Reflection On Saint Joseph

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Susan Northway

Director, Office of Faith Formation

Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of St. Joseph on Dec. 8, 2020. In his apostolic letter Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart), the Holy Father invited us into a spiritual journey to broaden our understanding of St. Joseph’s role in Salvation History and to renew faith, hope and love. Scripture study and prayer help fortify us as pilgrims. Seekers will find that although St. Joseph appears in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, his actual words were not recorded. Human curiosity often leads to deeper questions and reflection. Who was St. Joseph? Why is Pope Francis urging us to ponder his life? What might we learn from his choices in life to help us build the Kingdom of God?

Scripture presents St. Joseph as a just man who prayerfully listened to the Lord and discerned that God was calling him to action. We find that St. Joseph was gifted with vivid dreams. We learn that he did not sit around endlessly mulling over these dreams. St. Joseph chose to obey the Lord’s call by acting upon the messages. From his first act of humble trust in the Lord, St. Joseph emerges as a remarkable man who lived his life in obedience to God’s will.

On my St. Joseph journey these past weeks, I discovered St. Joseph as Mary’s tender and loving husband and protector. When he learned that Mary was pregnant, and knew she was not carrying his child, St. Joseph decided to quietly break off his engagement. His plan went awry when he listened to God’s message in a dream. He opened his heart to marriage with Mary and took her into his home.

I wondered what kind of man would have the strength to defy the customs of his day. Reflecting on the Nativity, I found St. Joseph the tender husband and imagined his determination as he searched in vain for shelter. I embraced his creative, make-do approach in fashioning a manger to keep the Christ Child safe and warm in a humble stable. Like Mary, St. Joseph must have pondered many things in his heart. What did he feel and think when he witnessed shepherds and wise men adoring the divine infant? What were the prayers of this faithful man when he presented baby Jesus to Simeon and heard the prophetic words of holy Anna?

During a pilgrimage, many of us will find our Catholic imagination fired up. For travelers seeking St. Joseph, this imagination helps us to picture St. Joseph as a hard- working man who loved and protected his family during difficult times of persecution. Surely, St. Joseph lived carefully “in the shadows,” as Pope Francis observes. I visualized a skilled tradesman who found work, even in a foreign country. When God spoke to St. Joseph again in a dream, I imagined that he responded with faith, hope and trust as he led the holy family’s exodus out of Egypt and into the desert. I discovered St. Joseph, the humble, strong and reliable worker, who survived in a foreign land and journeyed safely back to Judea. I treasured him as a clever and resourceful dreamer. He brought to mind his ancient ancestor in faith Joseph, son of Jacob. I realized that in recent years, I have met St. Joseph the Worker, this faith-filled, courageous survivor. My Year of St. Joseph journey has helped me remember St. Joseph’s sojourn and exodus, but it has also stimulated memories of powerful encounters with refugees I have known in Utah.

The Word of God travels with us during times of pilgrimage. I watched St. Joseph, a devoted father who taught his son faith traditions of the Hebrew people. I visualized him sharing the faith with Jesus, and proudly presenting him at an ancient Bar Mitzvah. Surely, St. Joseph experienced a father’s fear and exasperation when Jesus disappeared on the way back from the family’s pilgrimage to Jerusalem. When they discovered young Jesus teaching elders in the temple, St. Joseph stood by Mary and listened to her words of anguish. He heard Jesus’ reply about teaching in his Father’s house. I wonder: What did St. Joseph feel in those moments of encounter with Jesus, the long-awaited messiah?

For travelers, St. Joseph emerges as the faithful man whose very life embodies the message Jesus preached in the Lord’s Prayer. Christ teaches the faithful to pray “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.” St. Joseph answered “Yes” to the Lord’s plan and participated in building the Kingdom. Like Mary, St. Joseph cooperated fully with God’s plan. He lived with Mary and Jesus in accordance with the Lord’s will and fulfilled his essential role in Salvation History. St. Joseph, protector of the Church throughout history, shines today as a powerful intercessor and model of virtue. As our Bishop Solis reminds us, the Year of St. Joseph is our time for renewal of faith, hope and love. Our journey to build Christ’s Kingdom continues.