March 19th

Tomorrow is March 19th, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph. I have always held a special love for this feast and this day. When I was in High School, March 19th was the day I started dating my High School Sweetheart. She was absolutely beautiful, and well out of my leauge. Today she is happily married, and Im happily gay so I can openly share that I think she is the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the first person to make me feel like more then an outcast and a geek. She touched my heart in a way I will never forget and she taught me how to love. She always had faith in me when no one else did. To this day the stuffed Tigger she gave me for my 16th Birthday still sits on the pillow on my bed.

When Seminary came we celebrated Saint Joseph's day every year. We all wore red, did the Zapoloa (spelling?) thing etc etc. Little is known about Saint Joseph. All the bible teaches is that he was the husband of Mary. Delighted to be engaged to such a highly sought young woman, Josephs bliss was quickly shattered when he learned that Mary was with child. Because they were not yet wed it was a horror to the community, and he considered leaving her to avoid embarassment. It wasnt until the visit from the angel that Joseph realized what a special role he had to play in salvation history.

The faith of this man is remarkable. His silent witness to faith is time less. In all the scriptures he never speaks, and is only included in a handfull of stories. Pope Pius IX in 1870 declared him Patron Saint of the Universal church. His role in the early days of Christ's life is pivitol. It is to him that the angel speaks and warns him to flee from Bethlehem with the Christ child, as Herod was out to kill him. It was to him that the angel again spoke when it was safe to return. It was his living as a carpenter that kept a roof over Mary and Jesus' head. Yet scripture stops recording anything about him. We do not know when he died or how. We dont know anything about his upbringing. All we know is the few stories that sacred scripture shares.

Maybe part of the point of this is that certain people occupy certain roles for certain times and reasons. The girl I spoke of earlier is no longer a part of my life, aside from Facebook. We remained friends for years after high school but eventually life took us in different directions. We can all Im sure think of those people along the way who were so very important to us, and are no longer there. Sometimes their presence in our lives is terminated by death. Sometimes by circumstance. Sometimes by a stupid fight, that we regret years later.

Whatever it may be the people in our lives along the way, and those in our lives right now are there for a reason. Some part of our experience with them contributes to who we are today, and that should never be forgotten. Even the people who are gone from our lives due to something negative still in some way made us who we are today.

Saint Joseph has a day every year to remind the Church of his important, yet under recorded role in salvation history. The people in our lives who have held similar roles do not have such a day so its up to us to remember those people. Its up to us to keep that picture on display, or to keep that trinket or memorabilia that stands in silent witness to the many "Saint Joseph's" in our lives.

The people in our lives now we have no idea how long they will be there. Pray God we have those few friends that will be there for life. Maybe saint Josephs Day is a good time to acknowledge the role people play, or have played, in our lives. Good or bad, its them who make us who we are today. For whatever reason be it fate, or the will of God, they were there, or are there, for a reason...and I thank God for them!