Not much is known about St. Joseph, husband of Mary and the earthly father of Jesus.
In the Bible, he is referred to as a “just man,” which was considered a high compliment in his time. It also meant that he was willing and open to do whatever God asked of him, including taking Mary as his wife, despite her unusual – and blessed pregnancy (Matthew 1:19). He also loved and cared for Jesus.
We know he was a hardworking carpenter who lovingly watched over his family during turbulent times, including traveling to Egypt with Mary and Jesus. Later, when things were safe, he brought his family back to Nazareth.
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary…?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
St. Joseph is the patron saint of: Belgium, Canada, carpenters, China, fathers, a happy death, Peru, Russia, social justice, travelers, the universal Church, Vietnam and workers.
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