The Reunion of Jesus and Saint Joseph

There is no denying that the Liturgical Year of Saint Joseph shed a spotlight on the humble Nazarean carpenter, bringing into greater focus the monumental role this young, virtuous man played in Jesus’ life. Joseph was no accident. He was not some bystander that just happened to be a part of the Holy Family. Joseph, too, was chosen by God to fulfill a need for Jesus’ humanity. It was the just Joseph who modeled virtue, service, suffering, and surrender to the Child Jesus. And perhaps one of the greatest things Joseph ever had to surrender was the end of his life. Before Jesus’ public ministry could begin, Joseph’s earthly life had to end. Otherwise every ear that heard Jesus speak about His Father would wonder “the carpenter?” and completely disregard whatever He had to say.

So, in a final act of surrender to the Divine Will, Joseph passed away peacefully before the crux of his foster Son’s life, surrounded by Mary and Jesus.

Two Possibilities

Unsurprisingly, the beauty of this death was not without its pain. Surely, the perfect hearts of Jesus and Mary missed and mourned the head of their home, both immediately and all throughout the years to follow. During joyful moments of Jesus’ ministry, they would have longed to have him share their exuberance. During painful moments, they likely longed for his presence and support—perhaps it was even a great comfort to Mary when Joseph of Arimathea, who shared the same name as her husband, stepped forward to make burial arrangements with Pontius Pilate and donated his own tomb to be used by Jesus. 

There is no way that this small, tight-knit, perfect family did not feel the sting of Joseph’s absence over and over and over again. However, we also know that Jesus defeated death, and at some point, Joseph would have been reunited with his foster Son, the Savior of the world.

Where would this joyous reunion have taken place? Logic allows us to deduce two possibilities.

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1. In Hell

Between His death on Good Friday and His Resurrection on Easter Sunday, Jesus descended into hell to rescue all the righteous souls who had died before Him. This was a final blow to Satan, who was defeated definitively on his “home turf.” This is also the first possible location for Jesus’ reunion with His earthly father. 

Can you imagine being Joseph at this moment? Having waited in the spiritual anguish of Sheol for years, knowing your Son will come, but also knowing He will pay a great price in order to make it there? Can you picture what he witnessed as Christ came down? Was it gradual light like the dawn, or something more instantaneous and drastic? The emotion and pride Saint Joseph must have felt! And Jesus too—what must it have felt like for Him to rescue the father who raised Him and taught Him all about sacrificial Love?

2. On Earth, On Easter

A position long-held by many Saints is that the first thing Jesus did when He rose from the dead on Easter morning was go rejoice with His Mother. This not only explains why the tomb was empty (He could have just stayed sitting there and showed everyone immediately that He was alive), but it also explains why the Blessed Virgin never returned to the tomb herself. She had no need to go finish the burial process—she could see that Jesus was already alive!

This is the second possible location for Jesus’ reunion with Saint Joseph as well. One of the lesser known events that occurred at the moment of Jesus’ death was a mass resurrection of the dead. Matthew 27:52-53 reads: “[T}he tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Many top theologians take the position that Joseph was among the Saints who were raised, that he was with Mary as she kept vigil on Holy Saturday awaiting Jesus’ return, and the entire Holy Family celebrated the salvation of mankind together first thing on Easter morning. The triumph they must have felt at this moment! The gratitude for God’s mercy!

Regardless which of these events transpired, imagining both can lead one to weep.