Journeying Through Advent with Joseph

By Maggie Sparling

Religious art and nativity scenes often depict Joseph as old and feeble, making him appear passive and almost distant. Yet, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates Joseph would have been old at the time of Jesus’ birth. As Mother Angelica said, “Old men don’t walk to Egypt” [1].

Re-imaging the infancy narratives with a young Joseph in mind bears much fruit, especially as college students who are closer to the age Joseph probably was around the time of the Nativity. It helps us to see and enter more deeply into his profound mission of accompaniment and protection, and we can then learn more from his deep trust and faithfulness.

In one of Scripture’s first references to Joseph in the first chapter of Matthew, we are quickly introduced to his faithfulness to God and commitment to those he loves. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Joseph discovered Mary was with child while they were betrothed but before they lived together. This is the woman that he loved, that he was looking forward to marrying, and he finds her with a child that is not his own. Every human instinct and social pressure would have pushed him to leave her—this was an offense punishable by death. But the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and asked him to take her into his home, to love and care for her, and to accompany her on this journey. And Joseph listened—even though he probably faced immense confusion and found himself confronted with a future that he never could have envisioned. Joseph embraced the unknown and trusted in the Father’s plan; he acted on the message from Heaven. With this acceptance, he took on this beautiful mission of accompanying and caring for the Mother of God and the infant in her womb. This was not his child, but he would have a profound role to play in shepherding this life into the world.

Over the next few months, Joseph continued to live out his vocation. In the midst of Mary’s pregnancy, she decided to travel through the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth. This would have been a dangerous journey, one Mary could not travel alone, and Joseph most likely accompanied and protected his pregnant wife during her travels. I can only wonder at what their journey together looked like: What did they talk about? How did he support the woman he loved during their difficult travels? Did his face light up when he saw Mary and Elizabeth’s joy? What did they discuss on their journey home?

In the final weeks of Mary’s pregnancy, they make another journey—this time to Bethlehem. They arrive and find no room in the inn. Imagine the stress Joseph experienced in this moment; he probably felt like he had failed in this mission to protect and shepherd the Savior into this world. But Joseph did not abandon Mary, and he did not give up. Instead, Joseph continued to accompany and protect Mary with everything he had. 

No old man could have made all these journeys and provided and protected for his young, pregnant wife. This was a mission for a young man with a heart oriented toward prayer and a desire to do God’s will. Joseph embarked on this mission during what was probably a very busy time of his life. He was working as a carpenter, trying to provide for his new family, and entering into a new married life. And yet in the midst of this business, he made time for prayer and was willing to step into the unknown to embrace the Father’s will. He made time to rest—the Father often spoke to Joseph while he was sleeping—and adjusted his priorities and tasks to be more aligned with the Father’s plan.

As we face our own season of business and chaos during the end of the semester and Advent season, I invite you to pray with Joseph in a special way. How can we keep our hearts oriented toward prayer during this busy time of year? Like Joseph, do we need to adjust our priorities and daily tasks to be more aligned with the Father’s plan for us in this present season? And as final exam season pushes us to be increasingly focused on ourselves and our own priorities, how are we called to imitate Joseph on his mission of accompaniment this Advent?

[1]  Fr. Donald Calloway, Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father.

Maggie is a fourth year at UVA studying Economics and History, as well as a first year Masters of Public Policy candidate. 

Photo courtesy of Abby Cornwell, UVA ‘23.