This morning, I watched the Holy Father's Installation Mass on EWTN. I loved his Homily. As today is the Feast of St. Joseph, he payed special honor to our dear foster-Father in heaven. Besides from my name, St. Joseph holds a very unique position in my heart. Growing up, I never paid much attention to him; he would occasionally enter my mind, usually at Christmas time, when setting up the Nativity. Also, during the Holidays, while watching reruns of “Ben Hur” or “The Greatest Story Ever Told” on television, St. Joseph was just that guy standing somewhere in the background. He usually had a few or no lines in the movies. When, I finally got pushed out of the devil's entrails, I instinctively turned to Our Lady; for she represented the gentle and soft heavenly countenance of the feminine. Somehow, Jesus still felt distant, and St. Joseph: even more so. Joseph was the masculine: that element that I felt I lacked, but always craved. I knew that I would eventually have to approach him.
In the Pope's Homily, he emphasized the role of St. Joseph as protector: of the Church, of the family, of the poor. But, not just the materially poor; those who are lacking in Love. I believe, with all of my being, that St. Joseph will bring about the complete healing of the men of this world; especially those suffering with all forms of sexual dysfunction; i.e. promiscuity, pornography, homosexuality. For he will impart his solid, faithful, and quiet certitude to all men who seek-out the true realization of masculinity. But this is not some sort of stomping or roughshod type of masculinity. As Pope Francis said:
“Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!”
I think, he was speaking most pointedly to men: we must not be afraid to be loving; vulnerable; particularly in front of God. And it is this gentleness that we must all give to others; even those whom we feel are unforgivable sinners and should be despised. Love them anyway. Like our foster-Father: Our Father is a Just, but a forgiving God.