Did you know about St. Joseph?
You only get a vague image of this extraordinary person in the New Testament. This unusual man, Joseph believes in the Incarnation, God becoming human, long before any theologian taught about this. He trusts that something special is happening in Mary, his betrothed, becoming pregnant with Jesus. As you read further in the Gospel account, there is a story of Joseph seen as a man who perceives God’s communication to him through dreams. Thus, believing in one of those dreams, he takes Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod, the king who seeks to put Jesus to death. However, in terms of a real description of Joseph’s virtue, the Scriptures leave us one central word. Joseph is spoken of as a “just man.”
A classical definition of the word “just” is to give to all what is due them. Therefore, you can imagine Joseph being a carpenter who worked hard to provide a good service and asked reasonable recompense. Where else did he offer what was due? One possibility is that he treated his foster son and Mary his wife as sacred people. This is based on the fact that Joseph’s life was filled with a great deal of hallowed mystery. God had asked him to live in mystery and to be a husband and father of faith. He fulfilled that role of “protector of the sacred” by giving Mary and Jesus what was just, everything that was due to them.
Perhaps our call to justice involves our treatment of others ahead of anything else. Ask yourself, “Are all the people in my life being given what is due to them while treating them as part of a sacred mystery?”
“Did You Know?” is a regular feature in UPBeat to help staff and faculty understand dimensions of this Catholic, Holy Cross university. You can send questions to Fr. Jim Gallagher, C.S.C. (Campus Ministry) or Karen Eifler (Garaventa Center).
Please take note: the March 21 concert with liturgical composer Bernadette Farrell has been postponed until next academic year. For more information contact the Garaventa Center at 
Please mark your calendars! The lecture by Susanne Scholz, “Reading the Bible Disruptively for Gender Justice in an Authoritarian Age,” originally scheduled for March 18, has been rescheduled to Wednesday, September 30, 2020. For more information contact the Garaventa Center at 
All ticket holders to the Saturday, March 14 performance of The Dragon are invited to a complimentary wine, cheese, and dessert reception before the show as a panel of campus experts highlight what to look and listen for. Reception begins at 6:15 p.m., panel at 6:45 p.m., and the play at 7:30 p.m. in Mago Hunt Center. For ADA accommodations or more information contact the Garaventa Center at 
On Wednesday, March 18, scholar and author Susanne Scholz will present “Reading the Bible Disruptively for Gender Justice in an Authoritarian Age,” at 7:15 p.m., in Bauccio Commons. Scholz will ask whether gendered Bible readings constitute viable intellectual alternatives to transform contemporary structures of domination.
Celebrated poet GC Waldrep will read select passages from his work and unpack connections between his faith and his art on Thursday, March 12, at 7:15 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Auditorium (DB 004). GC Waldrep is the author most recently of feast gently (2018), winner of the 2019 William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America, and the long poem Testament (2015). Waldrep currently teaches at Bucknell University and edits the journal West Branch. Free and open to all. Sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the English department. For ADA accommodations or more information please use 
Mark your calendars for a special Lenten concert with renowned liturgical composer Bernadette Farrell entitled, “Hold Fast to Love and Justice,” on Saturday March 21, at 7 p.m., in the Chapel of Christ the Teacher. The concert features music focused on social justice, as well as beloved favorites such as “Christ, Be Our Light.” The event is free and open to all, with a reception to follow. Sponsored by the Garaventa Center, Campus Ministry, the Office of International Education, Diversity, and Inclusion, and Oregon Catholic Press. For ADA accommodations or more information contact the Garaventa Center at 
On Tuesday, February 18, MIT history professor Jeffrey Ravel will offer a lecture entitled, “The Relation Between Revolution and Religion: The Case of the French Revolution of 1789 and French Catholicism,” at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall 120. The event is free and open to all, and is sponsored by the Garaventa Center.
All are invited to the next installment in the popular “Why Theology Needs…” series from the Beckman Humor Project on Tuesday, February 11, at 7:15 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Auditorium (DB 004). Senior theology major Andrew Plasker will explore Marie Kondo’s methodology for “tidying up” and how her attitudes toward cleaning can enrich spiritual practices and help us look at our faiths in new ways.