This post is based on a Word Made Flesh booklet I wrote for Advent 2021 and published by Novalis. I have updated it to situate it in Lent and to incorporate other meditations from Christian.art
What does it mean to be family in a time of unusual social tribulation? How do we craft spiritual lives amid the shadows of fear, cynicism and despair? What does it mean to be a companion to holiness as Joseph was to Jesus, the Word made flesh, and Mary, his beloved spouse?
We know that Joseph was a carpenter; he would have used the saw, plane, and chisel carpenters still used today. These items would have been his toolbox as he moved from job to job. But what were his spiritual tools? What were the virtues, insights, and practices t employed by this holy man? While some we can find in the scriptural stories, such as his compassion for Mary, his openness to God in his dreams, and his courage in leading the Holy Family beyond Herod’s hostility, others we must surmise. Living with Jesus and Mary would certainly have taught Joseph a deeper wisdom. Using the metaphor of Joseph’s toolbox as our guide, let’s explore sacred seeing to gaze prayerfully and reflectively on your family.
Philippe de Champagne, The Dream of Joseph
The first act of spirituality is to wake up! Wake up to the path of holiness. Wake up to the goodness, truth and beauty that surrounds us and flows through us. Joseph, the dreamer, woke up from his dreams to a new world where he attended to God’s will. Gaze at Philippe de Champagne’s, The Dream of Joseph. What do you notice? What do you feel? Look at Joseph, how are you like him? What are the forces in your life that keep you asleep? What do you need to awaken to in your life? Who are the angels (messengers of God) in your life? What are they saying to you? Pray in contemplation over this image.
Gary Melchers, The Holy Family
Gari Melchers’ painting offers a beautiful glimpse into the life of the Holy Family. This nativity scene shows us the loving dynamics between Our Lady, Saint Joseph and the Christ child. The parents look tired and exhausted. The lantern by Jesus’ little head is not lit; the true Light has come into the world now, no need for other lanterns. Mary is asleep. She has given everything. Without any time for finding a nice place to stay, they found just a cold, hard floor in the humblest of circumstances to bring Christ into the world. Set in a contemporary 19th century setting, viewers of this painting would have engaged with the subject as the Holy Family being present, here and now. The stable door is wide open: the whole world is invited in to see Jesus…. Source: christian.art
Adoration of the Shepherds, Domenico Ghirlandaio
Contemplate Domenico Ghirlandaio’s Adoration of the Shepherds. What do you see? feel? We see the shepherds on the right and the magi and their entourage framing the holy family. Look at the contrasting gazes of Mary and Joseph. Mary gazes in adoration at the Christ child lying on her cloak in front of a manger fashioned from a tomb that foreshadows the death of Jesus. Joseph’s gaze is focussed on the outside world and the gift-bearing magi as well as the trouble that is coming their way. The shepherds’ presence is their gift as they gaze in wonder on this scene. These figures are all gift-bearers. What gifts do we bring?
Rest on the Flight to Egypt, Caravaggio
The Holy Family become refugees fleeing Herod’s forces. Our Visio Divina is this work by Caravaggio where he imagines the Holy Family resting on the journey to Egypt. What details stand out for you? How does it make you feel? Caravaggio has an angel playing music to soothe the sleeping Jesus and weary Mary. Joseph, ever the servant, holds the sheet music. Look at the faces of the Holy Family, how do they express your feelings? What do you think is going through theirhearts? This is a meeting of the heavenly and the everyday. Where do you encounter the sacred in your everyday life? Pray quietly over this scene, imagining yourself there. What insights about this visio divina do you want to remember?
Rest on the Flight into Egypt, Luc Olivier Merson
We see Joseph resting, exhausted on the Egyptian sands at the feet of the sphinx. He is flanked by an open fire and the little donkey which carried them there. The saddle has been removed, to give the animal a rest too, and we see it grazing on sparse desert grass. Mary and Jesus are resting on the sphinx, with a radiant light emanating from the child Jesus. He is staring at the stars in heaven. They were fleeing from the horror of the slaughter of the innocents …
Especially Mary’s heart-breaking, sorrowful expression is powerful. She grieves for all the women and children who could not flee, for the innocents slaughtered by the cruel king. All those lost baby lives, those grieving families. Mary’s heart grieved for them, she who bears the weight of all the sorrows of the world.
Luc Olivier Merson, the French academic 19th-century painter of this picture, beautifully captures a poignant moment: the Holy Family have just left behind the synagogues and the Temple, the Promised Land, to live in exile, trusting that someday God will deliver them and bring them back home. They are now surrounded by paganism in the form of a sphinx. Mary carries with her the Light of the World, but his time has not yet come to do his work. This is the moment where Mary and Joseph keep the light of faith alive in the pagan lands of Egypt, ready to bring Jesus back to Israel for him to start his ministry some thirty years later. Source: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-2-13-15-19-23-2022/
Guido Reni, Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus
Contemplate Guido Reni’s, St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus. What do you see? feel? Reni was part of the Church’s Counter-Reformation mission to teach through beautiful art. Look at the mutual gaze of St. Joseph and Jesus. The sense of joy and affection is amplified by Jesus playing with Joseph’s beard. In his other hand Jesus holds a bouquet of beautiful flowers. Pray in contemplation and adoration over this image.
Guido Reni, Saint Joseph with the Infant Jesus
The 19th of March, has been dedicated to Saint Joseph since the 10th century, honouring the man entrusted with the care of Jesus and Mary. Of all the saints, I hold him particularly dear in my personal faith journey. Remarkably, none of the Gospels record any words spoken by Joseph, yet his eloquent silence speaks volumes about his character! He was a man of love, care, obedience, humility, and discretion, working quietly in the background—qualities to which we can all aspire.
Joseph’s life was not without its challenges. He experienced deep worry when he discovered that Mary, his betrothed, was pregnant. Yet, upon receiving the angel’s reassurance in a dream (that the child was conceived through the Holy Spirit) Joseph responded with trust and obedience, taking Mary into his home as his wife. He embraced the role of father with a heart full of love and responsibility. Joseph was not only contemplative but also a man of action: finding a stable when no room was available at the inn, fleeing to Egypt to protect his family, and guiding them safely back to Nazareth. In each of these moments, he was actively engaged in God’s plan, performing ordinary tasks with extraordinary faithfulness.
Joseph’s example encourages us to serve God wholeheartedly, even in the everyday, trusting that small acts of obedience can play a part in God’s greater purpose. Our painting by Guido Reni presents a tender and intimate depiction of Saint Joseph holding the Christ Child. Reni, one of the most celebrated Italian painters of his time, achieved immense success during his lifetime, earning the affectionate title “the divine Guido.” In this work, Saint Joseph is portrayed as a simple, humble man, tenderly embracing his adopted son. The fruit held by the infant Jesus serves as a rich symbol, reminding viewers of both the fall of humanity in Eden and the fruitfulness of redemption brought about through Christ’s future sacrifice. There is something profoundly moving in the way this elderly father holds his child.
The Christ Child is painted with remarkable lightness and grace, almost floating upon Joseph’s hands. Despite his infancy, Jesus exudes an extraordinary awareness and spiritual authority, gently affirming his role as the spiritual master, even over his earthly father. His soft, luminous glow symbolises His divine nature, contrasting beautifully with Joseph’s aged, earthly appearance. Joseph holds Him with such ease that Jesus seems to weigh no more than a feather, enhancing the impression of the heavenly presence embodied in the Child. Source: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/luke-2-41-51a-2025/
John Everett Millais – Christ in the House of His Parents (`The Carpenter’s Shop’)
Contemplate John Everett Millais’ Christ in the House of His Parents. This imaginative scene is not found in the Gospels, yet it’s full of meaning, illustrating the ways in which the Holy Family prepares for the ministry of Jesus. As you gaze at it, what do you notice? What do you feel? A red-haired Jesus has wounded his hand on a nail, a foreshadowing of the crucifixion. Mary consoles him and St. Anne removes the offending nail. John brings a basin of water, showing how he will prepare for the coming of Jesus by baptizing. They are all preaching without words in these acts of caring. Pray in contemplation over this image.
Jusepe de Ribera, Lo Spagnoletto Saint Joseph and the Christ Child
[Joseph] was a man filled with worry, as his bride-to-be, the woman he loved so much, was pregnant. But after the angel appeared to him in a dream, assuring him that Mary’s child was conceived through the Holy Spirit, Joseph took Mary into his home as his wife. He became a true father, with a father’s heart. But he was also a man of action. Think of him finding a stable after being rejected at the inn, fleeing to Egypt, bringing them safely back, etc. He actively acted and participated in God’s plan. From what we do know of him, we can see how he faithfully did the ordinary, little things that God asked of him.
Most paintings of Saint Joseph depict him holding the Christ Child as a baby. The paintings where Jesus is depicted as a young man are often the more interesting works, however. When Jesus is portrayed as a boy, the artists need to ponder more about how to portray the interaction between the figures, instead of a father lovingly holding a baby. Here we see Christ holding a basket of carpenter’s tools. Jesus is lovingly looking up to Saint Jospeh, who is looking up to Our Father in heaven. Jesus is keen to help St Joseph. He is almost pushing up to him saying, ‘Look what I brought for you’. The most prominent instruments in the basket are a hammer and a giant nail. The entire background of the figure of Jesus is Saint Joseph’s cloak… Saint Joseph the protector in the background. Source: https://christian.art/daily-gospel-reading/matthew-1-1618-2124-2022/
Gerrit van Honthorst, The Holy Family in the Carpenter Shop
Joseph placed himself at the service of God’s plan of salvation. It is strange how Christian art has tended to portray Joseph as an old man, more like Jesus’ grandfather than his father. Yet it is Joseph who would have taught Jesus to walk, holding him by the hand. Later, he would have shown him how to cut wood and taught him the other skills of carpentry. It is therefore the portrayals of Saint Joseph as an active, vigorous, dynamic man that appeal more to me.
One such painting is this scene of the Holy Family in the carpenter’s workshop. We see Saint Joseph actively at work, cutting wood and teaching Jesus, who is seen holding a candle. The young Jesus looks up lovingly at his father, while Saint Joseph concentrates on the work to be done. The canvas is illuminated by the single candle-lit lantern, very reminiscent of Caravaggio’s style. In fact Honthorst closely studied the works of Caravaggio during his travels in Italy between 1612 and 1620. Here he depicts Mary, clothed in symbolic red garments, stretching out her hand to help the young Jesus hold the lantern high so that Joseph can see to carve. Honthorst’s proficiency in the use of light is noted in his ability first to concentrate the most intense light on the arms of Christ and Joseph and then subtly diffuse the beam as it stretches away from the light source onto the wood, which is bathed in a much softer light.
