Page 26 - Reflections on St. Joseph

Foundation of Hope

In this humble reflection, we will try to ask ourselves about the profound value to be
given to this time of emergency, which has been bestowed in a very particular way on
each believer. We will do so in the company of St. Joseph. Who more than he, an expert
in the unforeseeable and the unexpected, could open our vision to hints of hope?
The precise historical moment in which I would invite each reader to enter is Joseph’s life
in Egypt. When Jesus was born, Joseph, in a dream, receives the command to save the life
of the child and His mother going to the land of Egypt. We do not know exactly how long
they were there, but one thing is certain: Joseph will have begun to experience there, after
all the unexpected and unforeseen, moments of stability, peace and tranquility.
However, we also know that things would not continue in this way. “With the death of
Herod, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him: rise,
take with you the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel.” (Mt 2, 19-21). The
passage continues with a mention so clear as to resolve yet again any possible doubt or
unfavorable interpretation of the active engagement of Joseph in this divine project:
“Having, however, come to know that Archelaus was king in Judea in the place of his
father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Informed in a dream, he withdrew to the region
of Galilee” (Mt 2, 22-23).

Once again, we can say very little about the events of these gospel occurrences. However,
we know that which appears to be silence, emptiness and absence in the life of Joseph,
hides rather the deepest values of the human heart. Every time that we run into him,
there is an invitation to recognize him as being that silent guardian of treasures that
must be defended. He safeguards the work of God so that every human element is
marked by holiness.

More than ever the imperative to a believer will be clear: listen. Listen to the Word of God
so as to be enlightened by it. It is the Word itself, the Letter to the Hebrews (4,12) says,
which: “is living and effective, sharper than a two edged sword; it penetrates to the point
of body and soul, to the joints and marrow, and scrutinizes the sentiments and thoughts
of the heart”. It is God who speaks first to man, and for this reason, he asks to be listened
to, to be accepted. We might at times forget that Christian prayer is first of all listening.
We prefer to say to God: “Listen Lord, for your servant is speaking” rather than: “Speak
Lord, your servant is listening.”

From Fear to Courage

Joseph is the man of listening, or better, the wise man, the one who recognizes in God the
certainty of a trusted ally. In what way can Joseph of Nazareth enlighten us in this time
of pandemic? The Conciliar document Gaudium et Spes, would seem to move our
reflection along its way, almost becoming a premise to the Gospel scenes mentioned
above. The Introduction of the Constitution (n.1) exhorts us: “The joys and hopes, the
sadness and anxieties of man today, especially the poor and all those who suffer, are the
joys and hopes, the sadness and anxieties of the disciples of Christ, and nothing is more
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2 Reflections on st. joseph