Grace and Peace,
Sunday was the Feast of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and guardian of Jesus. In scripture Joseph does not say a single word, yet we know much about his saving deeds.
Joseph takes Mary as his wife, just as the angel of the Lord said to do. Joseph leads Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod and the slaughtering of the innocents. Joseph raises Jesus as his son, teaches him his trade and so much more.
Throughout all of this, not of word of what Joseph says is recorded in scripture; his actions, however, speak volumes.
About love, Jesus says “by this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” In this passage love is an action verb, not a declaration. Love is shown, not proclaimed.
It would not be surprising that most of us know someone, perhaps many people, or perhaps the person in the mirror, whose PR machine is running full-time, we know that they are coming by the loud proclamation of their actions that proceeds their arrival.
Others that we know, those more like Saint Joseph, are known by the results of their actions; we see a trail of their good works.
Shakespeare wrote in Hamlet “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” How many people do we know that might fit the description “Methinks they doth proclaim too much”?
Is what is being done to the glory of God, or to self-proclaimed glory? Do we lift God in praise, or raise ourselves up for adulation?
Joseph’s actions speak far more than any words; he embodies the phrase “preach the Gospel at all times, use words if necessary.”
O God, who from the family of your servants David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother; Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
(Collect for Saint Joseph)
Peace
Fr. Henry+
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