Go! Go! Go! JOSEPH!
Throughout the Bible there is hardly any character as rich and inspiring as Joseph. I don’t mean Joseph of the Holy Family; yes, the foster father of Jesus is very inspiring. But for this article, I’m thinking of the Old Testament man that Joseph the carpenter of Nazareth was probably named after. I’m pointing to Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Israel. Joseph of “The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” The one who looks and sings like Donny Osmond. (Do you have to Google that reference?)
Joseph has an amazing character profile. Hated by his brothers, beloved by his father, imprisoned by the Egyptians, empowered by the Pharaoh; Joseph is never recorded as despairing, complaining, seeking revenge, or acting selfishly. He is crazy handsome (the original Hebrew says he is beautiful), supernaturally talented, and spectacularly successful. He was so very blessed, so filled with grace. He was close to the LORD and rewarded with material things as well.
Should we think Joseph EARNED God’s attention and blessing? I hope not. Catholicism has always been clear that we do not earn God’s grace or favor. Good things do not automatically come to us because we purchase it with a checklist of good deeds. We can’t buy it. God’s love is an undeserved grace. But why does He choose to give Joseph SO MUCH grace?
Some folks may point to the Old Covenant Law of Moses, where there are blessings if we follow the Law and there are curses if we disobey. And even in the New Testament, St. Paul and St. James (and all the other boys for that matter) all exhort us to live a life of high morals for the blessings of eternal life. Jesus says we are expected to DO the will of our Father (check out Matthew 7) and he pleads with us to follow his way of holiness to receive eternal happiness (check out the Beatitudes, and the entire collection of the four Gospels!). So doesn’t that sound like we get a reward and blessing for “doing what we are supposed to do?” I understand how we might think “I’m good, I deserve a reward.”
On some level, sure, there are minimum demands to be in a state of Grace. But there is so much more God wants for us. He doesn’t love us more when we are good boys and girls. Sometimes we fall into that trap thinking: “If I avoid sin, pray three Rosaries, go to Mass every Sunday, suffer through Todd’s Bible study, maybe I’ll EARN POINTS FOR HEAVEN. Maybe God will love me more.” It’s not like that– He doesn’t bless us just because we do what He wants us to do. He blesses us because we are His children. In the story of the Prodigal Son the loving father says to the boy who ran away the same thing he says to the boy who remained loyal: Everything I have is yours. The feast is for you. It’s like the father is saying: “I want you to love ME not just my STUFF.”
In the case of Joseph, God also loved Judah and Reuben and Simeon and Levi and all the rest of the brothers. All the brothers received the blessing as children of Abraham—but Joseph is the only one that accepts that heritage and fully walks with it. When the great Saints become great Saints, they aren’t loved more than sinners, but they cooperate with God’s plan. They live as they were created to live. They answer the higher call of selfless sacrifice for the good of others. And they do it with humility and kindness and gratitude.
It’s easy to fall into the belief that God just wants us to follow His rules, and He will bless us because we’ve earned it. Joseph loves the LORD and does what is right, not out of fear or obligation or empty ritual… It’s genuine, it’s who he is. His virtues and kindness flow from the love and respect he has for God. ALL the boys of Jacob had God’s love, affection, and attention poured out on them—but Joseph lived his life as a reflection of that love, he received it, he cooperated with that love, he was thankful and had gratitude. Joseph’s story is so illustrative because he AMPLIFIED and REFLECTED the love of God! He shows us how to live in God’s Kingdom, in God’s way of being.
What God did for Joseph he wants to do again. In each of our lives. But we have to say yes and stop going in the opposite direction of God. Too often we can be like the son who ran away from the loving father for selfish reasons… Or we can be like the son who did what he was supposed to do, but with a begrudging and judgmental attitude. Neither one received and participated with the gifts the father wanted to pour out on them.
The blessing is not a reward or a payback—the blessing is choosing a way of life that follows God’s plan. It’s not easy. It is sacrifice. It is constant. Oh, but it is worth it!