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Last Thursday, March 20, was the Feast Day for St Joseph. This past Tuesday, March 25, was the Feast of The Annunciation. And here we are in mid-Lent, so let’s get right to “St. Joe:”

Christian tradition places Joseph as Jesus‘ foster father… Joseph is not mentioned [at] the Wedding at Cana at the beginning of Jesus’ mission, nor at the Passion at the end. If he had been present at the Crucifixion, he would under Jewish custom have been expected to take charge of Jesus’ body, but this role is instead performed by Joseph of Arimathea…

Which makes you wonder, “Whatever happened to Joseph?” And for that matter, is he a good role model for this and every Lent? Struggling away in obscurity for so many years, and largely remembered today “only” because when push came to shove he set aside some pretty substantial doubts and did the right thing? I’d say so, but let’s get to what little we do know.

For some possible answers, check out Question of Faith: What happened to St. Joseph – Catholic Telegraph, or – for a lot of Bible passages on the issue – What ever happened to Joseph, Jesus’ stepfather? One thing we do know: Joseph is the patron saint of workers, along with fathers in general and also “the dying.” (Those at or approaching death.) As for that “worker” definition, the prevailing view is that he was a carpenter, but the original Greek term was tektōn.

Commonly translated “carpenter,” it can also mean mason, craftsman or a builder in wood, stone or metal. (Not to mention “fabricating and joining.”) In other words, tekton can refer to a highly skilled laborer “adept at doing all kinds of work.” (One theory has Joseph – with Jesus and maybe another son – helping build the massive amphitheater for Herod Antipas at Sepphoris, 3.7 miles from Nazareth.) But the important thing for us is that Joseph “did the right thing,” which included putting up with Jesus when he was a teenager.

Which brings up the question: Did Jesus as a teenager know He was the First-born Son of God? If so, He could see into the future, and know – absolutely – everything that ever was or would be. Yet there He was, stuck in a backwater, hayseed town. Worst of all He had to take orders from older people who didn’t know a fraction of what He knew about “real life.” Of course:

Since every teenager in the world has felt exactly the same way – since the beginning of time – how could the people of Nazareth know this teenager was any different?

But we digress, except to note that those teen years alone were probably enough to earn Joseph a sainthood. Which is also true of Mary, which brings up the The Annunciation.

The full title is Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and it started with the birth of Jesus. Early Church Fathers – thinking backward nine months – figured that since Jesus was born on December 25, He had to be conceived the previous March 25. (A note: late December was about the time that dark winter days started getting lighter again, bringing “great joy and gladness when the sun started returning.” There was also that Roman Saturnalia thing going on about the same late-December, celebrating “a reprieve from death and a return to life.”)

The feast itself celebrates “the announcement by the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking his Incarnation.”

Which brings up another prevailing view, that Mary was all calm and collected when she got this startling news. “Ho hum, no big deal!” But according to Luke 1:29, Mary was “greatly troubled” or “confused and disturbed,” depending on the translation. In the original Greek, Mary was διαταράσσω (diatarassó), meaning to “disturb thoroughly, to agitate greatly, to trouble deeply.” But her look can also be described as terrified: “Look at her facial expression. This is not one of acquiescence or pleasure. This is a look almost of horror at what she has just been told.”

Consider too what Garry Wills said: “For me, the most convincing pictures or sculptures of the Annunciation to Mary show her in a state of panic … shrinking off from the angel, looking cornered by him.” He noted especially some 14th century paintings, “where Mary is made so faint by the angel’s words that she sways back and must grab a pillar to keep herself upright.”

As if that wasn’t enough, Mary got another warning when she presented the newborn Jesus at the Temple. That’s when Simeon told her, “you, Mary, will suffer as though you had been stabbed by a dagger.” (Luke 2:35. Or that “a sword will run through this woman’s heart.”) All that could explain why Mary may have had a look “almost of horror at what she has just been told” by Gabriel. Which is something to meditate during this Lent 2025. (If you’re feeling alarmed, agitated or perplexed at world events going on around us.)

That shouldn’t be a surprise, since trying to be a good Christian has always been a real pain, but “It is to vigor, not comfort that you are called.” On the other hand there’s 1st Corinthians 10:13, “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.” Something else to keep in mind…

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The upper image is courtesy of Rossetti Annunciation – Image Results. See also The Annunciation by Dante Gabriel Rossetti – my daily art display:

Take a while and look at Mary’s expression. How do you read Rossetti’s depiction of this young woman? Look at her facial expression. This is not one of acquiescence or pleasure. This is a look almost of horror at what she has just been told. This terrified look adds a great deal of power to Rossetti’s  painting. Mary herself in Rossetti’s painting looks much younger than we are used to seeing in similar scenes. She exudes a youthful beauty but only seems to be a mere adolescent with her long un-brushed auburn hair contrasting sharply with her white dress. She is painfully thin and her hesitance and sad look tinged with fear endears her to us. 

For a fuller view of Rossetti’s interpretation – of Mary “shrinking back,” maybe in terror – see the bottom image at On the Annunciation (2022) – and Mary “shrinking back.”

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days: Celebrating the Church’s Calendar.

Re: “Mid-Lent.” This year from Wednesday, March 5th, to Thursday, April 17. (Lent 2025 – Calendar Date.) So we are pretty much in the middle; March 26 or 27, depending on your “reckoning.” Which brings up the Daily Office readings for Monday, March 24. They included Paul’s letter to the Romans (4:1-12), with a lot on how Abraham believed “and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.” Which to me always sounded hillbilly-ish, so I finally checked it out. It turns out the Hebrew word “chashab,” a primitive root, is defined as to think, plan, reckon, account, consider, devise, or to “esteem:”

The Hebrew verb “chashab” primarily conveys the act of thinking, planning, or considering. It is used to describe the process of mental calculation or devising plans… In ancient Hebrew culture, the concept of “chashab” was integral to both daily life and spiritual practice. The ability to think and plan was highly valued, as it was essential for survival, governance, and religious observance. The term reflects a worldview where thoughtful consideration and intentional planning were seen as reflections of wisdom and prudence.

(See Strong’s Hebrew: 2803. חָשַׁב.) Which leads to two thoughts: That’s one reason I love blogging. I get to go chase down those educational “Rabbit Trails.” Second thought: The many ways this one word can be translated makes it hard to think literalism is a good way to approach the Bible.

On Joseph as “tekton,” see Carpenters, Builders, and Masons – Bible Hub, What did St. Joseph actually do as a carpenter? – Aleteia, and Was Joseph a carpenter, stone mason or metallurgist?

Re: The Sepphoris project: “Several scholars have suggested that Jesus, while working as a craftsman in Nazareth, may have traveled to Sepphoris for work purposes, possibly with his father and brothers.” See also Sepphoris | Did Jesus ever visit Sepphoris – itsgila.com. As for Herod Antipas, he is not to be confused with “Herod the baby-killer,” also know – perhaps ironically – as Herod the Great.

On the teenager thing see 2014’s On Jesus as a teenager, and 2016’s On Jesus as a teenager – REDUX.

Re: The word translated from Luke 1:29, see Strong’s Greek: 1298. διαταράσσω (diatarassó).

Re: “What Garry Wills said.” See What Jesus Meant: Wills, the 2007 book, an “illuminating analysis for believers and nonbelievers alike … a brilliant addition to our national conversation on religion.” (Said Goodreads.) The quote is from page 1 of my Penguin Books edition, “The Hidden Years.”

Also, for this post I borrowed from St. Joseph’s Day – 2022, and – from 2015 – The Annunciation “gets the ball rolling,” along with later posts such as On the Annunciation (2022) – and Mary “shrinking back,” and On the Annunciation and the end of Lent – 2023.

Re: Luke 2:35. The “sword will run through this woman’s heart” quote came from the translation Wills used. Most other Bible Hub translations say the sword will pierce Mary’s “own soul;” including the King James Bible. (The one God uses.) 

Re: “To vigor, not comfort.” Here’s the full quote on the life of a new Christian:

Hearing now and again the mysterious piping of the Shepherd, you realize your own perpetual forward movement…  Do not suppose from this that your new career is to be perpetually supported by agreeable spiritual contacts, or occupy itself in the mild contemplation of the great world through which you move. True, it is said of the Shepherd that he carries the lambs in his bosom; but the sheep are expected to walk, and to put up with the bunts and blunders of the flock. It is to vigour rather than comfort that you are called.

From Evelyn Underhill’s Practical Mysticism, Ariel Press, 1914, at page 177.

As for 1st Corinthians 10:13, see also Romans 10:9, “that if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Period. No ifs, ands or buts. (In other words, The Prize Is Worth the Price.)

The lower image is courtesy of Annunciation – Wikipedia. The caption:  “The Annunciation – Johann Christian Schröder.” 

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Welcome to “read the Bible – expand your mind:”

The Book of Common Prayer says that by sharing Holy Communion, Christians become “very members incorporate in the mystical body” of Jesus. The words “corporate” and “mystical” are key. They show that a healthy church has two sides, with the often-overlooked “mystic” side posing the question, “How do I experience God?” This blog will try to answer that.

It has four main themes. The first is that God will accept anyone. (John 6:37.) The second is that God wants us to live lives of abundance.(John 10:10.) The third is that Jesus wants us to read the Bible with an open mind. (As it says in Luke 24:45: “Then He [Jesus] opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.”) The fourth theme – another one often overlooked – is that Jesus wants us to do even greater miracles than He did. (John 14:12.) 

And this thought ties them together:

The best way to live abundantly and do greater miracles than Jesus is: Read, study and apply the Bible with an open mind. For more see the notes or – to expand your mind – see the Intro.

In the meantime:

“These are the times that try men’s souls.” And that’s not just because we’re starting another season of Lent. But for now, let’s focus on that Lenten period of discipline, fasting and repentance – but mostly as a time for looking ahead to ultimate victory. (And deliverance.) Which brings up a post I did back on April 9, 2017, Psalm 22 and the “Passion of Jesus.”

It noted that Psalm 22 begins, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” We know that part because Jesus quoted it on the cross, as told in Matthew 27:46 and Mark 15:34: “About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?'” (In the original Aramaic.) What many don’t realize is that Verse 1 goes on:  “Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Which is a feeling many of us can empathize with these days…

But first some background: Scholars think that Psalm 22 was written about 600 years before Jesus was born, in the pre-exilic period; before the Babylonian Exile and so before the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 587 B.C. (Or B.C.E. if you prefer.) Which means Psalm 22 seems to be a bit of foreshadowing, “an indication of what is to come.”

On that note, later in the psalm verse 16 notes, “they pierce my hands and my feet.” (Or feet and wrists, depending on the translation of the Greek word “xeiros.”) This was mirrored in John 19:37, “As another Scripture says: ‘They will look on the One they have pierced.’” (See also Isaiah 53:5, “He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”)

Then there’s verse 18: “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.”  That verse was mirrored in Matthew 27:35:  “When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.” (Which sounds like more foreshadowing.)

So, what does all this mean? For one thing it means that despite all the anguish Jesus had to go through, He knew that eventually there would be a happy ending. (“Thinking long-term?”) For another, there’s 1st Corinthians 3:21, “Let no one boast of human leaders,” a thought that could prove useful in those coming days. Then there’s Second Timothy 1:7, “For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” All of which Jesus showed – power and love and self-discipline – when He faced His own ordeal.

Which brings up the question, “Can we do anything less?” In our own ordeal, whether that’s limited to the upcoming time of Lent, or maybe something beyond that? But back to the basics. Ash Wednesday marks the start of the Season of Lent, about which Wikipedia said:

According to the canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus Christ spent 40 days fasting in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan. Lent originated as a mirroring of this, fasting 40 days as preparation for Easter.

Lent in turn is a season devoted to “prayer, penance, repentance of sins, almsgiving, atonement and self-denial.” But getting back to Jesus “wandering in the Wilderness” for 40 days, those 40 days mirrored the 40 years the Hebrews also spent “wandering around.” (Led by Moses.) But here’s more good news: Eventually those wandering Hebrews found the Promised Land. In much the same way, after 40 long days of penance, Lent leads us to the much-anticipated celebration of Easter, and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. (“The Lord is risen … Indeed!”)

And here’s another bit of good news. It’s not 40 straight days of self-denial.

That’s because there are actually 46 days of Lent. 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter Sunday. And why is that? Because Sundays don’t count. Sundays in Lent are basically “days off,” when you can still enjoy whatever it is you’ve “given up.” For example, if you’ve given up chocolate for Lent, you can still enjoy some chocolate treats on Sundays during Lent.

But back to the Lenten time of discipline, fasting and repentance. One thing that’s especially hard to practice in these times of polarization is that Jesus was Radical in his love for all people. (Even – as I noted before – for those “real pains.” As Paul noted in Romans 5:6, Christ died for the Ungodly, whoever you think they may be.) Jesus simply never got involved in politics. He focused instead on healing the divisions so prevalent during His time on earth.

Which is the kind of radical love Johnny Cash tried to show. The writer of Cash’s Religion and Political Views said, “I like to think that Johnny was above politics and more about people and peace and happiness and cooperation.” Or as Cash’s daughter Rosanne said, her dad didn’t care “where you stood politically.” He could “love all stripes, and that’s why all stripes claim him.”

Something to contemplate during this Lent 2025, as we look ahead to Easter.

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The upper image is courtesy of 40 Days … Image Results.

The Book of Common Prayer reference: The “corporate-mystical” prayer is on page 339, the post-communion prayer for Holy Eucharist, Rite I.

Feast days are designated days on the liturgical (church) calendar “set aside to commemorate events, saints, or doctrines that are important in the life of the Church. These can range from Solemnities, which are the highest-ranking feast days like Easter and Christmas, to optional memorials that celebrate lesser-known saints.” Feast Days: Celebrating the Church’s Calendar.

Re: The quote “these are the times,” see The American Crisis – Wikipedia, about a series of pamphlets by “philosopher and author Thomas Paine, originally published from 1776 to 1783 during the American Revolution.” The main crisis came in the winter of 1776 (before Washington’s victory at Trenton), when American spirits were low and the cause of American democracy seemed destined for extinction. (Not that there’s any connection to current events.)

Re: Lent. See What is Lent? Guide to It’s Meaning and Purpose – Christianity, and Lent – Wikipedia.

For this post I referred to Ash Wednesday – 2022, and Ash Wednesday and Lent – 2023. And a note: The 2017 post “Passion of Jesus” included details about the crucifixion process, including the “translation difficulty” involving the original Greek word usually translated as hand:  

“The word xeiros, which we translate to ‘hand’ has a wider semantic range.” Then there is the fact that – anatomically speaking – the “bones and tendons of the hand simply do not have the strength to hold the weight of the body without the nail ripping through. The easiest and strongest place to hammer a nail is through the wrist, between the ulna and radius bones.”

The lower image is courtesy of Johnny Cash – Wikipedia. See also Man in Black (song) – Wikipedia. (I borrowed it from the February 2017 post, Moses at Rephidim: “What if?”)