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Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
We know that Joseph was a religious man who heard the voice of an angel revealing the mystery of the incarnation. It was not what Joseph expected; but it is what Joseph accepted.
We also know that Joseph was a carpenter, a working man. Not being a wealthy man, he could only afford the lesser sacrificial gift of two turtledoves or two young pigeons (not a sacrificial lamb) when Jesus was presented in the temple. But that lesser gift in human eyes was a great gift in God’s eyes. And Jesus himself would become the lamb of sacrifice.
Joseph was a strong man who took care of his new family with deep affection, accepting that he was not the biological father of the child Jesus – but he certainly served as a spiritual father to him. He protected these two lives -- Mary and Jesus -- who were given to him by God. He, like Mary, was chosen to be an important part of God’s plan of salvation. He would do God’s will as he came to know it. His “yes” to God has benefited all of us in much the same way that Mary’s “yes” has blessed us with Jesus Christ.
Not much else is known about Joseph – but I think if we look closely, we can see some of his human traits rubbing off on the foster son he raised. Jesus had a carpenter’s appreciation for working people, enjoyed a laugh with good friends, could tell a good story, and was persistent in his own work. Joseph, as a foster father, magnified and developed these traits in God’s only Son. The manhood of Jesus was formed by Joseph who provided him with a tremendous example of fatherhood and proper masculinity.
A stained-glass window in the Church of St. Joseph in Nazareth depicts the death of Joseph surrounded by Jesus and Mary. May we be able to love our parents even in their old(er) age. And, if they have passed on, as mine have, may we be helped by their ongoing prayers for us. They gave much to us. They gave life to us. For nearly every one of us, although there are some sad exceptions, they also gave Jesus to us.
St. Joseph, pray for us.