From: rich <
richarra@gmail.com>
March 17th - Joseph of Arimathea (RM)
1st century. We read about Joseph of Arimathea, the "noble counselor,"
in all four Gospels (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:43-46; Luke 23:50-56;
and John 19:38-42). As with many of the Biblical figures, numerous
legends accrued around his name in later years.
0ur Saint Joseph was a wealthy member of the temple council and a
secret follower of Jesus because he was afraid of persecution from
Jewish officials. He attended the Crucifixion, and legend has it that
he caught Jesus' blood as he hung upon the cross. (What is said to be
the Sacro Catino in which Joseph caught the blood of Christ at the
Crucifixion is at San Lorenzo, Genoa, Italy.) Joseph persuaded Pontius
Pilate to let him have Jesus' body, wrapped it in linen and herbs, and
laid it in a tomb carved in a rock in the side of a hill, a tomb that
he had prepared for himself.
Later tradition has embellished this account to add that Joseph was a
distant relative of Jesus, who derived his wealth from tin mines in
Cornwall, which he visited from time to time. One version tells the
story of the teenaged Jesus accompanying Joseph on one such visit.
This is the background of the poem "Jerusalem," by William Blake
(1757-1827):
And did those feet in ancient time
Walk upon England's mountains green?
And was the holy Lamb of God
On England's pleasant pastures seen?
And did the countenance divine
Shine forth upon our clouded hills?
And was Jerusalem builded here
Among those dark satanic mills?
Bring me my bow of burning gold!
Bring me my arrows of desire!
Bring me my spear!
O clouds, unfold!
Bring me my chariot of fire!
I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England's green and pleasant land.
This version continues to say that, after the Crucifixion, Saint
Joseph returned to Cornwall, bringing with him the chalice of the Last
Supper, known as the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail was hidden and played
an important part in the folk history of England in the great national
epic about King Arthur and his knights who unsuccessful seek to find
it.
Upon reaching Glastonbury, he planted his staff, which took root and
blossomed into a thorn tree. This is the Holy Thorn, which blossoms at Christmas. King Charles I baited his wife's Roman Catholic chaplain by observing 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.
One of Cromwell's soldiers cut down the Thorn because it was a relic
of superstition. We are told that he was blinded by one of the thorns
as it fell. A tree allegedly grown from a cutting of 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.
It was not until about the middle of the 13th century that the legend
appears saying Joseph accompanied Saint Philip to Gaul to preach and
was sent by him to England as the leader of 12 missionaries. It is
said that the company, inspired by Gabriel the archangel, built a
church made of wattles in honor of the Virgin Mary on an island called Yniswitrin, given to them by the king of England. The church
eventually evolved into Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset. Supposedly
Joseph died there, was buried on the island, and miraculous cures
worked at his grave. This burial site is unlikely though.
Is there any merit to the legends of Saint Joseph? Perhaps. Tin, an
essential ingredient of bronze, was highly valued in ancient times,
and Phoenician ships imported tin from Cornwall. It is not
unreasonable to believe that some first-century, Jewish Christians
might have been investors in the Cornwall tin trade. Christianity
gained a foothold in Britain very early, perhaps, in part, because of
the commerce in tin. If so, then the early British Christians would
have a tradition that they had been evangelized by a wealthy Jewish
Christian. Having forgotten his name, they might have consulted the
Scriptures and found that Joseph and Saint Barnabas fit the
description. Because much of the life of Barnabas was already
described by the Acts of the Apostles making him an unlikely
candidate, only Joseph was left. Thus, Christians seeking an immediate connection with their Lord, grasped on to Joseph as their evangelizer (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Robinson,
White).
In art, Saint Joseph is portrayed as a very old man, carrying a pot of
ointment or a flowering staff or a pair of altar cruets (containing
the blood and sweat of Jesus) (White). He may be shown taking the
crown of thorns from the dead Christ. At other times he is shown with
the shroud and crown of thorns, a thorn tree by him, or a box of
spices (Roeder). He is venerated at Glastonbury and patron of
grave-diggers and undertakers (Roeder, White).
Saint Quote:
Let us become like Christ, since Christ became like us. He assumed the
worse that He might give us the better; He became poor that we through
His poverty might be rich.
--Saint Gregory Nazianzen
Bible Quote:
=C2 And Abraham said to him: Son, remember that thou didst receive good
things in thy lifetime, and likewise Lazareth evil things, but now he
is comforted; and thou art tormented.=C2 (Luke 16:25)
<><><><>
Thy Grace =E2=80=93 a Lenten Prayer
By St John Henry Newman (1801-1890)
O my God,
suffer me still,
bear with me in spite of my
waywardness,
perverseness
and ingratitude!
I improve very slowly
but really, I am moving onto heaven,
or at least I wish to move.
Only give me Thy grace
meet me with Thy grace,
I will, through Thy grace, do what I can
and Thou shall perfect it for me.
Then shall I have happy days, in Thy Presence
and in the sight and adoration of
Thy five Sacred Wounds.
Amen
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