St. Joseph is a great protector and guardian! In his homily from the inaugural Mass of the Petrine Ministry, Pope Francis said this about the guardian of the Universal Church:
"How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly, and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus." (From the homily of Pope Francis at his inaugural Mass).
I love to think about St. Joseph, and what it would have been like to be him. It must have taken great faith to believe the Angel when he told him that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And what humility and holiness must this poor man from Nazareth have had! Mary is the most perfect of all creatures, and she was chosen to be the Mother of God's Son, the Second Person of the Trinity. And St. Joseph was chosen to protect them! And not only to protect, but to marry the Blessed Virgin and to raise the Son of God as his own! There is no room for pride or false humility in this scenario. St. Joseph felt keenly, I am sure, how lowly he was, and yet to have his Creator dependent on him and obedient to his guidance - what astonishment he must have felt!
He did not allow this to make him haughty or proud, or to abuse his authority as a foster-father of Jesus. Rather, he allowed the grace of God to permeate his life and to guide his every action so that nothing he did was outside of the Almighty Father's will. St. Joseph was not rich by any means. He was a poor carpenter. I am sure it was a constant sorrow to his heart that he could not provide better circumstances for the King of Heaven and His Queen Mother, the Immaculate Conception. But what he did have he gave them without reserve - his love, his protection, his devotion, his heart... He even taught the young Jesus his trade - carpentry. Nothing did he keep for himself. He didn't let the poverty of his circumstances prevent him from sharing his whole life with those he loved most dearly.
We know that God favors the humble. We can see examples of it all throughout Scripture and history. Over and over again God uses the humble, the weak, and the downtrodden to reveal His glory. No one would have expected the Israelites to overcome their Egyptian oppressors and actually succeed in leaving Egypt and taking over the Promised Land. But God led them through it. No one would have expected David, an adulterer and murderer, to be a great king and highly favored by God, but he was. He was transformed through the grace of God. No one knew who Mary was, a young virgin living a prayerful but obscure life, but God chose her to be the Mother of His Son. And who would have thought that a poor carpenter would be chosen to take care of and protect Jesus and Mary? It may seem to make more sense to have chosen a soldier, a king, or some other wealthy man. But God chose St. Joseph, the carpenter.
The humility and docility of Joseph and Mary created the perfect atmosphere for the Son of God to grow in health and wisdom. With parents so in tune with the Holy Spirit and the will of God the Father, this was truly a holy family! We do not know much from the Scriptures about St. Joseph, but tradition holds that St. Joseph died sometime before Jesus' public life began at His Baptism in the Jordan River. This means that he would not have been able to stay with Mary and Jesus through the fulfillment of their vocations. He could not have been there to support Mary and comfort her as Jesus suffered His Passion and death. That in itself must have caused St. Joseph great pain! Yet, in all things, he submitted to the will of the Father. He protected Jesus with Mary as Jesus grew so that when the time came, He would be ready for His public ministry, and ultimately, the Cross.
As we approach Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the Triduum, let us pray to St. Joseph that he would help us be open to the will of the Father, offering all of ourselves for God's plan, holding nothing back. Let us with Mary protect Christ in our hearts and in the hearts of those around us. Lent is drawing to a close, but let us continue to persevere through to the bitterness of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, that we may all the more share in the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday! May God bless your Holy Week!
Written by Catherine
We know that God favors the humble. We can see examples of it all throughout Scripture and history. Over and over again God uses the humble, the weak, and the downtrodden to reveal His glory. No one would have expected the Israelites to overcome their Egyptian oppressors and actually succeed in leaving Egypt and taking over the Promised Land. But God led them through it. No one would have expected David, an adulterer and murderer, to be a great king and highly favored by God, but he was. He was transformed through the grace of God. No one knew who Mary was, a young virgin living a prayerful but obscure life, but God chose her to be the Mother of His Son. And who would have thought that a poor carpenter would be chosen to take care of and protect Jesus and Mary? It may seem to make more sense to have chosen a soldier, a king, or some other wealthy man. But God chose St. Joseph, the carpenter.
The humility and docility of Joseph and Mary created the perfect atmosphere for the Son of God to grow in health and wisdom. With parents so in tune with the Holy Spirit and the will of God the Father, this was truly a holy family! We do not know much from the Scriptures about St. Joseph, but tradition holds that St. Joseph died sometime before Jesus' public life began at His Baptism in the Jordan River. This means that he would not have been able to stay with Mary and Jesus through the fulfillment of their vocations. He could not have been there to support Mary and comfort her as Jesus suffered His Passion and death. That in itself must have caused St. Joseph great pain! Yet, in all things, he submitted to the will of the Father. He protected Jesus with Mary as Jesus grew so that when the time came, He would be ready for His public ministry, and ultimately, the Cross.
As we approach Palm Sunday, Holy Week, and the Triduum, let us pray to St. Joseph that he would help us be open to the will of the Father, offering all of ourselves for God's plan, holding nothing back. Let us with Mary protect Christ in our hearts and in the hearts of those around us. Lent is drawing to a close, but let us continue to persevere through to the bitterness of Good Friday and Holy Saturday, that we may all the more share in the joy of the Resurrection on Easter Sunday! May God bless your Holy Week!
Written by Catherine
