Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
What do you know about Joseph? He was the husband of Mary, Jesus’ earthly father, he was a carpenter … and that’s about it? This weekend we celebrated the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We can learn a lot of different things from St. Joseph, even though it seems we know so little about him. Do you know the most famous quote of St. Joseph? I’m sure you don’t, neither do I. How can that be? Well, because there is no record in Scripture of St. Joseph talking. We know what Mary says, one of her most famous quotes is her yes, or her fiat, “behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy word.” We know a lot of the things that Jesus says throughout the Bible. His teachings, His preaching, His healings. We have lots of famous quotes from other Saints and the apostles, but nothing from Joseph. He can teach us the age-old adage, that actions speak louder than words.
We can learn other things from Joseph too. Most people are familiar with the story of the angel Gabriel visiting Mary, but did you know that Joseph was visited by an angel as well? Joseph was deeply troubled by Mary’s mysterious pregnancy. In the Gospel of Matthew, we read that “Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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.”
That is a lot of information to receive in a dream from an angel… what do you think Joseph did next? He could’ve taken some time to process what he had just been told. Maybe he could’ve brought it to prayer. He could’ve told Mary about what he heard and had a conversation with her about it. Or asked a trusted friend. What do you think you would’ve done?
Scripture tells us what Joseph did. “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” His response was immediate. His faith was rooted. His trust was deep and so was his obedience to God. In another dream, the angel tells Joseph: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” Again, Joseph did not hesitate to obey, regardless of the hardship involved: “He got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.”
There is much we can learn from Joseph, about actions and obedience. One of the ultimate things that Joseph models for each of us is the life of humility. He doesn’t even have the name of the Feast Day to himself, he is called “husband of Mary”! If you’ve ever been called “Linda’s son” or “Kenny’s brother”, with someone else’s name as a reference point for your identity, you know it can be sort of a blow to your ego – but St. Joseph wouldn’t have it any other way.
St. Joseph, example of perfect humility, pray for us.
