Joseph’s holy modesty

Our world is "voyeuristic." Everything must be shown and everything must be told, in a nonstop fashion. Just look at the success of reality TV, the reign of 'extimacy' where people exhibit their no-longer private lives and moods round-the-clock on social media.

By contrast, Joseph is a model of modesty. His brand of modesty is made of silence, natural reserve and meditation. Joseph preserves the privacy of his adopted Son, Jesus. He respects the other-ness of Mary his wife, in the mysteries of her virginal conception and her divine maternity.

Joseph’s modesty is neither shame, which expresses a disgust for oneself, nor prudishness, nor the prudery which feigns self-restraint. Joseph's modesty is a sure sign of the mystery deposited in him, that of his own election. His modesty is a mortification of the senses, an antidote to vanity, the source of his chastity, and the seclusion of his prayer. There is something in the Holy Family that will never be fully knowable and controllable. There is a secret aspect to their life that demands an attitude of self-effacement, and in which are nested both the freedom of God who calls, and the freedom of the answer: the Amen of Jesus and the Fiat of Mary.

Bishop Dominique Rey, Bishop of Fréjus-Toulon, France

March 16, 2013, Bessillon Shrine, Cotignac