Husband of Mary, man of silence and work well done

Like Mary, Joseph is the Lord's humble servant, who follows God's word in everything he does. His fruitfulness comes from his self-giving life and his desire to please God in his daily duties. He is the man of loving silence in prayer, the witness of slow inner germination, the craftsman of work well done. 

This son of Abraham, a descendant of David, makes acts of faith without understanding everything. His obedience, active and committed, is his response to the various calls of God in his life, as Pope Francis explains (1): “Even through Joseph’s fears, God’s will, his history and his plan were at work. Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.”

Joseph takes care of Mary and Jesus. He watches over them, attends to their every need, busies himself with daily chores in his carpenter's workshop, sings the Psalms like all the Jews of his time, takes part in the Sabbath and festivals, and takes Jesus to the synagogue. He rejoices in his fatherly heart when Jesus calls him abba, daddy dearest. In the depths of his silence, he knows that his son must be at the service of another Abba.

Jacques Gauthier

Canadian poet, essayist and novelist born December 4, 1951 in Quebec City

www.jacquesgauthier.com

(1) Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter With a Father's Heart, published in December 2020, on the 150th anniversary of the Proclamation of Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church