Don't Call St Joseph a Foster Father

Ok, he is not Jesus' biological father, but Joseph is not a foster father either. He is more than a biological father, much more than a foster father, or even worse a stepfather. He is really a father; he is the greatest human father ever. Let's consider four analogues of fatherhood. Jesus is very clear: there is only one father, our heavenly Father. Only God the Father creates us from nothing; only He is the absolute and final sourse of life. All other fatherhoods are secondary, derivative, represenational. (Aside: femininity and maternity, by contrast are their own created, integral substance, status, reality; virility in all its truth is always submissive to and iconic of the Uber-Mega-Ultra-Paternity of God.) Biological fatherhood is obvious: effortless, indeliberate, random, uncontrollable, indescriably pleasureable and often euphoric.It can be conjoined tragically with lust, violence, infidelity, contempt, inebriation; and more happily with fidelity, tenderness, reverence, conjugality, and Joy. In many ways biological fathering is chaotic, irrational, absurd, comical, erratic, ridiculous and serendipious! "Personal fatherhood" will refer to the entire canoply of love provided by a real father: protection and provision (for mom and baby), guidance, correction, affirmation of identity and dignity, good example, stability, tradition-legacy-memory, authority, boundaries and law, encouragement, sense of reverence, sacred, awe. "Spiritual fatherhood" is the deepest, truest fatherhood: it is the mystery by which the father introduces his child to God the Father. It occurs intuitively, spontaneously, inexorably because the father is truly a son of The Father. It is an Event whereby the father is diminished in the exercise and agency of his own Ego and reflects the Tenderness, Strength, Compassion and Love of the Absolute Father. It can occur even and especially in the father's weakness, failure, inadequacy...if there is a leavaning humility by which the greater love of the Father visits the father/son encounter-in-poverty. It occurs when the goodness of the father is seen as a reflection of a greater, deeper, broader goodness. It happens when the father's deepest identity, son in the Son of the Father, is unveiled. St. Joseph was not biological father; he was the quintessential personal father; but he was the greatest spiritual father, to Jesus in his humanity. He was an incomparable reflection of the gentleness, wisdom, strength and quiet of our heavenly Father. And so he was more truly and deeply father than any other man has been or will be; even as he was not biological father. His "poverty" or diminishment in this aspect was obviously accepted by him, humbly, and only enhanced his transparency to the Father's love This train of thought is especially encouraging for our generation as we move deeper into old age, distancing ourself from biological and even personal fatherhood, but hopefully more deeply into spiritual fatherhood.