The Humble Servant

~~~ Solemnity of Saint Joseph ~~~

~~~ 2 SM 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 82 ~~~ 

~~~ ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ MT 1:16, 18-21, 24A ~~~

Saint Joseph was not your typical male.

He did not think that he was qualified to make 

all of his own decisions.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

His gut reaction was to quietly

 distance himself from Mary

 so as not to embarrass her or humiliate her.

For she was pregnant and unwed.

By today's standards it would not 

be such a scandal

 but then it was very different.

Instead he demonstrated his strength

 through his humility in following the will of God.

Too often if a male exhibits humility it is 

perceived as weakness.

God hand picked Joseph to be the protector of Mary and Jesus.

His divine plan was perfectly put together.

After all could you refuse God's request

if he sent an angel to you?

Saint Joseph was chosen by God

because he was instilled with 

with virtues that most resembled God himself.

God did not pick a celebrity... 

God did not pick someone

 well known to be the father for Jesus.

God picked his faithful servant Joseph.

Joseph was not perfect but he was perfect to be chosen 

by God to be the earthly father for Jesus.

Mary too gave the appropriate respect

 to Joseph as the father of Jesus,

  the head of their household.

“Son, why have you done this to us?

Your father and I have been looking

 for you with great anxiety.”

God has chosen each one of us for his

 holy purpose in life.

He has chosen you to be his own.

Maybe you already know what that purpose is,

but if not trust that you too

 are called by God.

Joseph was the humble servant of God.

We honor him today for agreeing to cooperate 

with God's plan for our salvation.

Blessed in our loving devotion to Saint Joseph.

Saint Joseph, pray for us 

to be ready to humbly consent to God's will.

May you be a positive role model for all

fathers in our present world. 

~~~Peace~~~

Faithful Obedience

~~~ Solemnity of Saint Joseph ~~~

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-5A, 12-14A, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~

~~~ Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24A ~~~~

Faith is about holding on when you cannot see
where the path is leading you.

Joseph is one of the central figures in the Bible...a key player,
yet his words are not recorded on those pages.

The actions of Joseph make up for his lack of words.
Joseph allowed his faith in the unknown take him into a greater life.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham...

According to the law Joseph had every right
to abandon Mary once he had knowledge of her pregnancy.
No one would have questioned his decision
to terminate his relationship with her.

God spoke to Joseph in a dream.
Messages in dreams are as real as if you were awake.
This is what must have happened with Joseph;
he did not waiver from what he was told in his sleep.

The faith of Joseph was somehow strengthened.
Any doubts he might have entertained were removed from his heart.
He let God use him in spite of what the laws were dictating.

We have many examples of faith through out the Bible.
The faith and obedience of Joseph made it possible
for Mary and Jesus to be protected by God.

Reflecting on Saint Joseph today
let your own faith be renewed.

Joseph had no reason to stay with Mary...
other than his faith.
He was true to his calling,
even in his apparent silence.

Joseph loved Jesus as his own child;
we must always remember.
Joseph provided and protected Mary and Jesus

being faithful to God.

We pray today for all fathers.
We pray that they will take their vocation of father seriously.
It is a great honor to be a father.

Blessed to be inspired by the faith of St. Joseph.
~~~Peace~~~ 

Saint Joseph, pray for us.

Chosen to be a Father

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

~~2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16~~Psalm 89~~Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22~~Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a~~

Today we pause our Lenten observances
to remember Joseph, the spouse of Mary,
the earthly father of Jesus.

Joseph was able to move forward in his life for one simple reason;
he had the faith to trust in God.
This faith could not have evolved over night.
He was obviously a man of faith for many years.
The Bible calls him a righteous man.
He was a man God chose to be the head of the household.
Mary trusted God, but she also had to have trust in Joseph.
She was a woman; it was important
that she have a husband to provide for her and her child.

It was Joseph who took care of the needs of the family.

Whenever I think of Saint Joseph I also think of those men who are fathers today.
Those men who have biological children...
those who have fathered children and walked away...

those who are fathers with no biological connection.

Joseph was not physically related to Jesus, but that did not keep
 him from loving and caring for Jesus.

I can imagine that Joseph and Jesus had a very loving relationship.
Perhaps a model father son relationship
even though God the Father watched from heaven.

It is not until the Baptism of Jesus do we hear
 the voice of God the Father claim Jesus as his son.

In our society today the role of the father has been diluted.
Diluted because we have so many missing fathers...
missing from their children not only physically but emotionally as well.

Today as we especially look at Saint Joseph let us pray for all fathers.
Pray for those fathers who are deceased, for those who are struggling,
for those who are separated because of military duty.
Let us pray for those fathers who strive to be the best dad they can be...
for those who are confused but keep on loving their children.

Joseph loved Jesus and Jesus loved Joseph
there is no doubt.

Thank God for your father...
Forgive him if he was not the best father.
Love him for how he loved you.

Saint Joseph, pray for all fathers.
Give them the strength and courage to be more loving and caring.
Let them come to believe and trust in their heavenly father, God.

Fatherhood is not just a biological title.
God Bless all fathers.
Peace.

Blessings of Fatherhood

~~~Feast of Saint Joseph~~~

 

~~~ 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~

~~~Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~ Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

 

 

If I had a daughter Joseph would be the kind of man I would want her to marry.

Joseph was a man of character and integrity.

He exhibited great compassion for Mary under extreme circumstances.

Pregnancy out of wed lock would have been a disgrace for both of them.

Their respective families would also have been embarrassed.

It should not be surprising that God would have hand picked such a man

to accompany Mary for this holy event.

Dreams and angels were all the assurance Joseph had to convince him

staying with Mary was the right decision.

Joseph had no idea that the Holy Spirit was overshadowing everything.

 

Mary respected Joseph so much that she even refers to Joseph as

Jesus' father when he is twelve.

She says,

“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”

 

Jesus, as we know, had remained in the temple

instead of leaving with his parents.

Jesus did not act a typical rebellious teen;

instead he respected their wishes. He returned to Nazareth with them.

Jesus was doing the work of his heavenly Father, but he is also

obedient to his earthly father...Joseph.

Jesus himself never tried to deny or trivialize the fatherhood of Joseph.

This is a beautiful tribute to the person of Joseph.

He was deprived of biological fatherhood

 yet put in the place of honor as the father of Jesus.

 

Jesus probably never told Joseph that he didn't have to obey him

 because he was not really his father.

In today's world, unfortunately, that would not be uncommon.

 

I believe Joseph was strong yet meek and humble.

Joseph, as a carpenter, could look at a chunk of wood and envision

how it could be transformed into something useful.

He could plan take a piece of wood into his shop and create something

useful and beautiful.

Most likely he took great pride in his finished products.

Mary surely was proud of what he could make for them

and how he could provide for her and Jesus.

 

Joseph was a builder. Jesus was a builder too.

Jesus is still building up the kingdom here on earth.

He calls us to join him in his mission of building.

 

 

Being a father does not rely solely on biology.

It is much more.

Blessings to those men who are fathers with no gene connection.

Love will make up for more than any thing else; we see it here with Joseph.

 

Saint Joseph, pray for all fathers.

Saint Joseph, pray for my father, Joseph,

who was also a gifted wood worker.

The Humble Servant, Joseph

~~~ Sam.7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16, ~~~ Psalm 89 ~~~ Rom. 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~~~ Matt.1:16, 18-21, 24a ~~~

In the bosom of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written...
Today is the feast of St. Joseph. He, as was Mary, was chosen by God to be entrusted with the care of the child Jesus. Joseph must have had a deep faith.

He responded to the advice of God in a dream where an angel speaks to him. He was a man of great honor, for he did not want to embarrass Mary because of her unwed pregnancy. Joseph trusted that God the Father would guide him and lead him in the care of both Mary and the child, Jesus.

Joseph led this Holy Family by surrendering to the will of God. For these were not the plans he had envisioned for his life. There was no way he could have had any idea of what he would be called to do. Joseph was able to lead the family to safety and to provide for them as a humble servant of God. He was obedient to God at every venture in his life.

I feel sure that Joseph came to love and care for Mary. He was charged with the protection of both Mary and Jesus from those wanting to harm him from his birth. As Jesus grew older Joseph would spend time with him teaching him how to be a model Jewish boy. Jesus was likely taught much about the writings of the prophets by Joseph.
Jesus would have called Joseph dad or father at least until he was lost in the temple.

That is the last time anything is recorded in scripture about Joseph. Sadly we have very little given to us through scripture concerning Joseph. Most likely he did come from a very devout holy family. A family that believed in the word of God. A family that accepted mysteries without question. God would not have chosen someone for this important roll in the life of Jesus who was not holy.

I wonder why we do not have any accounts of Jesus using carpentry stories in any of his parables? He was a very good story teller; it was easy to identify with his life examples and the various situations in people's lives.

Saint Joseph shows us how to be supportive yet humble in our service to God.
We can step back and still be in an important roll.