Holding the Pole

 

Yesterday we entered a new month as May dawned.  Traditionally one of those days we think of as marking a transition as we slowly make our way into the seasons of late spring and early summer.  Even on the dullest and wettest of days our gardens are certainly telling us that change is on the way!

My Junior School marked May Day with the customary dancing around the pole in the playground.  However, I don’t remember hanging onto the coloured ribbons and skipping around because I, alongside the other tallest boy in the class, had the ‘honour’ of being chosen to hold the pole.  Not the most glamorous of jobs, and after half an hour quite tiring.  So, I have a somewhat chequered view of May Day!

The Roman Catholic Church marks May 1st as the saint’s day for Joseph the Worker.  (He has a double entry in the calendar being also mentioned on March 19th).  Choosing May 1st was one pontiff’s answer to the Socialist Movement’s adoption of this date to commemorate all workers.

Jospeh, as carpenter, husband, and father, is a somewhat shadowy figure after the birth narratives and the visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was a small boy. We think of him simply being there, a supportive presence in the wings, rarely talked about yet constant – until he wasn’t, probably through an early death.

There is, surely, a place for the bit part players in both the biblical story and the experience of any local church today.  People who, out of the limelight, contribute so much behind the scenes. 

I’m always impressed by the women, briefly mentioned in the gospels, who supported the mission of Jesus financially.  They played their part and enabled others to play theirs.

And that, in a sense is what I did all those years at Junior School.  So, around this time of May Day and the feast of Joseph the Worker, let’s give thanks for all who hold the pole, so that others may make their dance.