On March 19th, the Church remembered St. Joseph, husband to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Though often rather like the ‘man in background’, Joseph played a vital and significant role in the birth of Jesus and did so in obedience to the will of God. God communicated that will through the message of an angel and did so on 4 occasions. These dreams are all narrated by the writer of St. Matthew’s Gospel. (Chapter 1 verse 18ff, and Chapter 2) In the first dream the angel assures Joseph that, despite his misgivings, it is God who has chosen him to be Mary’s husband and watch over her as she is pregnant with the son of God, Jesus. He is to be the protector, guide and provider of love and security to the Holy Family, to Jesus in his infancy.
The other dreams are instructions from God. In the 2nd dream, Joseph is warned to flee with Mary and Jesus when King Herod ordered the massacre of the innocent babies and young children in order to do away with the one who might be a threat to Herod’s kingdom. Joseph flees to Egypt. The third dream tells Joseph that Herod’s death means it is safe to return home but the 4th dream tells Joseph that there is still some possibility of harm so Joseph must avoid Judea and settle instead in Galilee.
Taking the theme of the first dream, a friend wrote a poem which she gave to me as a special gift. I have her permission to make it known to others, so here it is.
Joseph’s Carol ~ An Angel called my name
Blessed am I, blessed of all men. When dark had quenched the light of day A holy angel came; an angel called my name I am not good, not free from sin, Yet, as I slept and dreaming lay An angel called my name.
A simple artisan, someone Of humble birth, thinks not to see A holy angel bright. An angel came that night Through cool moonlight to sleeping world, From cloud-streaked sky to speak to me, An angel came that night.
Though humble, yet I count as one Whose lineage of David came. The angel seemed so near: the angel voice was clear: “And Mary shall bring forth a Son. God wills that Jesus be his name” The angel voice was clear.
And when that Holy Child was born, In Bethlehem, of David’s line, The angels came to see. The angel melody the dark sky filled. So from that dawn I played my part in God’s design. Oh God. My thanks to Thee.
They fled by night. Sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellous, Carmel Priory, Lake District. Photo by Mr. G
Yesterday I shared worship with the folk at St Mary, Little Hallingbury, on the edge of Hatfield Forest.There I met three newcomers in the congregation. They are young men who are refugees from Iran. They are Christian converts and hope to be baptized in the New Year.
Yesterday’s Gospel was the Annunciation to Joseph. It is that part of St Matthew which comes after the genealogy – that strange but amazing introduction to Matthew’s version of the Gospel, which takes us through the family tree of God’s people, stretching back to Abraham, the Father of the Nations. Abraham, links the three religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He also provides a link to King David and then to Joseph.
Joseph is vital to God’s plan for the salvation of the world and so it was important that his doubts about marrying Mary, who was by then with child, were addressed. Matthew therefore reported on the visit by an Angel, probably Gabriel. (Matthew 1: 18 – 25)
The significance of Joseph and his link with the three Iranian men I met yesterday, comes a little later in the Christmas narrative.
After the birth of Jesus we are presented with the suffering of the Holy Innocents and the death edict pronounced by King Herod the puppet king, collaborator to the Roman Occupiers. In Matthew Chapter 2 we are told of the visit of the Magi, the Wise men. Searching, they said for the one who had been born ‘king of the Jews’ they met Herod who fearfully jealous ordered the death of all children under the age of 2.
Once again, an angel came to Joseph and this led to him taking an action which places him central to Jesus’s story. Often destined to be regarded as the ‘man in the background’, Joseph had a vital part to play in the mission of God to bring salvation to the world. He was there to protect, overshadow and care for God’s Holy Jesus.
He was to take him with Mary to safety in Egypt.
One of my favourite artists is Josefina de Vasconcellos, who was a sculptor. Her Christian name is the feminine form of Joseph. She carved a number of Crib seasons in which Joseph is enfolding Mary and the babe, in a posture of loving protection. But there is another of her statues that speaks to me of the depth of Joseph’s care. It is called, They fled by night, and you can see it in Cartmel Priory in the Lake District. It is of the flight by the Holy Family into Egypt
In Josephina’s sculpture, The Holy Family are in mid-journey and it is night. Mary is exhausted and lies back drained of all energy. Joseph supports her, cradling her in his arms. He is protecting her with love and care. Meanwhile, the child is spread over her legs, his face forward, full of energy which comes from the security of being in the care of loving parents. He seems eager to go on and embrace his future and all that it will bring.
But for a moment, poised in space and time, Joseph holds his beloved ones in rest and care as he takes them away from danger and ministers to their needs.
As I think about this sculpture and the Gospel it portrays I think particularly of one startling truth which has a deeply contemporary meaning.The moment that Josefina captures in They fled by night’ is of Jesus as a ‘Refugee’. He is fleeing the danger and the tyranny being wrought in his homeland. It is the first time that Jesus was cast in the role of an outcast. Of all the people of history and in our modern times, he knew totally what it meant to be travelling away from danger, homeless and with no certainty of what life had in store for him at that moment.
For Josefina, her statue was more than capturing a moment of Gospel story. It was of seeing that as representing the plight of all refugees. Yesterday we considered what that meant in a week where yet more of God’s children drowned in the English Channel being duped by traffickers who promised them safety. Just a few minutes ago it was ruled by Judges that His Majesty’s Government can ship unwanted refugees to Rwanda passing the ‘problem’ to others.
This context, part of a huge migration of people across the earth, brings home to us a truth that millions are living in uncertainty, fear and despair. For every one of them and for those of us responsible for their care, we need to hold on to this truth – Jesus was a Refugee.!
That raises a huge question. As I talked with the three men from Iran yesterday, who were being watched over and loved by local Christians, what is my responsibility and yours. Joseph willingly accepted his. If we don’t do the same then what are we saying to God? What are we saying about God.
Because rejecting refugees means we are in danger of turning our backs on one who in Josefina’s Sculptured words, fled by night.
[Mr G]
Prayer for Migrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
God, no one is stranger to you, and no one is ever far from your loving care. In your kindness watch over migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, those separated from their loved ones, those who are lost, and those who have been exiled from their homes by violence and war. Bring them safely to the place where they long to be, and help us always to show your kindness to strangers and those in need. We ask this through Christ our Lord, who was also a refugee and migrant and who travelled to another land searching for a home and safety.
Josefina de Vasconcellos. Holy Family, Liverpool Cathedral
Man in the background
The Sculptor, Josefina de Vasconcellos was commissioned on a number of occasions to carve large statues of the Holy Family. What never fails to strike me is that always Joseph is central to the scene. He does not lurk in the background or act like some kind of bystander. Josefina shows him as a strong fatherly figure who is a protector of both Mary and Jesus. It is clear that Josefina had a soft spot for the shadowy figure from the Christmas story and was determind to give him the prominence he deserves. Perhaps it was because she was graced with the female form of his name.
One particular statue of the Holy Family that she carved was very different. It can be seen in Cartmel Priory in the Lake District. It is called They fled by night and it is inspired by the flight into Egypt taken by the Holy Family to escape the threat of King Herod.
It is a very powerful statue. Mary is shown to be exhausted with her head leaning backwards as she rests in Jospeh’s arms. Joseph is holding her and and looking down with loving compassion. Meanwhile in the foreground of the composition, Jesus is leaping forward as he embraces the future.
Photo : Mr.G They fled by night. Cartmel Priory
What I like about Josefina’s portrayal of Joseph is that he is not the shadow figure that we find in the Gospel. Apart from Matthew’s ‘dream’ sequence when an angel tells Joseph it is all right to take Mary as his wife because it is all according to God’s plan, and an incident when Jesus was 12, Joseph plays no further part in the Gospel story. There is a reference to him when Jesus is called the carpenter’s son. But we are left wondering – what happened to Joseph?
We can invent our own story but I like to think that Joseph was content with his role in making the Incarnation possible. In a world like ours which celebrates status and fame it isn’t a bad thing to be background people. Those with a quiet but firm faith are the bedrock of the Church. They seek nothing more than to proclaim Jesus, not necessarily in words or spectacular deeds but with a fidelity towards Him which simply shouts faith in all they do and are. In Josefina’s statues Joseph comes across as a dependable, caring and protective parent. If I could choose a guardian angel, it would be like him.
The Church celebrates Joseph today It is good to think of him as the dependable one who may be in the background but whose care of Jesus and Mary is truly godly. Someone who can be relied upon come what may. Is that you?
Josefina de Vasconcellos, they fled by night.detail Cartmel Priory. Photo: Mr G.
St. Joseph’s Day 2021
Josefina de Vasconcellos, the sculptor, was commissioned on a number of occasions to carve large statues of the Holy Family. What never fails to strike me is that always Joseph is central to the scene. He does not lurk in the background or act like some passive kind of bystander. Josefina shows him as a strong fatherly figure who is a protector of both Mary and Jesus. It is clear that Josefina had a soft spot for the shadowy figure from the Christmas story and was determined to give him the prominence he deserves. Perhaps it was because she was graced with the female form of his name.
One particular statue of the Holy Family, which I’ve featured on this blog before, is one that was graphically very different. It can be seen in Cartmel Priory in the Lake District. It is called They fled by night and it was inspired by the flight into Egypt taken by the Holy Family to escape the threat of King Herod.
It is a very powerfully real statue. Mary is shown to be exhausted with her head leaning backwards as she rests in Joseph’s arms. Joseph is holding her and looking down with loving compassion. Despite being exhausted himself he was concerned only about her. Meanwhile in the foreground of the composition, Jesus is leaping forward as he embraces the future.
What I like about Josefina’s portrayal of Joseph is that he is not the shadow figure that we find in the Gospel. Apart from Matthew’s ‘dream’ sequence when an angel tells Joseph it is God’s will to take Mary as his wife, and an incident when Jesus was 12, Joseph plays no further part in the Gospel story. There is a reference to him when Jesus is called the carpenter’s son but we are left wondering – what happened to Joseph?
We can invent our own story but I like to think that Joseph was content with his role in making the Incarnation possible. In a world like ours which celebrates status and fame it isn’t a bad thing to be background people. Those with a quiet but firm faith are the bedrock of the Church. They seek nothing more than to proclaim Jesus, not necessarily in words or spectacular deeds but with a fidelity towards Him which simply shouts faith in all they do and are. In Josefina’s statues Joseph comes across as a dependable, caring and protective parent. If I could choose a guardian angel, it would be like him.
It is good to think of him as the dependable one who may be in the background but whose care of Jesus and Mary is truly godly. Joseph, who can be relied upon and sought nothing for himself. Does that describe you?
Mr G's Ponderings 