St. Joseph’s Rest

One

The End of Another Year 

It’s the end of the year. Let’s admit it, you could have done better this past year, so, it’s time to get serious and take massive action to be more productive at work, be a better spouse, work on your kids, exercise, do your spiritual practices…tired already? I am.

God certainly does not want, nor does he need us to get busy.

Let’s consider St. Joseph's Rest (Matthew 1:18-24) 

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit; and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly. But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.

Joseph doesn’t rush off and get busy fixing the situation. See what he does: first, he considered the situation and made a decision, then he did nothing. In fact, he took a nap. He rested.

Two

What would have happened if Joseph got busy instead of becoming still?

He divorces Mary. She gives birth to Jesus in Nazareth alone. There is no one to take them to Egypt and Jesus is killed along with the other children by King Herod. We would still be saved by the death of Jesus but there would be no Apostles, no Church, no priesthood, no Eucharist, no body of teaching. What will the result of your life be if you don’t become still and seek the will of God in silent reflection? 

Pope Francis writes, “Prayer is Resting in the Lord. Rest is so necessary for the health of our minds and bodies, and often so difficult to achieve due to the many demands placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we can hear God’s voice and understand what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph, to make a home for Jesus…To hear and accept God’s call, to make a home for Jesus, you must be able to rest in the Lord. You must make time each day for prayer. But you may say to me: Holy Father, I want to pray, but there is so much work to do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am too tired even to sleep well. This may be true, but if we do not pray, we will not know the most important thing of all: God’s will for us. And for all our activity, our busy-ness, without prayer we will accomplish very little.”

Three

John of the Cross writes, “Those who are very active and think that they are going to encircle the earth with their preaching (work and busyness) . . . should realize that they would do the Church much more good, and please God much more . . . if they spent even half of this time being with God in prayer. In this way they would certainly achieve more, with less trouble, in one work than they would have done in a thousand: their prayer would merit it and would give them inner strength.”

I think we are tempted to be busy for many reasons. First, we are trying to create our identity and self-worth through our own achievements and we are killing ourselves with busyness so that our kids have all the opportunities to achieve, so they can go on to kill themselves with busyness by trying to create their identity and self-worth through achievement because they learned it from you.

Stop! You can’t make an identity and self-value that will last. It just doesn’t work. It all comes to an end. Those of us who are empty nesters who have retired or sold businesses and professions know, it all ends.

God is the only one who can give you your identity and personal value and oh, by the way, He’s the only one who can give you the stuff that lasts forever. He doesn’t need you to do anything. What wants you to do is sit down, shut up, and receive. 

Receive not achieve!

Four

Can you resolve to be still?

We just experienced the joy of Advent.  Waiting and anticipating the birth of Jesus. And then it happened! Christmas, the joyful arrival of our Savior. Tomorrow is New Year’s Day, now what?  We talk about football and resolutions. We are concerned with what’s next and we immediately jump back into the busyness of life. Did the calendar somehow dictate that you must move on?  

Take a moment to envision the day after the birth of Jesus for the Holy Family. Picture the cave, the animals, a fire, and Jesus, Mary, and Joseph tucked in close to each other. Joseph stoking the fire making sure they are warm. Do you think Mary counted his fingers and his toes? Do you think she caressed his skin and kissed him? Do you think they dozed off, all of them together? Can you imagine their breathing in the stillness of the cave? 

A blanket of peace. Can you see it? Or are you ready to climb the walls? 

Why are we so restless and anxious to leave this scene? The current culture often values productivity we want the next thing, place, and achievement. True fulfillment comes from One Person and One Person only, Jesus. And he only lives in the present moment. I want to challenge you to be still today. Can you do that?

Five

Go to the Nativity every day

In 2020 when Covid hit and the world shut down I had a strong sense God was giving the world a big time out. We were out of control. So, we got shut down. Now, I don’t know how the whole thing happened, but I know this, God is the first cause, that works through secondary causes. In the end, it was God who shut us down. He made us all stop. And the world went silent so we could hear him. But we didn’t listen, and we didn’t learn. 

Resist the urge to “get busy”.  

Come back to the Birthplace of Jesus, to the Nativity.  Listen to your own breathing.  Lay your hand on your chest and feel your heartbeat. He did that. Let me say that again, He did that. You breathe because He wills it. Your heart beats because He wills it. You can’t make your heartbeat and you can’t make yourself into something that lasts and you can’t give yourself or your kids more value. He did that. 

Every year after Midnight Mass I call my brother Jack, a Catholic Palestinian who lives in Jerusalem. Normally he has just come back from Bethlehem from Christmas Mass. This year Bethlehem was shut down but Jack said to me, “Don’t be sad. Jesus is not born in Bethlehem now. He is born in your soul.”

You don’t have to go to Bethlehem to find Jesus. Bethlehem is in your soul. But you do have to stop, be still, and be silent.

Will you go and adore him there every day? Will you be silent and still and listen?

It’s up to you.