George Bailey and St. Joseph

No other movie is associated with the pre-Christmas ramp-up like Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.  The timelessness of the film is due in large part to its wholesomeness and projection of quality Christian values, two attributes missing from the vast majority of contemporary cinematic features.  Often over looked, however, is the striking resemblance that the main character, George Bailey, has with the foster father of Jesus, St. Joseph.  Let’s examine several parallels.

To save the Christ child from Herod’s massacre of the Holy Innocents, St. Joseph took his family out of harm’s way.  While not directly related, there is a heroism of sorts in the character of George Bailey.  As a young boy, he rescues his brother Harry from drowning, suffering an injury to his ear in the process.  In his part-time job in the local drugstore, George suffers a beating from his employer rather than delivering the wrong medicine that had inadvertently been filled with poison.  Much like St. Joseph was a quiet figure in the New Testament, it is Harry that receives the renowned fame of a hero rather than his brother George.

Perhaps the most obvious parallel is that St. Joseph and George Bailey are both in love with a woman named Mary.  George is a man filled with plans, hopes, and dreams.  At one point he tells his wife, “I know what I’m going to do tomorrow and the next day and the next year and the year after that.”  But things do not work out the way the George plans.  He never fills his suitcase, never travels the globe, and in reality never makes it out of Bedford Falls.  It is not unreasonable to think that Joseph felt the same.  Engaged to Mary, he finds her pregnant with a child that is not her own.  Certainly his situation is far from ideal in the life of any Jewish man.  The same desperate plea form George Bailey when crisis hits, “I wish I had never been born”, very well could be put on the lips of St. Joseph as he wrestles to cope with his own situation.  After all, Joseph’s initial reaction was to “divorce Mary quietly.”

At the height of personal crisis, both Joseph and George are visited by an angel sent by God.  The angel, in both cases, reveals to the men the crucial role they have played and must continue to play in the lives of those around them, a role that can only be fulfilled by abandonment of personal ambitions and preconceptions.  Clarence, the angel sent to George Bailey, says, “Each man’s life touches so many other lives.  And when he isn’t around, he leaves an awful hole.”  Not only is this a perfect description of God’s providence, it also leads us to recognize the essential role that Joseph played in the plan of salvation.  What would have happened had Joseph decided to divorce Mary in spite of the angel’s plea?  The “hole” left would have had cosmic consequences.

In the revelation given to George, he comes to realize not only the direct impact that he has on his friends and family, but also the “butterfly effect” so to speak.  In other words, critical decisions made by people in George’s life could only have been made because of George’s influence.  Likewise, while Mary’s fiat came before Joseph’s, we cannot overlook the fact that his decision to take her into his home must have influenced the behavior of the Blessed Mother and her role in the life of Jesus.

Finally, the movie opens with the offering of a prayer, “I owe everything to George Bailey.  Help him, dear Father.  Joseph, Jesus, and Mary.  Help my friend Mr. Bailey.”  The usual order of intercession is, “Jesus, Joseph, and Mary.”  The script seems to give added importance to the intercession of St. Joseph.  The prayer is heard by the foster father of Jesus, for it is Joseph who approaches God, who asks, “Trouble, Joseph?”  Joseph tells God of George Bailey, and because of his intercession, the angel Clarence is sent to earth to save Mr. Bailey from himself.  Not only does this add to the parallels between St. Joseph and George, but it also gives a beautiful witness to the Catholic teaching on intercessory prayer.

After reading Fr. Cameron’s editorial, I can no longer watch It’s A Wonderful Life without thinking about St. Joseph.  For this reason, the most watched Christmas movie of all time provides a tremendous opportunity for Advent preparation.

St. Joseph, pray for us.


NB.  The above is inspired by an editorial written by Peter John Cameron, O.P., in the publication Magnificat some years ago.  For the life of me, I cannot locate the piece either in print or online.  The observations are based on my own notes from Fr. Cameron's article.  If someone has a link to his original text, please send it my way, and I am happy to give credit where credit is due.