Another Reflection on Saint Joseph

Fr. James Kubicki, S.J., National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, offers a reflection on Saint Joseph (from the Magis Institute's "Daily Ignatian Reflection"):

We take a break today from the somber purple of Lent and put on white.  It is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the husband the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of Jesus.  He speaks to us eloquently and yet the Gospels record no spoken word of his.  His actions speak louder than any words and they reveal a very deep faith.  Just imagine what Joseph went through when Mary told him that she was pregnant and he knew the baby was not his.  Or how he trusted God even when he could not provide a worthy shelter for his wife who was about to give birth in a stable or cave near Bethlehem.  Or his dismay when it was revealed to him in a dream that King Herod wanted to kill Jesus.  Joseph is surely an example to us of how faith keeps us steady in the midst of trials.

The following two quotes are from two of Pope Benedict's homilies given last year during his visit to Africa:

"Dear brothers and sisters, our meditation on the human and spiritual journey of Saint Joseph invites us to ponder his vocation in all its richness, and to see him as a constant model for all those who have devoted their lives to .... Joseph was caught up at every moment by the mystery of the Incarnation. Not only physically, but in his heart as well, Joseph reveals to us the secret of a humanity which dwells in the presence of mystery and is open to that mystery at every moment of everyday life. In Joseph, faith is not separated from action. His faith had a decisive effect on his actions. Paradoxically, it was by acting, by carrying out his responsibilities, that he stepped aside and left God free to act, placing no obstacles in his way. Joseph is a "just man" (Mt 1:19) because his existence is "ad-justed" to the word of God."

"Each and every one of us was thought, willed and loved by God. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph, that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love for him."

The Daily Ignatian Reflections are an outreach by the MAGIS Center for Catholic Spirituality (MCCS), which focuses on converting ideas about transforming and healing the culture into action, either as a part of the MCCS or as independent organizations:
The Magis Institute