St. Joseph
Feasts: March 19 and May 1. Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary and the
foster father of Jesus. We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the
skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's
son?" (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple
to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two
turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a
lamb (Luke 2:24). Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal
lineage. Luke and Matthew both mark his descent from David, the greatest king
of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells
Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used
also for Jesus. We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he
discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child
was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He
planned to put away Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her
suffering and safety. He knew that women accused of adultery could be stoned to
death, so he decided to put her away her quietly and not expose her to shame or
cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25). We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to
whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to
Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying,
Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his
wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he
immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a
strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without
question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23). We
know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child
entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his
return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When
Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with
great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph
treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of
Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22) We know Joseph
respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary
and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus'
birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for
Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man. Since
Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection,
many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public
ministry. Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before
Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all
would like to leave this earth. Joseph is also patron of the universal Church,
fathers, carpenters, and social justice. We celebrate two feast days for
Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the
Worker. He was -- "a righteous man" (Matthew 1:18).
Joseph was foster father to Jesus. There are many children separated from
families and parents who need foster parents. Please consider contacting your
local Catholic Charities or Division of Family Services about becoming a foster
parent.
Prayer: Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church
as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did
with your adopted son. Amen.
http://www.domestic-church.com/CONTENT.DCC/19980301/SAINTS/STJOE.HTM
With grateful thanks to Catholic
Online.