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“Joseph, son of David,do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.”
The
Feast Day of St. Joseph. I’ll admit it’s a little intimidating to write a
reflection [for Father Alfonse's blog] today. I mean, St. Joseph!!
He’s a big one. Protector of homes, patron saint of the universal Church,
fathers, a happy death...
I
must admit, I haven’t given him enough credit before recently. I guess it’s because I’m neither a father nor
husband. As I started asking around about saints and St. Joseph, I realized how
instrumental his role—and the role of all the saints—is in our life. In praying
for St. Joseph’s intercession and reading about him these past few days, I have
begun to unravel the example of holiness and obedience that is St. Joseph.
Before
now, in my mind, he just kind of observed. He stood by as the big stuff
happened. After all, throughout the entire Bible, he didn’t even say anything!
But, you see, what I’ve come to realize now is that he didn’t stand by. He
stepped aside. He stepped aside so God
could be glorified, not him.
Joseph
was asked to marry the Blessed, the Holy, the One and Only Virgin Mary. He was
asked to adopt the Savior of Humanity.
Tasks like that could have easily given him a big head. But he instead chose
the route of humility and obedience to our Lord.
First,
take his relationships with others. St. Joseph lived with perfect people.
Imagine that. He was the only sinner
in the entire bar Joseph household. Talk about pressure! Imagine prayer time
with his adopted Son…. “Dear…You, please, uh, bless me and my blessed, holy,
perfect wife.”
Imagine
how he treated Jesus. God had entrusted him to watch after and instruct the
holiest and most perfect child to be born onto this earth. There was a lot of
pressure involved with that, no doubt. Yet still, Joseph taught Jesus his
trade, his prayers, his way of life. And well, yes, he lost him for three days,
but hey, it happens to the best of ‘em,
right? (kidding)
Imagine
how Joseph treated Mary. He loved her with such a pure love that no physical
means could define or express it. He embodies what it means to be united man
and wife and, most importantly, God. Now I don’t know much about marriage, but
I spoke with someone who does, a man who is devoted to both his wife and to our
Lord. He says it better than I ever could.
“St. Joseph is the perfect
spouse. He was hardworking, compassionate, understanding, patient, kind, and
loving. Marriage is tough work. A Christian marriage requires both humility and
trust, but it also invites God into the picture to be in relationship with the
husband and the wife. It takes three to make a marriage work. St. Joseph knew
that well. As a husband, although the head of the household, I am called to
lower myself in relation to my wife in order to love, protect, honor, and
respect her just as St. Joseph did for Mother Mary. This act of lowering
oneself - humility - is seen when you put your needs and wants aside for what
is best for your spouse. St. Joseph is the perfect example of putting his needs
and wants aside for what was best for his wife knowing that he was doing the
will of God. Was it difficult? Of course. That's part of being Christian.
That's part of picking up our Cross to follow Him.”
Joseph
knew humility inside and out. He knew the love owed to Mary because he knew the
love of God. Think about how he treated the Lord. He had been blessed with the
gifts of a holy and perfect family. But soon, he learned that his adopted Son, beloved
and divine, would be killed viciously and unjustly. A sword would pierce the
heart of the woman he loved. And he could do nothing. It was part of a plan
that Joseph, being human, probably didn’t fully understand. And still, he
accepted it, just like he accepted marrying a pregnant woman who his culture
would have assumed the worst of a stoned. He didn’t protest. He didn’t grow
angry. Joseph swallowed his pride, closed his mouth, and listened.
This
takes courage. This required Joseph to put God first, to step aside and trust
that God’s plan, though seemingly chaotic to him, would work for the best. The
fact that Joseph said no words in the Bible is not a sign of insignificance.
Rather, that silence speaks wonders. St. Joseph is an example to us all.
Like
his life demonstrates, silence is necessary. Silence means that we put God
before our doubts and our protests. We accept His will without a fight. We put
our needs aside and arm ourselves with God’s word and God’s guidance. In doing
so, we don’t enter into a journey without suffering, but we DO enter into God’s
journey, a path that will never disappoint.
This
Lent, follow Joseph’s example. Stop protesting, and start listening.
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