Like Joseph, Be a Reflection of the Father’s Face to One Another
On this third Sunday of Advent, let us be patient as Saint James invites us in the second reading and, like Joseph, let us be full of kindness for one another because the coming of the Lord is near.
In the preface of the Mass in honor of Saint Joseph we are invited to contemplate Joseph as “the one who watched over Jesus, the only Son of God, like a father.
Indeed, even if Joseph did not give birth to Jesus according to the flesh, he was to exercise the role of father with him. It is he who will teach Jesus his trade of carpenter. But above all, it is he who will ensure a paternal presence in the education of his son. You know how much psychologists underline the importance of the paternal image in the structuring of the personality of a child. Joseph will be this father who will help Jesus to become aware of this unique, original relationship of the Son with God his Father. We can think that Joseph was so good, so full of attention and affection, that Jesus as a child learned to discover in him the image of the Father in heaven. And when Jesus addresses God with the respectful and familiar term “abba”, “daddy”, let us not forget that it is certainly by looking at Joseph that the little child must have said this word for the first time. Yes, Saint Joseph was for Jesus an image, an icon of the Father in heaven.
Joseph reminds us that beyond the original role that he played, we all have, each in our own way, to be a reflection of the face of God, a reflection of his love, his tenderness, his mercy. Be merciful,” Jesus said, “as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). (Luke 6:36); he also says, “By this sign of love for one another, all will know that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). May the Holy Spirit help us to reveal through our lives something of the face and presence of God.
Joseph, will we know how to help others discover God’s face of tenderness and goodness? In this Advent season, help us to progress on this path.
