“Who gave life to Jesus? It was Mary. Who saved his life? It was Joseph,” declares Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. “Be silent, patriarchs; be silent, prophets; be silent, apostles, confessors and martyrs. Let St. Joseph speak, for this honor is his alone; he alone is savior of the Savior.”

Yes, having been warned of the danger in a dream, Joseph alone stood between the murderous paranoid king, Herod, and the newborn baby. Joseph the Laborer rose, took the child and his mother and escaped by night. Thanks be to God! Honor be to Joseph!

But as I ponder this episode, I have a problem. We live in the culture of the superhero, the Marvel saviors: Hulk, Thor, Captain Marvel, Black Widow. They’re fantastic, flamboyant, futuristic. They have cosmic powers: They see through things, fly on their own, have superhuman strength, get small, get big. And they save the world for all to see how many times over. Superhero savior? That isn’t Joseph!

No, Joseph’s saving the Savior is of a different order. Joseph is savior in his hiddenness, silence, obedient action, daily routine and embrace of suffering. “When he awoke from sleep, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.”

This is the pattern: Husband, father, faithful Jewish man Joseph simply does what he should do, for the sake of others, without fanfare, without grand words, without seeking his own comfort first, despite fear and weariness, without fully understanding. He simply does what is required. The “heroic moment” flows from daily routine.

And like any father, he has anxiety over the future of his children, he anticipates the suffering of his wife and son, he is pained by not being able to provide more for his family. (One translation of “carpenter” is “laborer.” I grew up in Pittsburgh, so I think of Joseph as a tired, underpaid steel worker.) He has to take them as refugees to a land where they are misunderstood.

Perhaps Joseph’s greatest suffering? Seeing the suffering of his wife and son and not being able to do anything about it — except be there. I know this. When my own son (our first child) lay dying in my arms, the hardest thing for me was not being able to do anything. But be there.

If we are looking for a more accurate movie image for savior of the Savior, I suggest not a Marvel superhero, but that quiet servant from J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic (and deeply Catholic) work “The Lord of the Rings.” Not Gandalf, not Aragorn, not even the ring-bearer Frodo — but humble, faithful, loyal, dutiful, simple, hardworking servant Samwise Gamgee. Sam does do a heroic act to save Frodo’s life at Cirith Ungol. And in the end Sam bodily carries Frodo to the cross (Mt. Doom). But these deeds simply flow from his daily doing, his vocation as servant, his being there in walking the long, arduous, fretful path of obedience and doing even when not wanting to.

Who then are today’s savior of the Savior? Weary mothers, fathers, faithful in duty for family; Catholic Watchmen adoring Jesus by night; widows and widowers in daily prayer; young women and men holding fast as Catholic disciples in a world fleeing God and ridiculing his servants; deacons (the hidden vocation) everywhere; all who suffer loneliness, hardship, cost for the sake of Jesus. All who carry Jesus the Savior in their hearts with love and “save” him for others.

Deacon Michalak is director of the Institute for Diaconate Formation at The St. Paul Seminary.

CUPPA JOE

“Cuppa Joe” is a series of 10 talks by 10 theologians on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph taking place at 10 locations in our archdiocese entrusted to the patronage of our spiritual father. These talks premiere the first Tuesday of the month, March through December, at 4 p.m. — just in time for your afternoon coffee. The next presentation, “Adorer of Christ,” by Liz Kelly, will be posted Sept. 7. It was recorded at St. Joseph in Waconia.