The Catholic Church recognizes the crucial role Saint Joseph assumed in the lives of Jesus and Mary. We honor his many virtues by addressing him with several illustrious titles. In fact, we have an entire “litany” with over 20 distinct attributes dedicated to imploring his assistance. To mention just a few, we invoke Saint Joseph as:

Spouse of the Mother of God

Chaste guardian of the Virgin

Foster-father of the Son of God

Head of the Holy Family

Model of artisans

Protector of the Church

Patron of the dying

Strangely absent from the list is the fact that Saint Joseph was a phenomenal teacher even though the Bible doesn’t seem to support this. The neighbors originally thought Jesus was a simple craftsman. Years later they were so astounded by his profoundly rabbinic preaching they had to ask, “Is he not the carpenter’s son?” (Matthew 13:55).

However, our baptismal rite underscores the fact that an infant’s first teachers are the parents. As adults, we sometimes catch ourselves repeating the same pet phrases we heard from our folks when we were growing up. So, we shouldn’t be surprised if some of the words Christ spoke during his ministry might also mirror what Joseph and Mary taught him while he was maturing in Nazareth (Luke 2:52).

Here are two possible examples.

The first was recorded in all four gospels. What did Christ say while suffering a blood-soaking sweat in the garden of Gethsemane? “Not my will but thy will be done.” Can we hear how poignantly these words are reminiscent of Mary’s “let it be it done to me according to your word” in her fiat to the Archangel Gabriel’s announcement that she was to become the mother of the Savior?

The second was recorded when Christ said, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). Is it possible that Jesus was echoing a phrase he had heard as a youngster in the woodworking shop? Several months ago I was fortunate to hear the author Phyllis Zagano imagining a time when Joseph began teaching Jesus the fundamentals of carpentry. He could easily have said, “Let’s start by constructing a yoke that is easy and it makes the burden light.” While we have no historical proof of such a conversation, these words may have come from Saint Joseph the mentor. We do know they were voiced by Christ when he taught his disciples, and us, to pick up our crosses daily and follow him.

For Holy Homework

Let’s find a picture of Saint Joseph teaching Jesus some artisan craft and attach it to the fridge during the month of March. Each time we see it, let’s ask Saint Joseph to intercede on behalf of our first teachers, our parents, and for all the subsequent educators who have positively impacted our wisdom and our faith. Saint Joseph, humble tutor, pray for us.

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