Maybe Saint Joseph’s arm behind her back, was the only thing the Queen of Heaven could cling to, when the temptation to resist the Will of God was strongest?
I recently saw a statue of the Holy Family that my sister received as a gift. In the statue, the Holy Family stand altogether and Saint Joseph is cradling the Blessed Virgin by holding his arm behind her back to embrace and support her.
And I have been unable to remove this beautiful image from my mind. You see, Our Blessed Mother is Queen of Heaven. She is an actual Queen, and queens have terrible burdens placed upon them.
When Prince Phillip, the Prince of England and consort of the late Queen Elizabeth II died, his wife, the Queen, spoke of the support that he had provided to her during their long marriage. One of the things that she acknowledged was his unwavering support of her in her duty to her country and her people – in other words she spoke of his willingness to put his own desires aside to support and protect her in her role as monarch. And when I saw that statue of the Blessed Virgin and her holy Spouse, Saint Joseph, the words of that earthly queen (may God rest her soul) came to my mind.
You see, Our Blessed Mother was a woman. She was a very young woman who was tasked by God with a humungous responsibility. She was assigned the duty (and the privilege) of raising God Himself – God the Son… And she is the NEW Eve. Where Eve failed (even living in the perfect world of the Garden of Eden), Our Lady living in the grossly imperfect world of the earth, was tasked to succeed. Our Lady was our last chance at salvation – if she had said no to God’s Will (as Eve said no to God’s Will) we would never be saved… For the Blessed Virgin was not the only woman born without Original Sin - Eve was too. But where Eve failed, the Blessed Virgin triumphed!
And I have been reflecting on that responsibility as I have been reflecting on the efforts of the Blessed Virgin following the days of the birth of her Son – Christ, who is God Himself… You see, that must have been a terribly terribly frightening responsibility. I mean – there she was, a young teenage girl, who was literally holding the GOD OF THE UNIVERSE in her arms, when she did not even have a house to place Him in or a bed to sleep Him in. There she was in the stable with her child in a manger, wrapped up in rags, exposed to the cold and the dust and the dirt and the flies. And there she was – completely powerless to do anything but CHOOSE to follow the Holy Will of God.
And I imagine the faith of such a soul as that in accepting the responsibility of such a sacrifice. And I imagine the support that Saint Joseph provided to her in her faith. He loved her so completely that he willingly sacrificed his sexuality for her. He willingly gave her his chastity. He willingly sacrificed his opportunity to have biological children for love of his Holy Spouse, the Blessed Virgin, and the Holy Son of God.
And when I looked at the statue, and I saw the arm of Saint Joseph around the back of his Holy Spouse, I was struck by his pivotal role in that Holy Family. You see Saint Joseph was the protector and the support of the Queen of Heaven… And now that she sits on her throne, it is – in part – to Saint Joseph that she can give thanks – for Saint Joseph put his arm around her when things were most difficult. And who knows, but maybe that was exactly what she most needed when the temptation to give up and defy the Holy Will of God was strongest…?
Maybe – when you stop and think about it – Saint Joseph’s arm behind her back, was the only thing she could cling on to, when the temptation was strongest, and maybe it was only Saint Joseph’s arm that could give her strength?
And today I have to give thanks to my Beloved for the care He took with His Blessed Mother – for He gave her Saint Joseph, and He gave her his arm. And perhaps that made all the difference?
And that makes me think… When I consider Saint Joseph… Where is my arm right now?
And what am I doing with it for other souls?
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.