That archetypal dad, St. Joseph, has been portrayed in various stages of adulthood: the young laborer in his workshop, sweating to provide for his holy family; the middle-aged man silently observing a conversation between Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin; the elderly man on his death bed, accompanied by a youthful Christ and a twentysomething Mary. Some of the depictions of Joseph as an old man find their genesis, I’m told, in the controversy surrounding the virgin birth.
For those who may doubt Mary and Joseph’s celibate marriage, I propose a haiku that draws its inspiration from several key moments in Salvation History…
Joseph, the just man,
Knows all about the Sacred:
You don’t touch the Ark.
I’ll award 5 imaginary bonus points to anyone who can point to the stories obliquely referred to above.
Have a blessed Solemnity, everybody!
4 responses so far ↓
1 Thomas // Mar 24, 2007 at 1:52 pm
I’ll start! - II Samuel 6:6-7 (http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2samuel/2samuel6.htm)
2 Dave // Mar 24, 2007 at 9:03 pm
Excellent work, Thomas — you get the 5 points! That was, in fact, the first story I had in mind.
3 Janel // Apr 2, 2007 at 6:35 pm
Hey Dave, this is somewhat unrelated (or totally) but, what is the exact translation of “luceat!” Is it something similar to “Let us shine?”
4 Dave // Apr 3, 2007 at 12:20 am
More like “may it shine”… It’s used in the Requiem Mass — Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. (“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.”) — but I think asking that the light shine here is no less appropriate.
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