“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
Matthew 1:24
Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is interesting that our Church gives us this day as a break in the story that we have been following for the last week or so. In the midst of Jesus dealing with the lack of faith from the Pharisees and Jewish leaders, we spend a day focused on the faith of a simple carpenter from Nazareth and two other Old Testament fathers, Abraham and David.
Why is the faith of these men important to us? Because by their example, we can learn how to increase our faith as well. In Romans 4 we hear that Abraham’s faith in God made him the father of many nations and father of us all. He left everything behind to go to a whole new land because he heard God’s call and answered. And 2 Samuel 7 tells us that God promised King David, a fallen man of faith who trusted God and repented of the wrong he had done, that in spite of all of that he would have an heir to the kingdom and that God would be a father to him.
Which brings us to Matthew 1, where we hear the story of Joseph who was from this line of David and should have been a king, but he lived a quiet life serving others and doing honest work with his hands. He was betrothed to Mary, a young woman of strong faith, and had a life planned out with her, when the miraculous events started to unfold. His bride was with child. Everything was turned upside down. He was faced with an almost impossible decision. He could have taken the easy way out and quietly stepped aside, but he listened to the angel and trusted the Lord. And praise God he did, for as the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he protected and cared for our Savior. God used his faith, just like the men before him, to bring about his plan for the world.
His faith should inspire us to trust the Lord even when things don’t seem to make sense or are turning out differently than we expected. We may not all get a visit from an angel to lay out exactly what we should do, but God is always present and ready to help guide us to the truth, if we will lean into him and not our own understanding. All three of the men mentioned at Mass today are men of faith who took a chance, turned back to God when their human failings got the best of them, and stepped into God’s plan with a willing heart to see what He had in store for them. May we do the same each day.
Reflection Questions: Do you have a devotion to St. Joseph? How can you learn more about him and let him intercede on your behalf with his foster son, Jesus? He is a quiet man in Scripture, but he is also a wonderful example of dignity and faith for us all. As a part of the Holy Family, we can learn much from him and his devotion to Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Prayer: Sweet Jesus, help me to take the time to know your foster father, St. Joseph better. He cared for you, taught you many things as you grew, and watched over your family with love and devotion. May I learn from his example how to faithfully work at taking care of the people and responsibilities You have placed before me. Amen.