Reflections from The Cross, Our Only Hope
At the last moment, an angel awakens Joseph the Protector and says to him: “Arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and fly into Egypt; for it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him.” The order admits of no delay; the next moment, Mary and Jesus, under the protection and guidance of Joseph, are on their journey, directing their steps towards Egypt. — Rev. Edward Sorin, C.S.C.
Our faith makes us aware of our weakness. In the course of a lifetime we learn that when we depend upon our own strength, we fail. Eventually, we realize that we can do nothing except by the grace of God. This is an essential spiritual insight. But the example of St. Joseph reminds us of a further spiritual truth upon which we may ordinarily reflect too little: in Christ we have strength beyond our imagining. The lives of the saints testify that however unimpressive we may look, and whatever our circumstances may be, we can be pillars of strength for the kingdom of God.
Like St. Joseph, we should use our strength to protect others. For the weak and fearful, we should be a refuge. The innocent and idealistic should find in us shelter from cynicism and exploitation. Wherever we find holiness, we should guard and foster it. Imagine how safe you or I would feel in the physical presence of St. Joseph. In Christ we can, in all humility, give such comfort to one another. And this is possible for any of us. Who among us has not known, for example, an elderly, seemingly frail Christian woman before whom Satan’s legions would quail? When an angel spoke a word of warning to him in a dream, Joseph the Protector acted immediately and decisively to defend those entrusted to him. In that way he preserved and sustained all that was most precious in the world. In Christ, we may do the same.
— Charles B. Gordon, C.S.C.
From The Cross, Our Only Hope: Daily Reflections in the Holy Cross Tradition, ed. by Andrew Gawrych, C.S.C., and Kevin Grove, C.S.C., Copyright 2008 by Priests of Holy Cross, Indiana Province. Used with permission of Ave Maria Press (www.avemariapress.com).
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