This weeks reflection on St. Joseph is seeing his call to duty in the formation of the Holy Family in his care and partnership with Our Blessed Mother in being living witnesses to the love of God in the gift of his son Jesus. If we take time to imagine the heart and mind of Joseph, the turmoil and doubt that filled the early days of marriage, the hope and dreams constantly in flux it would not be a stretch of the imagination to find Joseph pondering where this is all leading. He recognized and embraced his duty as husband and father of the child growing in the womb of Mary. He knew his task would be one of caring and providing for as well as protecting his family. And as they traveled forth to Bethlehem we cannot doubt his worry. And then he encounter the Christ child.

Fr. Maurice Meschler in his book “The Truth About Saint Joseph”, shares this thought, “All his sorrows were now forgotten in the contemplation and embrace of the divine Infant, to whom he was to be father on earth. How this child must even now have ravished his eyes and captivated his heart! What a joy was his at this gift from God and of his beloved spouse, Mary, to whom this divine token bound him anew in admiration and love.” (p 28) St. Joseph reminds us of our own need to be captivated in the love of Jesus. We are called to bring our sorrows, our suffering and our sins to the altar and be ravished by the merciful and gracious love of God. Do we allow our hearts to see Jesus with the eyes of St. Joseph? Is our heart and mind silent to the soft sounds of the child in the arms of our Mother? It should be the moment of recognition of how we desire to be united in dutiful love, not the sentimental fleeting feelings, but the knowing we are united and are called to an act of sacrifice greater than we had thought possible.
Pope St. John Paul II in his Apostolic Exhortation “Redemptoris Custos” writes, “One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation.” (#4) Accepting truth is important. Knowing truth is vital. From the beginning the Evil One has sought to distort the truth of who we are and how we are called into relationship with God and others. In many ways, St. Joseph, through his relationship with the Virgin Mary, shows us what it means to fully accept truth which turns us towards the ultimate and eternal love. By seeking the desire of God we find the peace within the troubles of the world helping us to have a heart open to healing and purity. Fr. Meschler writes, “At that moment he realized his entire duty toward this child and made a complete sacrifice of himself to fulfill the office entrusted to him. It was his duty to support Mary in her services to the Child Jesus.” (p 28)
Recognizing the mission, the vocation, the path of life God invites Joseph to follow is also for us the same need to fulfill God’s plan in our life. Becoming guardians of Jesus, guardians of our faith, is the continual renewal, as every parent knows, of growing with the child in a relationship ever changing but forever grounded in the first blessing which is true sacrificial love. Is this how we practice our faith? St. Joseph, from the moment he learned of the conception to the hour when Jesus and Mary stood by him on his death bed, his faith grew ever deeper as he held the infant, taught the boy and watched the young man become the craftsman.
This is the choice God our Father offers us daily, to grow and embrace the joy of the Gospel his Son Jesus announces to us. Walking with St. Joseph we here St. John Paul II words, knowing we too must follow St Joseph in becoming a true guardian of his son, “Therefore he became a unique guardian of the mystery “hidden for ages in God”, as did Mary, in that decisive moment which St. Paul calls “the fullness of time,” when “God sent forth his Son, born of woman…to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons”” (#5 )
St. Joseph…Pray for us.
God Bless
Fr. Mark

Ever-living and faithful God,we give you thanks for walking with us,your people of this Diocese of San José.
Pour forth your Spirit on this local Church,that our works of Faith and labors of Lovemay lead others to Jesus, your Son,and that our endurance in Joy and Hopemay lift up those weary from uncertainty.
Accompanied by Saint Joseph and Saint Clare,may we continue “Journeying Together in Hope,”and day by day be drawn closer to your Son,our Light, our Hope, and our Salvation,who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spiritforever and ever.
Amen.