It's next to impossible to find paintings of an angel speaking to Joseph, the husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus. It's always Mary who is listening, as the painting above by Robert Campin reminds us. Actually, Mary is multi-tasking, reading a good book while the angel tells her the Good News. Off to one side Joseph tinkers in his workshop while the big event takes place.
We might forget that Joseph had his own experience with a messenger from God which changed his life. Our morning study group read about it in Matthew this morning and heard that as a result Joseph decided to put aside cultural notions of propriety and religious conventions to support the pregnant Mary and take her as his wife.
As we discussed the passage it occurred to me that the issues remain the same. Yesterday a young woman was murdered by her father because of his strict interpretation of his religion. Somehow he heard that his daughter must be punished and his "faithfulness" to God led to blood on his hands. Too often people of every religion are convinced that God is calling them to exclusion and violence.
I was struck by the gospel story that says Joseph was surprised by God's messenger but chose to listen in a new way. He went outside of the societal norms to choose compassion. It is a "real world" story of a difficult choice to love rather than hate, to embrace rather than cast out. Perhaps we would benefit from more images of Joseph, front and centre.
As we discussed the passage it occurred to me that the issues remain the same. Yesterday a young woman was murdered by her father because of his strict interpretation of his religion. Somehow he heard that his daughter must be punished and his "faithfulness" to God led to blood on his hands. Too often people of every religion are convinced that God is calling them to exclusion and violence.
I was struck by the gospel story that says Joseph was surprised by God's messenger but chose to listen in a new way. He went outside of the societal norms to choose compassion. It is a "real world" story of a difficult choice to love rather than hate, to embrace rather than cast out. Perhaps we would benefit from more images of Joseph, front and centre.
2 comments:
I chose today to catch up on your blog. In reading this one about Joseph, I am reminded of my message for this Sunday. I chose to focus on Joseph. I spoke of him as someone who adopted a child who was not his own. I also compared him to a step-parent who comes into a relationship with existing children. I think there are many people who can relate to Joseph. It's unfortunate that we know so little about this man who is one of the central figures in our nativity.
Of course, we seem to know more about Mary, but I think her image has been warped to fit our patriarchal society. I used to get so upset over the the many images of Mary being obedient and subservient. I think she was also a woman who was passionate about justice and was very brave to have this child.
They were both remarkable parents for a remarkable child.
Good to hear from you Deb -- all the way from balmy Saskatchewan. Thanks for the insights.
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