Forum Asides

Death in the days before Christ was often frightening, often terrible. It was left for Joseph to show us for the first time the perfect way to die. Graciously God let him know that his work was done. Jesus was almost ready to enter His public life; in that the humble carpenter would play no…

Wonderful things have happened in the long annals of mankind, but none have been more wonderful than what occurred in the little house and shop of Joseph in Nazareth. The earnings of a labourer provide the food for the creator of heaven and earth. Into the little carpenter shop comes the young Jesus, apprenticed to…

Compared to the powerful and important Herod, Joseph was in the eyes of his times a nobody. Yet as this faithful carpenter and saint made smooth the ways of his Lord, worked for His comfort, and knelt to adore Him, Herod plotted the destruction of this Child, whom he looked upon as a possible rival…

To us Christmas is a day of uninterrupted joy. To Joseph it was a day of the brightest light and the deepest shadows: a blazing sky and a chilly cave; the presence of angels and the cold shoulder of the villagers; faith and sorrow; intensest joy in the Infant and grief that he could give…

Pain and patience in the service of Christ and His Mother soon turn to joy. The visit of the angel brought an end to Joseph’s problems. The Child whom the lovely Mary carried was the Son of the Most High. He had no earthly father, for God Himself was His Father. The Holy Spirit had…

Wedded to the loveliest of brides, entering marriage with strong ideals and a trust in God’s provident care, Joseph had a right to expect the love and security that come with consecrated marriage. While marriage for him was the beginning of a high honour, it was also the beginning of a new pain. While it…

Tradition has it that Joseph had taken the vow of virginity, thus renouncing the right to marriage. At any rate he lived a life of purity. He was stainless among men and pure in the sight of God. But God in His providence had greater designs for Joseph than mere abstinence. He chose Joseph, the…

The man nearest to Christ Jesus was His foster father, Joseph the carpenter. John the Baptist saw Christ briefly near the Jordan and knew that his work as Precursor was over. The Apostles lived and worked with Christ during the brief days of His public life. But Joseph presided over the events of Christ’s Infancy,…