As we celebrate Father’s Day during this Year of St. Joseph, it is fitting to offer a few words about the man who serves as a perfect example for all fathers.
Though little is known about the man himself, we know from Scripture that he was a “just and upright man” and that his obedience to God was unwavering. His steadfast faith in God helped him move through one crisis after another, trusting in divine providence to lead the way.
When he discovered that Mary was pregnant, his only concern was directed toward protecting her from shame. Rather than subjecting her to a divorce which was mandated by Mosaic Law, he was intent on putting her away quietly.
His love for Mary won out over strict observance of the law, which signaled Jesus’ teaching about the spirit over the letter of the law. His kindness was rewarded by an angelic visit assuring him that Mary’s pregnancy was of the Holy Spirit and that he should take her for his wife, and so he did.
According to Jewish law, naming a child was a public confirmation of fatherhood, and we know from Scripture that when the infant God was circumcised, Joseph named him Jesus as directed by the angel. In so doing, Mary understood that Joseph gave legitimacy to their union. Legally married, Mary and Joseph shared the responsibility of parenting the child Jesus.
And yet, no sooner had one crisis been averted than another surfaced when Joseph was told in a dream to flee to Egypt because Jesus’ life was in danger. Once again Joseph’s obedience, rooted in his unwavering faith, was swift and unquestioning.
Surely, he recognized the irony in being told to flee to the very land from which the Israelites had fled, yet rather than argue the point, Joseph demonstrated by example that God’s ways are not our ways. Like Abraham before him, Joseph trusted that God’s will would be revealed in time, despite what seemed like insurmountable obstacles.
It’s a lesson that every father can take to heart. How many abortions might be avoided if unplanned pregnancies would be embraced rather than terminated?
St. Joseph is a perfect example that fatherhood is more than a biological reality. It’s about recognizing that God is present in every aspect of our lives, even when pregnancies are unplanned or when they occur without benefit of marriage.
When we place our trust in God, we give credence to the words of St. Paul that “all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28).
It seems that every circumstance surrounding the birth of Jesus was unexpected, yet Joseph remained faithful in the wake of every hardship. We know from Scripture that the Holy Family went to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover every year, which was beyond what the law required. As a poor family, the sacrificial dimension of their commitment is a lived example of the centrality of God in their life.
To live in the physical presence of the mother of God and God’s own son was an extraordinary gift with which only St. Joseph was favored. Yet his silence about the role he was chosen to play in salvation history speaks volumes about his humility and trust in God — a lesson we can all take to heart.
We may not be visited by angels of the celestial variety, but God continues to send his messengers in ways that we can choose to obey or ignore. They speak to us through Scripture, the teaching of the Church and the lives of the saints — those who preceded us and those who share the journey with us.
During this year dedicated to St. Joseph, we do well to reflect on the angels in our life. Who are the people, events or means that God uses to guide us, which may often go unnoticed?
In her poem, “In a Cloud of Angels,” Jessica Powers (Carmelite Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit) offers food for thought, which always reminds me of St. Joseph. Though I doubt she had the saint in mind when she composed the poem, it calls attention to the sacred within our midst.
The beginning verse: “I walk in a cloud of angels. God has a throne in the secret of my soul” is worth pondering. If we truly believe this, then, like St. Joseph, we will direct our attention to the angels that surround us, that are sent by God when life’s obstacles seem insurmountable, and that we can turn to in prayer.
During this year in particular, St. Joseph is one of those guides.