Clawing back Christmas

St Joseph portrayed by Michael O Brien of/in Ontario Canada

Christmas is too cut and dried, it needs re thinking, re-experiencing. Here are three exasperated tries.

Joseph, you don't get nearly enough praise

Was it you who taught Jesus tolerance of sinners?

In one picture I have seen, you bring him flowers to play with.

Mary at times may have had the sense of God with her; did you?

The angel said to you, "If you look after Mary as your wife you will be doing what God wants", but that sense

Must often have deserted you and left you feeling like

A man cuckolded in advance

"Let the Father of the Baby

Gather cherries for thee!"

-----------------------------------

OK Mary you never asked to be called

Mother of God or even Virgin

Especially not Virgin!

You fell a victim to the wrong man and your

Father and brothers could not

For whatever reason get him to

Do the Right Thing

And Joseph came to believe

If he was to look after you it had to be by marriage

And the Baby

Deserved no less--

Unwilling duty-doing on all sides, and you the Culprit

(In many cultures, rape victims are ostracised.)

What space had you to rejoice?

So, Mary, not the saint, but

The one who doggedly cared for

The son who was welcome to no-one;

The one who half-believed

He had a special calling, the one who gave him

House room and temple room

The one who gave Joseph

Loyalty and thanks even when

He was so much too old.

by Jelena Jasovic, Serbia

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Dear God the dangerous

God the omnipresent

God the source of light and energy

Who cannot make us fraternal because

We just won't listen!

So Mary is the saint of

The rape victim, female or male

The unmarried mother, the dogged carer, the person who

Believes in us when we don't believe in ourselves;

Joseph is the saint of the man who

Does his duty no matter what, even if

He does not always shut up about it

What about a saint for all of us who get bogged down in

Pointless minutiae? but basically

The Muslims are right: only God is to be praised--

And our fabulous universe.

Comments

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