Holy Parents

Mary: the mother of the Son of God. Songs are written about her; she is looked upon as a Saint in Catholicism. People pray to her, this chosen virgin. I love her, I do. And then I think about her husband.

Joseph: the father of the Son of God. How do we wrap our minds around that? Surely, we cannot forget about Joseph. What a man he must have been.



"And Joseph said, why me? I'm just a simple man of trade." - "A Strange Way to Save the World" by 4Him

I think Joseph was a "chosen one," too. God chose Mary, of course, but He must have chosen Joseph as well. A boy needs a father, a father in the flesh, even the Savior of the world. Jesus was with Joseph for at least twelve years of his life, correct? Learning the trade of carpentry. I'm sure Joseph was a good earthly father for Jesus. "A Strange Way to Save the World" makes me wonder what Joseph really thought about this miracle. Did he feel inferior to God? No, I doubt that. I'm sure his faith was steadfast and true. He must have felt humbled. Can you imagine if you were a sort of "adopted" parent of the Son of God?

And Mary...can you imagine if you were the mother of Jesus? There are two songs that capture Mary's feelings (what we imagine them to be) beautifully:

"Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant
and

"Mary Did You Know" sung here by Clay Aiken

I don't mean for this to sound un-Christian, or like I deify every child, but I think Mary and Joseph's "letting go" of their child, Jesus, is, in a way, akin to all parents letting go of their own children as they make their way into the world. Granted, not every child is the Son of God or destined to make such a mark, but every child is special, in my opinion.

And so I think if parents, especially, watch these videos and listen to the lyrics, they can have a clear understanding of what it must have been like to be Mary and Joseph, respectively.

Bless you.