In recent years, a popular devotional statue of St. Joseph is called the “Sleeping Joseph”. It depicts St. Joseph lying down on the floor with a pillow under his head and he is asleep. He is dreaming of his encounter with the angel we hear about in today’s Gospel from Matthew. This is Joseph’s Annunciation (Matthew 1:18-25) where he is told not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife and that the child she is carrying in her womb is the Messiah who has come to save the world. Like Mary’s Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), Joseph hears the news and responds with his yes to God’s plan.
I love this story from Matthew’s Gospel for it highlights the role of Joseph, the just one. It portrays for us the hospitality of St. Joseph. He is welcoming to God’s plan; he is welcoming to accepting Mary as his wife and he is welcoming to the Christ Child to be born. This passage also gives us the assurance of who the Messiah will be for us all, Emmanuel, God is with us. To be hospitable like St. Joseph, we, too, must know that God is with us, we too can be welcoming to those familiar to us as well as to the stranger.
The sleeping Joseph statue is a favorite image for Pope Francis. There is a tradition to write your petition on a piece of paper and slip it under the statue. Joseph will “sleep on it” for you, take away your anxiety and present your petition to God. Let us cast our worries and anxieties knowing that God is with us and like St. Joseph let us practice hospitality this coming holiday by welcoming those who come into our lives and into our homes.
