also love the idea that, as a foster father, Joseph did not need to genetically resemble Jesus and Mary. They could be very different and yet be a family bonded to God and to one another. In the TV series “The Chosen,” Joseph is portrayed as an Eastern African black man who is devoted to Mary and to their son-to-be. He acts as a midwife to Mary and helps her to bring Jesus into the world. I imagine Joseph and Mary as nurturing the intimacy of fellow accomplices in God’s grand design of Incarnation. They have risked so much together. They are witnessing such awesome signs and mysteries together. They probably pondered the many wonders of their son, of God’s Son, with one another. They must have been puzzled more than once. But they raised Jesus as best they could. How much of Jesus’ wisdom, caring and wit was transmitted to Him by his earthly parents? Not a little, is my guess.
Without Joseph’s humility and devotion to his family, how would have God’s desire for his Son unfolded? We need to emulate this great saint in dedicating ourselves entirely to the love and service of God. And just like Joseph, this may come to the price of self- effacement and near-cancellation in the eyes of those who choose to assess our worth. In this too, Saint Joseph is a good model for monks. He is a model of faithful humility. In all of Joseph and Mary’s story, God is present all along. God has been there, from generation to generation. And God is now revealing Godself through the dedication of Joseph and Mary to their growing boy. Mary was given a choice by an angel and said: “be it to me according to your word.”
Joseph was given a choice by an angel in a dream. He woke up and went to work to make it as the angel had instructed; without a question or objection. Joseph was true and just before the Lord. He too was
chosen for an immense duty, and he fulfilled it beautifully. He protected his family and ensured that the
Savior of the world would grow and become who he was destined to be. So, we can be sure that Joseph taught Jesus more than how to smooth a plank with a plane. There was more to his foster parenthood than carpentry, no matter what idyllic images it conjures up.
Saint Joseph, pray for us, that we may love your foster son Yeshua with dedication and humility. Keep us attentive to how God wants us too to be instruments of His Love.
Amen.
a happy birthday to our Brother Josép, named after
today’s celebrated Saint!
I too have an old fondness for Saint Joseph. His name was that of my maternal grandfather. Grandad Joseph died two days after my birth. I only came to know him through my family’s stories about him. In my childhood, he was a quasi-mythical figure in my conscience. He was deeply beloved by my elders. I had dreams about him.
And Saint Joseph is the patron saint of my native Belgium. Because of these connections, his name always
carried the notion of loving, provident responsibility for
me.
In my imagination, Joseph of Nazareth is a young, warm, caring, and cheerful man with a make do attitude. He is not the stern and ancient man so often portrayed. He is a man with full agency who listens to God in his life. He is a man who diligently complies with God’s wishes. And he wonderfully brings that to fruition in raising God’s Son as his own. We have a lot to be grateful to St Joseph for. Joseph of Nazareth is not unlike his namesake in the Hebrew bible, Joseph, son of Jacob. The Joseph of the
Hebrew scriptures was also a dreamer and a discerner of God’s will. And he too, was an instrument of salvation for God’s people. Joseph of Nazareth listens to God’s will in no less than four dreams. And each time, he doesn’t dawdle wondering about the validity or the meaning of the message. He promptly puts God’s stated will into action. Joseph is obedient to God. He is a good model for us monks, who vow to put
obedience in practice in our lives.
I also love the idea that, as a foster father, Joseph did not need to genetically resemble Jesus and Mary. They could be very different and yet be a family bonded to God and to one another. In the TV series “The Chosen,” Joseph is portrayed as an Eastern African black man who is devoted to Mary and to their son-to-be. He acts as a midwife to Mary and helps her to bring Jesus into the world. I imagine Joseph and Mary as nurturing the intimacy of fellow accomplices in God’s grand design of Incarnation. They have risked so much together. They are witnessing such awesome signs and mysteries together. They probably pondered the many wonders of their son, of God’s Son, with one another. They must have been puzzled more than once. But they raised Jesus as best they could. How much of Jesus’ wisdom, caring and wit was transmitted to Him by his earthly parents? Not a little, is my guess.
Without Joseph’s humility and devotion to his family, how would have God’s desire for his Son unfolded? We need to emulate this great saint in dedicating ourselves entirely to the love and service of God. And just like Joseph, this may come to the price of self- effacement and near-cancellation in the eyes of those who choose to assess our worth. In this too, Saint Joseph is a good model for monks. He is a model of faithful humility. In all of Joseph and Mary’s story, God is present all along. God has been there, from generation to generation. And God is now revealing Godself through the dedication of Joseph and Mary to their growing boy. Mary was given a choice by an angel and said: “be it to me according to your word.”
Joseph was given a choice by an angel in a dream. He woke up and went to work to make it as the angel had instructed; without a question or objection. Joseph was true and just before the Lord. He too was
chosen for an immense duty, and he fulfilled it beautifully. He protected his family and ensured that the
Savior of the world would grow and become who he was destined to be. So, we can be sure that Joseph taught Jesus more than how to smooth a plank with a plane. There was more to his foster parenthood than carpentry, no matter what idyllic images it conjures up.
Saint Joseph, pray for us, that we may love your foster son Yeshua with dedication and humility. Keep us attentive to how God wants us too to be instruments of His Love.
Amen.
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