A subject that fell to me from heaven, like rain. I had just leafed through the Golden Legend; among this very large number of saints, one name, only one name was not found: that of my patron saint: Joseph. I said to myself: we must correct this oversight. I will paint a picture of my patron saint myself. I had to do a search to get a little documentation before I approached such a subject: to imagine the face of the carpenter of Nazareth!

I started with my neighborhood. I realized that during the years 30 to 60, the most widespread name in Lebanon was Joseph, Youssef; then comes that of Antoine, Georges then Elie or Elias; then a whole list of Peter, Paul, John, etc…

After the arrival of Saint Charbel, this last name soared in the Christian and other communities; he was given vows, there were miracles… Then the list of modern and contemporary names of all nationalities grew and invaded the calendar.

In the past, we used to celebrate the feast of any child on the day of the name of his Patron Saint. It has since been replaced by birthday parties, birthdates. I see a tendency towards individualism, paganism… Formerly, all the Joseph of Jounieh or Madrid, for example, celebrated their feast (their birth in heaven) on the same date, the same day; they shared the same congratulations, the same happiness, joys, and prayers on the same day… With the anniversary, it’s every man for himself; Now, the date of the anniversary can be forgotten, while the name of a saint is not easily forgotten. As for me, I looked in the parish registers; I found that I could in fact celebrate the date of my baptism, or the day dedicated to my Holy Patron. So I’m going to interest you in his story. Because this great saint lived a story that I want to tell. Like that of Tobit, of Joseph sold by his brothers, of Jacob and the angel of his stele, the story of Samson, that of the prophet Elijah or others…

So, Saint Joseph is my patron saint; it is the family that entrusted me to its holy guard; at the moment, this did not inspire me, but over time, I was able to appreciate the benefit of this patronymic. Saint Joseph, one of the highest figures of holiness which our Father in heaven has revealed to us.

I want to congratulate myself and to notice the value therefore. We see him easily represented in statues and paintings of churches carrying the Child Jesus on his arm, or working in his carpentry workshop, or praying to God in the Holy Family. Each one giving him a face and an attitude according to the inspiration of the moment. I will offer you my portrait of this great Saint.

Saint Teresa of Avila spoke at length about him, regretting that his worship was not widespread enough; but religious congregations of both Brothers and Sisters had the honor of proclaiming him their Patron Saint, such as the Sisters of Joseph of the Apparition, thanks to Saint Francis de Sales.

The king of France, Louis XIV established him Patron of his kingdom in 1684; Pope Pius IX Patron of the Universal Church in 1870. There are many saints who have honored him, who have praised him, and who have called Christians to love him. Blessed Gerson is quoted with joy, a great figure of the famous Council of Constance in 1415 which put an end to the great schism of the West and where he obliged the three so-called popes to resign… Saint Francis de Sales is also quoted as the initiator of true piety in the seventeenth century… Among us in the East, St John Chrysostom, was amazed, since the sixth century, by the choice that God made of this humble man among the humble, and that Scripture describes in one word only: “Joseph, who was a righteous man.” Matthew 1/19.

Interested, intrigued, and amazed by these references concerning my Patron Saint, I tried to discover a face for him, as a painter. And now, through my pictorial research, I have been able to admire the efforts of my colleagues, former painters, working to define an attitude and a face to this man whom they saw appearing before the Virgin Mary and her child in Bethlehem, in Nazareth and on the road to exile in Egypt (Luke 2/16). He is quoted and named several times in our Gospels. I wanted to compose a portrait of a man embodying love, goodness, and many other qualities… Since it is a story beginning as all the stories begin…
He was a difficult man to describe. Indeed, the vocabulary, words, phrases, descriptions, which could qualify him, reflect but a dull image of this exceptional being. His nobility, greatness of soul, and holiness… He was not a God however; he was a person in flesh and blood like us and yet quite different. Of all of us, he had all the attributes of the human, of goodness, of love, of simplicity, and even a certain reserve. He was mortal like all humans.

Around the year zero, or about twenty years before the year one of our era, was a certain village worker, a workman, who enjoyed a good reputation, respecting the commandments and values; he feared God, was helpful, very religious, and had never committed errors.

Tall enough, supple enough, strong enough, skillful, excellent observer, proud to be the father of a unique family, to carry little Jesus, to protect the Blessed Virgin- he was not the athlete, but rather muscular, due to his work. His high and wide forehead, his welcoming looks and a small smile, eyes full of softness and depth. According to the measurements of the Holy Shroud, Jesus was tall; 180 cm- Joseph must have been a little more or less between 170 and 180 cm- firm, attentive, he knew how to listen… His very ordinary lips, the expression of the soothing face; some wrinkles around the mouth and under the eyes; a beard and hair that denote someone who is not very interested in appearances, in looks. He was not an angry person and his attractive eyes, his impalpable beauty reflects his tenderness and tranquility of soul… An escape into eternity, a being incapable of committing a sin, the ideal father of an exceptional family. The atmosphere he created in his home, his family, was imitated by hundreds of generations; his family united and sealed by love, simplicity, understanding, respect, fear of God… An exemplary family.

This family accompanied us during all our studies, school, activities, lessons and homework. A family whose members are three like the trinity; this good father of the family was also obliterated, always the last, who logically should be the boss, the first; but what do you want? A reality in this family: the son is superior to the father, the father says to the son: «My child» by speaking to him. Little attention is given to his person, we even ignore him, he is reduced, neglected… But he, Joseph, responds with love, with a smile, with a big heart.

He loves nature, the environment, the flowers, the sun, the birds, the clouds… and especially Nazareth, his village; in reality, Joseph was the worker of the whole village, but he was given the name of carpenter, Joseph who excelled in everything…

He was loved and respected among his own; he thanked the Creator constantly for the joy he gave us; he loved the light in this wonderful East; his village not far from Lebanon and which follows our mountains; his job was reflected in his face; a job that involves a lot of calm, delicacy, patience…

His raw material was vegetable: the wood he respected and wisely handled and modeled with his tools. He stroked the wood, carved it; he was in permanent union with the material, he loved deeply his craft and everything he did; he became this wooden throne! He was of this world, lost among the earthly, a righteous one, an educator. He lived not far from Lebanon, a land once Canaanite. In the carpentry trade, there was no specialty: to execute a window, a door, a stable, a chair, a roof frame, a barrier… the job was global.

This brave worker-maker was pure and chaste; he was united to the «woods»; he had few tools: a saw, a plane, hammers, pliers, pincers; a handmade material forged by masters reputed in the forges of Tyre and Sidon: at the time, in all Israel, there was not a single blacksmith; in the latter, the favorite occupation was to become a shepherd, a goatherd, grazing, those who graze their flocks on God’s land and allowed them to contemplate the sky, the stars, to dream, to meditate, and to some prophecy…

In this rural and pastoral environment, our dear carpenter worked. His studio was his home where his holy wife and son the Creator lived. The son sometimes had fun manipulating, or working, gathering wooden boards to realize a chair, a box, a cross… Who said that the creators were not having fun? Wasn’t the creation of Man in fact an amusement? Genesis Ch. 2? This carpenter was erased, the firstborn of his royal family, descended from David; he was named Joseph-Youssef who in the language and traditions of the Hebrews meant: “May God make children grow”. Therefore, in each household, there was a Youssef-Joseph (usually the eldest).

This man named Youssef, Joseph, was a craftsman who could do anything. Plowman, sower, lumberjack, fisherman, builder; he did his work under the constant gaze of God who sees and guides us.

This honest craftsman, dreamed and prayed, he asked God to help him in his great, noble, and sublime task: to educate, to raise the Son of Man; he thought of the framework, his craft; he possessed the know-how: to assemble the frames, the shutters, the whole window frame; it took a lot of time, the execution was totally manual and hard. The technology of more than two thousand years ago had nothing to do with ours; at present, the work is done in series; one can carry out in one day the work of a large, very large site. Realized by Joseph, a door, a spot, could require a week. Joseph poured all his soul into his work, as water is poured into a jar. He was proud of the result, Marie his wife at his side; Marie the very beautiful daughter still virgin and respected by the chaste Joseph. Mary sometimes helped him in his work; the little one also; because he loved his earthly father who educated him.

Joseph, this obedient man, raised the little one with love and tenderness. The little ones frequented temples or synagogues where sacred history, Scripture, was taught. The speakers exhibited their science and knowledge on the public squares. But Joseph’s little one, when he went to the temple it was to listen, to question, to ask his questions to the doctors of the law and what the doctors themselves had difficulty assimilating, sometimes he helped them to understand.
Imagine this worker who assembled pieces of wood, slats, frames, pegs, studs, rafters, dormers, poles… What laws would explain to him? What did the law mean to Joseph, who loved God and respected him? He never attacked others, whose goal was family: to educate the little one, to help Mary the Virgin Bride.

Once upon a time in Nazareth there was a holy family that was called by God. This family was that of the carpenter Joseph; his little one played with the few scraps and remains of pieces of wood, building houses, chairs, tables and especially helping the father; the family was poor, earthly riches did not tempt them, it was a family of that other world that the prophets often spoke of. Those whose kingdom was not of this world. God had chosen this builder to be the teacher of his son and to be the servant of Mary the Virgin. What grace the Good Lord had granted him! To carry the child on his arms! To love him, to cajole him, to be at his side!

Throughout our schooling with the Marist Brothers, all the pages of our duties had to begin with J.M.J. Jesus Mary Joseph; we copied it without understanding it; it lasted for years, we were happy to be patronized by this trio.

I see him waking early in the morning; very early, the wife and the little one are still asleep; he prays and thanks God for this new day; he sharpens his tools, puts his workshop in order, prepares the wooden planks he will need for the work of the day. Work is his livelihood; he was a worker like any other.

He was also the one who made decisions: five times, it is said: «take the child and his mother» (Matthew 2/13/14) We must leave at night, to where? He learns that there is a problem, he solves the problem. We can’t go there? Well, we go elsewhere (Matthew 2/22). He is the head of the family and also entrusts himself to God. He is the one responsible.

Quirinius orders an enumeration: we must go to get registered in Bethlehem. Let’s go! here we go (Luke 2/5). There is no room in the hotel industry or in the inns? Don’t worry! We will set up a corner somewhere else (Luke 2/16). We must instruct this child? Come on! We have the book of wisdom and that of Sirac the wise. Advice from a father to his son, at the evening vigil… The sacred texts are read together (Jesus will say: «You have not read…? »; Joseph, model of the teachers (John 6/42) … «his father is known»).

Once upon a time, in Nazareth, a skilled craftsman, honest, calm and good, who was a builder, but he carried out all the works of the village, he carried out, repaired, reformed, renewed … all the work that was required of him, his real trade was carpenter or shipwright but his knowledge and abilities were much broader.

A trellis made of branches or wood for the vine, a barrier to protect children from a terrace fall, a wooden or stone staircase to reach a terrace or attic, or go down into a well or tank to repair and clean it, build a trail that leads to the house, build a stable for goats, cows, chickens, sheep, etc. Build benches, chairs, tables, beds and a whole household, cut branches to make a millstone to make charcoal used in all kitchens at the time inside houses. Joseph was a “poly-skilled worker”; he did everything in silence and also helped his whole village – Nazareth, he planted, hewed, picked, weeded, often helped by his little Jesus and Virgin Mary her spouse.

He was a perfect citizen, Mary was pregnant and tired; Mary sat on the donkey and he on foot, they went to Bethlehem, 150 km away, to answer the order given by the Romans for a general census in the region. It is the good citizen who executes the order given by his superiors, the Roman occupiers; he is respectful of the political-social order in place; he sees it as a providential attention. In Bethlehem, finding no inn to spend the night, the holy family was able to find a cave inhabited by shepherds and a flock of sheep and it is in this cave that little Jesus was born. He started to grow up and will reach the age of 33, he was baby, child, teenager, young man… Always under the watchful eye of Joseph who knew and sensed the great task, the event that awaits his Son, the Son of Man. He knew very well that he, Joseph, was an earthly father; that his duty was to educate, to raise, to protect him.

The evangelists quote Joseph very little; as for the Virgin, she is there from the Annunciation until the Ascension. Joseph probably died early, his great role was to be limited. At Cana, the Virgin was alone – Joseph, this very special husband, being no more. At Cana, Mary whispered to Jesus, saying: «They have no more wine»; and this was his first miracle.

Once upon a time in the village of Nazareth, a well-known and esteemed worker, a helper, a joyful and thoughtful friend; the whole village had recourse to him, he helped, he could be counted on; he was helpful, he had solutions to all problems, a know-how and a great ability, good companion, cheerful, lively, good living, he loved life and good wine… His voice, I imagine it beautiful, that of a tenor… At the village festivals, he sang and gave a helping hand to the party. Serious and faithful to the synagogue, his firm appearance, rarely eager, solid and sure, he raised the child well, he knew how to read, he read to him «Sirach or Ecclesiasticus» (Mark 2:25).

He loved the humble, the poor, he loved nature and religious practice. In Joseph, Jesus saw an image of his Father, he embodied quiet strength, simplicity, confident, joyful, ready to help, to sacrifice himself without complaining…

Once upon a time there was a beautiful girl, the most beautiful creature in all of humanity, a fairy, a goddess who cannot really be described, her great beauty, her purity, her simplicity, her virtues, her holiness, who vowed to be always a virgin and to serve God, her Creator. Providence had chosen her to be the mother of the Son of Man, the incarnate Son. When the Angel Gabriel told her of the Father’s choice, “Blessed are you among all, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus”. She replied to the Angel Gabriel: «Let his will be done…». And from that moment she was pregnant by the Spirit of God; but who will be the earthly father of the divine and heavenly child? The Angel chose Joseph, the worker of Nazareth. Joseph as a father respected Mary, the most beautiful and divine. The Angel appeared to him to announce to him also the will of the Father, removing the slightest doubt concerning Mary.

Mary was listed as Joseph’s wife in the records, but Joseph was a father of his little Mary. He lived a dream, another reality for the service of God. On earth, only the saints can compare themselves to Joseph: a saint Charbel, a saint Hardini, a saint Francis… Those who sacrificed themselves, their selfishness for the love of God: total abandonment, sacrifice, martyrdom sometimes for the heavenly Father, the almighty.

Once upon a time, in Palestine, in the Roman Empire which dominated the three old continents, Hebrews who saw things from a different angle; they waited for their Messiah, and considered themselves the chosen people of all Creation, the Romans did not take them seriously, for them the supreme and almighty God was Jupiter –Ju (God), Piter (pater/father), the heir of Zeus among the Greeks.

In building their temple dedicated to God, that of Abraham, the Roman governor ordered to carve on the pediment the Roman eagle and the effigy of Caesar. In this environment a descendant of the royal family of David, a certain workman called Joseph the carpenter, a pure, chaste being, and nobility in soul, openness of mind, love, tolerance and goodness was born. The angel appeared to him and told him that he was the messenger of God, “go with Mary the Virgin, protect her, raise her child, the Son of God”. Mary was also a descendant of the royal family of David. The families jealously guarded the meaning and concern of the lineage.

A Jewish wedding was celebrated and the young Virgin Mary, of a ravishing beauty, married our Joseph who knew and had accepted that she always remained a virgin, knowing that she carried the Messiah in her womb. If we calculate the duration of a generation between 20-25 years, that is to say 4-5 generations per century 20 centuries or 20 x 5 x 200 = 2000 years from the generation of Jesus to the present day. In all civilizations, there has been, or has imposed, a mythological goddess, always beautiful brilliant, intelligent: among the Greeks for example, it is Athena, born of the head of Jupiter, Venus among the Romans, born in the water of great beauty, Isis among the Pharaonic Egyptians, Astarte among the Mesopotamians, in India there were no goddesses, the gods are all male. All these goddesses, or women, were glorified, virgins or not, but none had the grace, charm, purity, of Mary the Israelite; nowhere did I find a Joseph resembling Mary’s husband. The poets in France, Europe and elsewhere, magnified to envy the portrait of the girl and the young woman who dazzled them, made them dream, as they see Eve in the text (chapter 2/22/25 of Genesis) or the appearance of Rachelle to Jacob (Genesis 24) Rebecca, and 29 Rachelle, and so many others of the Bible. To what admiration echoes the veneration in the zones of authority or war surrounds the heroines (Geneviève, Joan of Arc, etc…) It is at the start, the arrival of the daughter of Tyre (Psalm 145) or that of the acrostic poem of the book of Proverbs (31/10) and every good reader of our Gospels will discover with sympathy the seemingly discreet role of the Virgin Mary as the Eastern monks in the icons and the Westerners in the paintings of pious painters and the innumerable statues of our churches, and countless books were dedicated to her by the poets and the inspired.

In Book II of the Kings, King Salomon enthroned his mother Bethsabee as queen, the mother was always near her son the king; among the pharaohs also and in many ancient generations, the mother played a role of primary importance.

This carpenter got up before dawn to prepare the work of the day; did he not think to improve his situation, to have a more beautiful house, to become richer, easier? What could he dream? The future for him was the little Jesus, his future, his comfort, his ambition was those of Jesus, those of all humanity; he was humble and thanked God for his situation.

The saint carpenter chatted with Jesus and Mary and asked their opinion in many things. They often prayed with the family, invited their neighbors, or went to visit them themselves; they were loved by the neighbors and well-seen, I imagine Joseph planting some lilies or roses in front of their humble house, or some vegetables in his garden, picking up a few dry branches to feed the cooking fire… What was their food once the poor people? Some little lentils, beans, fish, eggs, milk and derivatives, some vegetables and herbs… Wheat was the only cereal known and used in many dishes.

This carpenter, worker of the village, received his due from the people with whom he worked. He could receive pieces that were Roman or in exchange for consumables: oils, dates, fruits, seeds, pigeons, hens, etc. Wool or linen that Marie used to weave into clothes. Joseph did not live the torment of his son, neither his death nor his Resurrection, nor the many miracles of every day: Cana, the blind who see, the paralytics who walk, the sick healed, etc… Where is he? What does he do? He is surely among us every day, he is present in our work, he who has worked all his life, he is in our families, he helps our unions and sows love everywhere, he assists us during our death…He patronizes all the congregations in his name and listens to us as Jesus did, he is everywhere, at any moment we can ask him, tell his miracles, his interventions in our daily life would require a whole chapter. Where is Europe and the fascinating Christian civilization? At present, churches, cathedrals, convents are being sold, and the cross, a symbol of Christ, is being torn off to hang a crescent moon. Vestiges, historical wonders, are subjected to vandalism, destruction, without respecting cults, myths, the sacrosanct, it is decadence in Europe and in the West.

Will there not be a divine intervention or is it God himself who allowed these events in order to tell Christians what they should not be? Is this a punishment of God? A lesson to atheists? A temptation of the Lord? In this ungrateful time! Must we give back to God what is his and to Caesar his due?

What can this brave carpenter do, when he does not know anything about business? Did he set up a carpentry workshop in Paradise? Or is he busy erecting a giant framework to support the celestial vault under which the saints, angels and all pure, honest and kind humans evolve?

But no! He is with God who oversees our entire history and knows very well where it leads and how. Like us, he trusts Him whom he has raised up and who sees all our troubles… He who once carried their weight on the cross. He tells us how he discovers Him in the Holy Scripture which he read to his Son Jesus and this one, Jesus, tells us: «But have you not read these holy books which we were going through together? » (Mark 2:25).

Joseph Matar
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Translated from French: Mayda Samaha