Page 54 - Reflections on St. Joseph

Saint Joseph, the Carpenter

In the Gospel St. Joseph is called a carpenter. When the Nazarenes heard Jesus teach in
their synagogue, they said of him: "This is the carpenter's son, surely?" (Mt 13.55). It is good
for Jesus to be recognized as the son of a carpenter, of a simple man who works hard on
the things of the earth, but who also knows how to listen to God and put into practice His
Will.

The Greek term téktôn (ό τέκτων), which ordinarily translates as "carpenter", corresponds
to the Latin faber and indicates a craftsman who works on wood or stone. Basically, one
can think of the work of a manufacturer of plows and tools for agriculture, and also of
one who generically works on wood, the classic carpenter, or even the carpenter who
provides for wooden structures needed for construction.

Therefore, there is no doubt that St. Joseph was a real worker, a worker, a man of toil. It
is believed that he was a carpenter who worked every day for a lifetime. And with the
work of his hands he ensured sustenance for the Child Jesus and the Virgin Mary, thus
playing an extraordinary role in the project of salvation.

Joseph, Trainer of the Master

"Man is obliged to teach his son a trade"(Talmud). Joseph taught the trade to Jesus who grew
in wisdom and grace, until the beginning of his public activity (Lk 2,51-52). In reality,
alongside Joseph, Jesus has not only learned his father's trade, but also shared and
assimilated that human and concrete dimension that characterizes the world of work,
"This is the carpenter, surely?" (Mk 6,3), that is "the civil status, the social category, the
economic condition, the professional experience, the family environment, human education"
(Paul VI, Allocution of 19 March 1964). Hence, Jesus' participation in Joseph's work was
far beyond any activity occasionally practiced alongside another. It is a submission, the
meaning of which qualifies and defines the whole life of Jesus.

St. John Paul II writes in the Redemptoris Custos: "Human work, and especially manual labor,
receive special prominence in the Gospel. Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work too
has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a special
way. At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human
work closer to the mystery of the Redemption" (n. 22). Feeding and raising the Divine Child
who was preparing to be the victim and oblation for the redemption of the world: this
was the reason that made the work and all efforts of Saint Joseph holy and extremely
meritorious. For this his service and participation in the mystery of the Redemption, the
Church venerates him and proposes him as an example for the workers.

Some Characteristics of the Work of St. Joseph

Intimacy with God: "Life has two precious gifts: beauty and truth. I found the first in the
heart of those who love and the second in the hand of those who work" (Khalil Gibran). St.
Joseph possessed these two gifts by having a heart that loved and the hands that worked.
The strength of Joseph's silent work stemmed from his love for God and for Jesus and

30 Reflections on st. joseph