*What Would Joe Do?
St. Joseph’s Feast Day is today, and following the St. Patrick’s rock and roll celebration of all things alcoholic and partying, Joe’s day invariably comes across as very boring, somewhat anti-climatic and totally forgettable which is what most folks do – fuhgeddaboutit. Hey Joe, where you gonna go?
But for me, I always pause a bit and throw some thoughts Joe’s way today. After all, he is my namesake given that I was named after my great Uncle Joe Norris (click here for previous post on this.) Even though I unofficially have the country boy double name of J. Scott, I still regard Joe as one of my main guys.
While Joe doesn’t get much air time in the scripture readings, the one that stays with me is how he reacted when Jesus split from them at the age of 12 and was gone for three days before they found Him (click here for that story.)
When Mary and Joseph finally do find Jesus in the Temple and ask Him what He was thinking, Jesus blows them off with some flip ass answer that He must be about his father’s business. Think if I were Joe, my reaction would have been along the lines “Oh yeah, well I’m your father buddy and since you are living in my house, you do this again and your little 12 year old butt will be out on the street doing your own business.”
Luke’s account of this incident concludes by noting “Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
Notice no mention of Joe and how he reacted. The assumption is that Joe took the high road and let Jesus be Jesus for the next 18 years before He made His move and – well, you know the rest of the story. (That Joe let Jesus stay around and lay around the old home place that long before making a move says something too!)
Music-wise, here is the last tune recorded by Louie who at the time was too sick to play his trumpet. The song was used in the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.