by Carmel G. Cauchi, SDC Member
On the 19th of March, we celebrate the feast of St Joseph, and thus this month is dedicated to him. St Joseph is the saint of purity. He was entrusted with a divine mission to be the lawful husband of the Mary, and while she truly became a natural mother, he continued to safeguard her virginity. He was called to live with her as her husband without exercising the rights of marriage. At the same time, he provided protection to his wife, Mary, and her son, Jesus, serving as the unifying bond of the family, as it has always been in the divine plan.
St Joseph is also to be admired for his prudence. When he realised that Mary was expecting a child that was not his, he resolved not to expose her to the authorities, knowing that she could otherwise be condemned as an adulteress and stoned. Then, when the angel appeared to him in a dream and revealed that the child conceived in her was the work of the Holy Spirit, Joseph accepted her as his wife without question.
Another striking virtue in St Joseph is his unwavering trust in God. He always surrendered himself to the Lord’s will. Whether it was living chastely with his wife, journeying from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, or fleeing to Egypt to protect the child Jesus from Herod’s wrath, he followed God’s commands without hesitation.
Finally, we cannot help but admire St Joseph’s deep silence. The four Gospels contain no record of his words, not because he was unable to speak, but because his prudence led him to remain silent. Even when Jesus was lost for three days, Joseph chose not to voice his concerns, allowing Mary to speak instead, despite being the head of the Holy Family and fully entitled to do so.
May we recognise and appreciate these virtues in St Joseph and strive to imitate him in our own lives!
