Sleeping and Dreaming

Good morning.

There is a statue in St John’s Church on the Falls Road in West Belfast, where I serve as parish priest, of Sleeping Saint Joseph. Joseph is lying on his side, eyes closed, resting peacefully, one arm tucked under his head, completely at ease.

Pope Francis used to keep a statue of Sleeping Saint Joseph on his desk. Joseph is one of the great figures in the Gospel story, Again and again, God speaks to Joseph in dreams but not a wrd of his is recorded in any of the Gospels

In the Gospel of Matthew an angel appears to him in a dream and tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. Later, he is warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to protect the child Jesus. And later still, another dream tells him it is safe to return home.

Joseph listens in the night — and in the morning he trusts and he acts.

Pope Francis once said that when he had a worry or a problem, he would write it down on a small piece of paper and place it beneath the statue so that, as he put it, “Saint Joseph can dream about it.”

Joseph shows us another way of living. He listens for God’s voice, he acts with quiet courage, and then he steps aside so that God’s plan can unfold.

Lord God,
you entrusted your Son to the care of Saint Joseph.
Teach us the quiet strength of trust
and the courage of obedience.
When we are anxious, give us peace.
When we are uncertain, give us guidance.
And when we have done what you ask of us,
help us to rest in your care.

Amen.