Hello!
This was suppose to be the Inaugural Article but emotions got the best of me. It's lengthy but I had to honor the Guardian of the Lord. I always told myself I always will.
We read very little in the Gospel on Saint Joseph but it is in these little passages that we gain so much insight into the life of the noble and chaste guardian of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint Joseph is of the noble House of David, the royal house of Israel. Even in Genesis, Jacob prophesizes that the scepter will always be in the Tribe of Judah in which the House of David belongs to. In the Old Testament, when Saul disgraces himself, the Lord moves the scepter of rule to David, son of Jesse of the Tribe of Judah, thus fulfilling the prophecy. It is through the fatherhood of Joseph and his marriage to the Blessed Virgin Mary that the prophecy is made perpetual in the birth and reign of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What do we know of Joseph? The only description we get from the Gospel is that he was a just man. Not a lot of biblical characters are specifically called ‘just’. This speaks volumes. Among those described as ‘just’ are Noah, Lot, Cornelius the Centurion, Simeon and John the Baptist. This means that Joseph was not a mere supporting character in the grand scheme of things. No, he was instrumental and a true God-fearing man. Not much is revealed about Joseph except his initial role in the early part of the Gospel narrative and a few clues in the ministry of Jesus.
Joseph of the House David was also a dreamer like his namesake ancestor. He repeatedly received messages from the Lord, through an angel, in dreams. When he found out that Mary was with child and not by his own doing, Joseph wanted to quietly divorce her. Mary and Joseph were already betrothed at this point and in the Jewish custom, it was already a formally binding and was already similar to actually being married. Joseph, being kind and concerned, did not want Mary and her unborn child to be harmed. If anyone else found out that Mary was pregnant and not by Joseph, she would be labelled and adulterer and will be sentenced to death by stoning. God intervened and sent an angel to tell Joseph in a dream the truth of Mary’s pregnancy. The angel tells Joseph to not fear and take Mary as his wife.
Joseph was given the honor of fostering the very Lord and Savior of Israel. He was given the honor of being the acknowledged earthy father of the Messiah. In this most unique event in history, the just Joseph is made the father of God. God himself becomes this just man’s son. He also gains the privilege of taking the purest of virgins to be his spouse. It is a great and immeasurable honor that God bestowed on Joseph. He accepted as a loving servant would and took Mary into his house.
When the Caesar Augustus commands a census of the entire Roman dominion, Joseph is forced to register himself in his Bethlehem, the town of his ancestor David. He could go alone but the dear Lady Mary was pregnant and her time to give birth was too close and immanent. Joseph makes the call and brings her along. As the Christmas tales and the fulfilled prophecies go, our little Lord was born in the town of David. It is also through the angel’s message that the name Jesus is given to our Lord by Joseph on His name day and circumcision, eight days after birth. God truly wanted Saint Joseph to participate in his own fatherhood and in the fostering of his only begotten Son.
When our Lord was born and the many wonderful events happened, Herod threatened the young Lord’s life. In a dream it is revealed to Joseph that he must take his entire family and head south for Egypt. Just as his namesake was forced into Egypt, so does the noble guardian of God and his mother. When it was safe to return, the angel again appears in two dreams and tells Joseph that it was safe to return to their homeland but to avoid Judea. Joseph, as the father of the Holy Family, takes command and initiative and heads out for his hometown of Nazareth. The last time we read of the noble Joseph alive is on the twelfth year of our little Lord when the Holy family goes to Jerusalem for the Passover feast where the young Jesus goes missing for three days only to be in the Temple listening to the teachers and asking them questions while amazing them with his wisdom and depth of understanding. Mary tells the young Lord that she and Joseph were greatly worried for him. The young Lord Jesus replies that they should have known he would be in his Father’s house. Think and reflect on what would those words mean for Joseph. It would have been a powerful reminder to Joseph and Mary that their child wasn’t theirs alone. The Gospel says that Mary kept all these things in her heart. It could be inferred that Joseph also kept these things and events in mind.
What else do we know of Joseph? Naturally, a father would work with his craft to support his family. From the Gospels, we know that Joseph was a carpenter or an artisan of sorts. A father teaches his son his craft so he may learn to live on his own later. It is not a surprise if our Lord Jesus could make furniture or skilled in masonry. In his ministry, some of those who listened to him labelled him as a mere carpenter’s son, recalling his father on this earth. It might be seen as a small and humble matter to be called a carpenter’s son but God saw it fit that it be a reminder of his gift of a very special fatherhood that he bestowed on Joseph. In turn, Joseph gives the Lord Jesus an identity among the Jews as the Son of David and the carpenter’s son – titles that are tangible and truly relatable to the people of the time.
Saint Joseph is not mentioned again after the account of the Holy Family’s adventure in Jerusalem. He is presumed dead at the time of Christ’s ministry. If he were alive, he would have been mentioned somewhere in the ministry along with Mary. Mary was mentioned multiple times during the ministry of Christ, from the Wedding at Cana all the way to the Passion. Joseph makes no appearance at this point. If he were alive, it would be unthinkable for him to be absent in his Divine Son’s crucifixion and death. It would be shocking as well for the Lord to give his Mother to Saint John’s care if our Lady’s spouse was alive!
In Church Tradition, Joseph is seen as a man who was assigned to Mary as her guardian when Mary could no longer remain in the service of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was picked by lot and was confirmed to be Mary’s The Traditions vary on Joseph’s age and status. He is said to be a widower with children from his previous marriage. One account even puts him as old as 90 but all the accounts never mentioned of Joseph ever having relations with Mary, thus preserving her virginity even after the birth of Christ. There is a pious belief that Saint Joseph died happily in the presence of the Lord Jesus and his spouse Mary.
Saint Joseph is given the honor of being the Universal Patron Saint of the entire Catholic Church. He is a patron saint of so many things. He is known to be the protector of children, mothers and virgins in the same way he protected the Virgin Mary and the young Lord Jesus. He is the patron of a happy death, workers, carpenters, realtors, against doubt and hesitation, fathers among others. He is also the patron saint of Croatia, China, the Philippines, Vietnam and many more places. There is even a superstitious belief that burying a statue of Saint Joseph in the a property for sale helps in selling it.
His silent witness is a testimony of virtue and honor. He is just and a true man of God. He is subservient to the will of God but is also strong and takes initiative in following that same will. Blessed be the name of Joseph, Mary’s most chaste spouse. Saint Joseph, noble guardian of our Lord Jesus Christ, pray for us, now until the hour of our death. Amen.
