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Gospel: Matthew 1:16-24
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Today we celebrate the life of a man whom we know almost nothing about.
Joseph was the foster father of Jesus. But he never speaks a word in the Gospels, disappearing from the scriptures when Jesus is twelve.
God spoke to Joseph, but only in dreams, first encouraging him to not be afraid to take Mary into his home. Later, another angel appeared, warning him to leave the very same home with Mary and the Christ-child in tow, because King Herod wanted Jesus dead.
So, the Holy Family took what little they had and walked the same road that cuts through Gaza today, from Bethlehem to Egypt. After an indefinite period of time in exile, they returned home – to a simple life.
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Simple because Joseph never went to college. He never wrote a book. He never owned shares in the stock market. He never held public office. He never made the news. He did nothing memorable in the world’s eyes.
He was uneducated; a peasant; a foster father; a refugee.
A nobody.
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But 2,000 years have come and gone, and we still honor his life. Out of the billions of people who’ve lived and died, Joseph is one of the few our world still remembers fondly.
Maybe that’s because we all see something of ourselves in him.
He worked hard. He loved deeply. He was a faithful husband. A devout father. And, most importantly, obedient to the tasks that God entrusted to him, even when only directed in a dream.
Joseph shows us what really matters in the end.
Fidelity. Humility. Taking responsibility for the tasks that God has given us to do. If we can emulate his example, then we, too, shall be blessed in the eyes of God.
Saint Joseph, pray for us!
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Image credits: (1) Cathopic (2) Year of Saint Joseph (3) The First Baptist Church, Washington, D.C.