Feast of St. Joseph

Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin, foster-father of Jesus, and the Protector of the Universal Church. The Gospels do not record any of his words, but he is very prominently featured in the infancy narrative of St. Matthew’s Gospel. In fact, he plays a pivotal role. Three times in that Gospel, an angel comes to him in a dream, and his obedience to the messenger of God secures the safety of his family.

The first time, he is told to take Mary as his wife. He had been about to divorce her quietly, because she had been found to be with child. He was a righteous man, he did not want her put to death, but as an observant Jew, he did not want to be living in an immoral situation. An angel came to him, telling him, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus -- because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).

The second time the angel comes to Joseph in a dream is after the birth of Jesus. The Holy Family is in Bethlehem, and up in Jerusalem, King Herod the Great has just learned that he has been deceived by the three wise men from the East who had come to the land of Judea, following a star that they believed foretold the birth of the Messiah, one that will lead God’s chosen people into a new kingdom. Herod had hoped that these wise men could lead him directly to that child, so he could destroy that child. However, an angel had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. Upon realizing that there was now no way to know which individual child was the fulfillment of the prophecy that was made concerning this Messiah, he ordered the slaughter of all boys in Bethlehem and the surrounding area two years of age and younger. Once again an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, warning him of this, and telling him to take his family into Egypt, where they will be safe. At once, Joseph got up, woke up his family, and off they went into Egypt.

Eventually King Herod died. One final time, an angel came to Joseph, this time, to tell him that it was safe to return to Israel. Once more, Joseph obeyed immediately.

Joseph is mentioned one final time in the Gospels, this time, in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus is twelve years old, and the family had gone up to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. On the way back, as was customary, Mary and Joseph were travelling in separate groups, Joseph with the men, and Mary, with the women and children. Jesus could have been with either group, and both assumed he was with the other. Eventually they realized he was with neither, so they back-tracked all the way to Jerusalem. Eventually they found Jesus in the temple, speaking with many learned men. The Blessed Mother asked, “‘Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been terribly worried trying to find you.’ He answered them, ‘Why did you have to look for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?’” (Luke 2:48-49). There is more than meets the eye to this apparent snub to the parenthood of St. Joseph, for the Gospel goes on to say that he “went back with them to Nazareth, where he was obedient to them” (Luke 2:51). Nothing more is mentioned of his childhood, but it is believed that Joseph taught Jesus his trade, carpentry.

St. Joseph, pray for us!