Pondering on St. Joseph

There is an American composer called Michael Card who wrote a song entitled ‘How can it be?” It has come to be known also as ‘Joseph’s Song’. In it, the composer imagines what is going through the heart and the mind of St. Joseph as he looks down at the Child Jesus in his arms. As we too look into the Crib this Christmas, when we gaze upon the manger scene, we may just, without even realising, glance over St. Joseph.  However this year, we are invited to see St. Joseph as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not a virtue of the weak, but rather a sign of strength of spirit. In Him, we see a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love.

Though he didn’t say much in the Gospels, there is strength in his silence of St. Joseph. Joseph Ratzinger, whom we know as Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, spoke some inspiring words concerning the silence of his namesake Joseph: “His is a silence permeated by contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to his divine wishes. Let us allow ourselves to be "infected" by the silence of St Joseph! We have much need of it in a world which is often too noisy, which does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God.” (Pope Benedict XVI, December 18, 2005)

So as we listen to the fruitful silence of St. Joseph we reflect:

The silence of St. Joseph is a seed which bears the fruit of holiness and courage.
The silence of St. Joseph draws the world to a cave in Bethlehem where God is born as man and man is born again
The silence of St. Joseph draws us to our knees in worship of the Word made flesh in whose presence all our words lose their meaning. 
The silence of St. Joseph directs a symphony of silence which stills the universe in adoration of the One in the fullness of life will be fulfilled.

There’s a beautiful line in the song quoted above which has St. Joseph saying: “Lord for all my life, I’ve been a simple carpenter, how can I raise a King?” As we prepare, in our own simplicity and everyday-ness during these last hours of Advent, let us carve out some precious moments of prayer, to join our silence to the silence of Joseph and behold the mystery of the Word make Flesh, an Infant King, and simply ponder; how can it be?

SONG

Michael Card- How can it be?
How could it be this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angel said
How could it be
Lord I know He's not my own
Not of my flesh, not of my bone
Still Father let this baby be
The son of my love 

CHORUS
Father show me where I fit into this plan of yours
How can a man be father to the Son of God
Lord for all my life I've been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, How can I raise a king

He looks so small, His face and hands so fair
And when He cries the sun just seems to disappear
But when He laughs it shines again
How could it be? CHORUS