From: rich <richarra@gmail.com>

July 31st - Joseph of Arimathaea

The Gospels tell us (M 27:57-61; P 15:42-47; L 23:50-56; J 19:38-42)
that after the death of Jesus, Joseph of Arimathaea, wealthy, a member
of the Council, asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, and buried it with
honor in the tomb he had intended for himself. This is our only
information about him from writers of his own century.

Later tradition has embellished this account. (If not interested in
folklore, skip to the closing prayer.) It is said that Joseph was a
distant relative of the family of Jesus; that he derived his wealth
from tin mines in Cornwall, which he visited from time to time; and
that Jesus as a teen-ager accompanied Joseph on one such visit. This
is the background of the poem "Jerusalem," by William Blake, which
begins:

=C2 =C2 And did those feet in ancient time
=C2 =C2 =C2 Walk upon England's mountains green?
=C2 =C2 And was the holy Lamb of God
=C2 =C2 =C2 On England's pleasant pastures seen?
=C2 =C2 And did the countenance divine
=C2 =C2 =C2 Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
=C2 =C2 And was Jerusalem builded here
=C2 =C2 =C2 Among those dark satanic mills?

=C2 =C2 Bring me my bow of burning gold!
=C2 =C2 =C2 Bring me my arrows of desire!
=C2 =C2 Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold!
=C2 =C2 =C2 Bring me my chariot of fire!
=C2 =C2 I will not cease from mental fight,
=C2 =C2 =C2 Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
=C2 =C2 Till we have built Jerusalem
=C2 =C2 =C2 In England's green and pleasant land.

=E2=80=94 William Blake (1757-1827)

After the Crucifixion, we are told, Joseph returned to Cornwall,
bringing the chalice of the Last Supper, known as the Holy Grail.
Reaching Glastonbury, he planted his staff, which took root and
blossomed into a thorn tree. The Grail was hidden, and part of the
great national epic ("the matter of Britain") deals with the
unsuccessful quest of the knights of King Arthur to find the Grail.
The Thorn Tree remained at Glastonbury, flowering every year on
Christmas day, and King Charles I baited the Roman Catholic chaplain
of his queen by pointing out that, although Pope Gregory had
proclaimed a reform of the calendar, the Glastonbury Thorn ignored the
Pope's decree and continued to blossom on Christmas Day according to
the Old Calendar. The Thorn was cut down by one of Cromwell's soldiers
on the grounds that it was a relic of superstition, and it is said
that as it fell, its thorns blinded the axeman in one eye. A tree
allegedly grown from a cutting from the original Thorn survives today
in Glastonbury (and trees propagated from it stand on the grounds of
the Cathedral in Washington, DC, and presumably elsewhere) and leaves
from it are sold in all the tourist shops in Glastonbury.
Has the Glastonbury legend any basis at all in history? Two facts and
some speculations follow:

Tin, an essential ingredient of bronze, was highly valued in ancient
times, and Phoenician ships imported tin from Cornwall. It is a pretty
safe guess that in the first century the investors who owned shares in
the Cornwall tin trade included at least a few Jewish Christians.

Christianity gained a foothold in Britain very early, probably earlier
than in Gaul. It may have been brought there by the traffic of the
Cornwall tin trade. If so, then the early British Christians would
have a tradition that they had been evangelized by a wealthy Jewish
Christian. If they had forgotten his name, it would be natural to
consult the Scriptures to see what mention was made of early wealthy
Jewish converts. Joseph and Barnabas are almost the only ones named,
and much of the life of Barnabas is already accounted for by the book
of Acts, which makes him an unsatisfactory candidate. Hence, those who
do not like to be vague would say, not, "We were evangelised by some
wealthy Jewish Christian whose name we have forgotten," but, "We were evangelised by Joseph of Arimathaea."

Why spend time on any of the above? Because the folk-tales of a
community are part of the heritage of a community. Someone wishing to understand the United States will be well advised to familiarize
himself with the stories of George Washington's cherry tree and Paul
Revere's ride, although he ought not to confuse them with history.


Saint Quote:
Some Saints are privileged to extend to us their patronage with
particular efficacy in certain needs, but not in others; but our holy
patron St. Joseph has the power to assist us in all cases, in every
necessity, in every undertaking.
--St. Thomas Aquinas

Bible Quote:
For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens."=C2 =C2 (2 Corinthians 5:1)=C2 DRB


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Prayer

Merciful God, whose servant Joseph of Arimathaea with reverence and
godly fear did prepare the body of our Lord and Savior for burial, and
did lay it in his own tomb: Grant, we beseech thee, to us thy faithful
people grace and courage to love and serve Jesus with sincere devotion
all the days of our life; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord, who
liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever.

--- NewsGate v1.0 gamma 2
* Origin: News Gate @ Net396 -Huntsville, AL - USA (1:396/4)