He is working everywhere.
This morning I will be sharing with you some of my thoughts on living the spirit of Madonna House, the spirit of Nazareth, with St. Joseph.
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph lived a family life in Nazareth, and here at Madonna House we mirror this, as laymen, women, and priests. We live our family life together and receive guests in our home for however long they stay.
St. Joseph lived in Nazareth centuries ago, but he is very much present here in Madonna House today. He is also very present to anyone reading this article. Afterall, he is the patron of the Universal Church. Why is that? The Church is the Bride of the Son he raised.
What was it in St. Joseph that drew God to choose him to raise his Son here on earth? St. Joseph was betrothed to Mary. He had a trade to support her, and I imagine he had his own plans and hopes. Joseph might have expected a quiet life in Nazareth, but, as you know, there were challenges from the very beginning.
When he learned that Mary was with child, he was going to divorce her quietly and call off the betrothal. Then God intervened through an angel in a dream.
Our own resolve might be strengthened by seeing how Joseph trusted that his dream came from God and by how he came to terms with what God was asking of him. Joseph took Mary as his wife, with the child she was carrying, and brought them both into his home and under his protection.
Can we identify with any of this? We may want to go in a certain direction. We might have definite expectations and plans. Suddenly God intervenes and somehow everything changes or evolves into a whole new scenario we didn’t see coming.
How do you respond to that? Joseph can help you, if you think to ask him.
God doesn’t always intervene suddenly. He can be working in you for years without you realizing it, and then, at some point, his will for you becomes very clear. At that point you too might want to abandon the idea altogether, but then God, through an angel, can whisper “Don’t be afraid to say ‘yes’”. God had been forming Joseph for years and he was chosen, just as Mary was.
A Hidden Presence
In Madonna House, Joseph is hidden and silent, yet still very present in pictures, icons, or statues, and especially in my brothers, the men of Madonna House.
These men personify the hiddenness of St. Joseph by the nature of their work. In the carpentry department, the bush crew, the farm, in dealing with our boilers, their tasks take them everywhere in a hidden way, yet their presence is felt and appreciated.
It is the same with the presence of St. Joseph, who is also working everywhere, taking care of and protecting this house of Mary — Madonna House — as he cared for his wife and home in Nazareth.
There have been many occasions when we have experienced St. Joseph’s protection without realizing it. A few years ago, the men had planned to cut down a huge pine tree by our sorting building. They had cleared the parking lot of people and vehicles, and the men were standing around the periphery. The cut tree was falling right where it was supposed to when it suddenly swerved to the right and landed in a totally different spot.
It happened very quickly and could have been a disaster, but I like to think St. Joseph was standing among the men to protect them.
Guidance and Protection
St. Joseph is also here for you, however long you stay at Madonna House. He is quiet and hidden, but if you seek him, he will make himself known to you. You can ask for his guidance and protection.
I can picture Jesus as a little boy running to him, and Joseph being patient and gentle. Let that little child within you grab two fistfuls of Joseph’s robe and he’ll hear you. He’ll listen to you, but most of all, he’ll find a way to answer you.
He had to flee, escaping with the child and his mother to Egypt when their lives were in danger. If there is an area within you that is fearful or feeling threatened, he has already led you to a place of safety. Madonna House is a place of safety.
What about if you are not at Madonna House? No matter who you are, or where you live and work, you can invoke his protection. You can have a statue or image of St. Joseph in your workplace or home. Just having St. Joseph in your life can become a “safe place” for you.
Father Figure
If you did not have a strong father figureto help you in your life, St. Joseph can work through our laymen and priests. He is also very present to the women guests as he watches over us in our everyday work. No matter what we do, he is interested.
St. Joseph protected the lives of Jesus and Mary and he bows to their presence within each of us. In doing so, he protects us too. Even though we may be grown up, there are times when we may need to become childlike again and say, in the quiet of our hearts, “St. Joseph, please help me.”
We can share with him our worries and whatever struggles threaten to overwhelm us. I imagine Our Lady standing by, silent and trusting, as St. Joseph made decisions affecting her and Jesus.
Around 1959, the Madonna House community sent out a begging letter to raise money for a statue of St. Joseph. We ordered a wooden statue made of treated wood for outdoor use. It turned out that the statue was made in Florence.
Fr. Paul Bechard worked quickly to make a shrine for the statue. In the shrine, St. Joseph stands at the door of his workshop. You can see the tools of his trade hanging on the walls behind him, and wooden planks lying at his feet.
The statue of St. Joseph arrived and was put in place in time for June 8, 1960 when the new statue of Our Lady of Combermere was installed and blessed. The bronze statue of Our Lady was also cast in Florence, so one could say that “they came from the same town” in a sense.
Another Joseph
In 1942, in Chicago, when Catherine and Eddie asked Bishop Sheil’s permission to marry, the bishop agreed on one condition. He said to Eddie, “You can marry Catherine, but Friendship House must always come first.”
Eddie honored that request, and when Friendship House began to fall apart without Catherine’s leadership, Eddie was like a St. Joseph to her. He loved and protected her and was a refuge for her as she grieved the loss of Friendship House.
They came to Combermere to retire and write books, but God had other plans. In true St. Joseph fashion, Eddie honored his promise to the bishop, and he bowed to what God was doing through Catherine. He supported and protected her as Madonna House came into being. We are the spiritual children of that fidelity and protection.
Thank you. St. Joseph.
[Icon of St. Joseph by Zoyla Grace, Madonna House]
