St. Joseph, the third member of the Holy Family, is overshadowed in the Gospels by the baby Jesus and Mary. He leads Mary to Bethlehem, is present at the birth of Jesus and has a protector role in leading Mary and Jesus to exile in Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath. But he says nothing in the Gospels and has no role in Christ’s public ministry. At best, he’s a supporting player.
Not so in the more than 2,000 years of Christianity, where he has taken on a complex personality outstripping his Gospel portrait. Christian art, theology and popular preaching have shaped him into various roles, often in keeping with the Christian needs of the times.
“The Silent Knight” tells how Christian art depicts him through the ages. Author Elizabeth Lev is an American art historian living in Rome where she conducts art tours.
The best parts of the book are the reproductions of famous art works and Lev’s explanations of how they convey views about Joseph. A pointed finger or an eye glance casts the viewer toward an important element. Similarly colored clothing ties Joseph to other church figures, such as St. Peter to emphasize Joseph’s role as protector of the papacy.
So how has Joseph been portrayed?
Sometimes he is seen as a servant to his family, washing Jesus’ diapers or cooking the family meal, huffing on flames to keep the fire alive. At other times he’s portrayed as the loving father, feeding berries to his hungry son.
Renaissance artist Michelangelo had Mary – her back toward Joseph – sitting down, nestled between his legs as he hands her the baby Jesus over her shoulder in a show of family harmony. To combat communist inroads with laborers in the late 1800s, he became Joseph the Worker.
The book title refers to the depiction of Joseph as a knight who during the Middle Ages – when the papacy was wracked with scandals – came to defend the Church as he had defended Mary and Jesus. Obviously, the title is also a play on words. When pronounced, it recalls the title of a famous Christmas carol about the nativity.
So, in the Gospels, Joseph is the strong, silent type while in Christian art and history he becomes the man for all seasons.
— Agostino Bono, Catholic News Service
Diocesan youth invited to take part in Project Acutis
CHARLOTTE — Young people throughout the Diocese of Charlotte have an opportunity to show their love for the Eucharist using their digital media skills in Project Acutis, a new faith-filled challenge sponsored by the offices of Catholic Schools and Youth Ministry.
“Project Acutis is a way for youth of our diocese, grades four through 12, to join with Catholics across the United States in the call to Eucharistic Revival by learning about, being inspired by and evangelizing through the many Eucharistic miracles that have taken place throughout the centuries,” said Paul Kotlowski, the diocese’s director of youth ministry.
Blessed Carlo Acutis, after whom this new youth project is named and dedicated, was an Italian teenager known for his piety, joy and service to others. Born with leukemia, he died in 2006 at age 15 and was buried in Assisi at his request because of his love for St. Francis. He has since captivated the world with his simple holiness. His example has shown youth and adults alike that holiness is possible no matter your age or state in life, even if you like to play video games and wear jeans and sneakers. He was devout as a young child and inspired a deep conversion in his mother. He ensured his family attended Mass daily, supported friends who were suffering through the divorce of their parents, and always stood up for children who were being bullied in school, especially disabled students.
Acutis was also a tech whiz and built a website cataloguing and promoting Eucharistic miracles, where he told people that “the more often we receive the Eucharist, the more we will become like Jesus, so that on this earth we will have a foretaste of heaven.”
For Project Acutis, youth in the diocese choose one of the Eucharistic miracles on the site to use in a multimedia presentation, not to exceed 90 seconds. All youth in grades four to 12 are eligible, and prizes will be awarded to the top entries. Submissions are due Oct. 12, 2023. All submissions will be collected and shared for schools and parishes to enjoy.
Kotlowski encourages youth to look at the work compiled by Blessed Carlo Acutis and see what inspired him to dedicate himself to sharing these supernatural encounters with Jesus.
“It’s hard not to be drawn to Our Lord by these events as curiosity is awakened, and wonder and awe are fueled,” he added. “I pray that by learning about Eucharistic miracles, youth will come to know and believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Eucharist.”
He also said the project is an excellent opportunity for the “young Church of western North Carolina to assist Bishop Peter Jugis in achieving his pastoral priority of becoming more adept in evangelizing in the digital age” as well as his priority for “all to renew and anchor their lives to the Most Holy Eucharist.”
Within his six pastoral priorities, Bishop Jugis noted, “Busy lives bombarded by distracting and worldly messages can only truly find the peace for which they yearn in the paschal mystery” and “We must learn to proclaim the faith in a digital age, that we may better evangelize a culture
teeming with secular and contrary messages.”
By participating in Project Acutis, youth of the diocese can be a much-needed evangelizing voice as they express their love for Jesus in the Eucharist.
— Annie Ferguson
Join the challenge
At www.charlottediocese.org/ev/youth/events/project-acutis: Get details and enter to participate.