Page 8 - Reflections on St. Joseph

and transmit to us still today the desire to “serve the interests of Jesus” in the Church? Or again: is it
worth proposing in our day, a Saint of humility and of silence as a model to imitate? What can his life
teach people of the 21 century?
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I would respond to these questions, simply with the observation that it is he, St. Joseph, who always
takes us to the heart of our Christian and Religious vocation; it is he who helps us re-discover the features
which make up the identity of a true Oblate; it is he who re-proposes to Christian communities his
always relevant and unmistakable style of faithfulness and service. If we were to make use of just one
word to sum up the mission and spiritual patrimony of St. Joseph, it would be enough to say “Jesus”, the
name which our Saint was called to pronounce and confer in the rite of Circumcision (Mt 2,25). That is
the name which St. Paul says is “above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend,
in the heavens, on the earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to
the glory of God the Father.” (Phil 2,10)

St. Joseph lives profoundly in union with Jesus, contemplating Him in the Incarnation and the Mysteries
of the Hidden Life. Therefore, he reminds us constantly that the vocation to the Consecrated Life and
every other Christian Vocation, consists above all in personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In this he
invites us to re-center ours lives on Jesus, the One thing necessary, from whom comes all the rest, taking
from Him meaning and value. In the school of St. Joseph in fact, we learn to welcome the Word as the
reason for our life and apostolate. We learn to grow in fraternity. We learn strength of heart, the
indispensable condition for dealing with the challenges of daily life and of the apostolate.

I propose that in the course of this Year, these words of the Gospel of Matthew inspire us and accompany
us in deepening our personal and community reflection:

Rise up….
And he rose up, in the night, and took with him the child and his mother
(Mt. 2, 13 & 14)

Rise up…he rose up… The verb “to rise up” refers to movement and is linked to an upwards movement.
It recurs in the Sacred Scripture, in various contexts, always with a positive meaning: to rise and stand
up, to rise after having fallen, to lift up one’s eyes in prayer… It is a call to leave the position of sitting
down or laying down so as to get moving, because comfort does not satisfy the deep aspirations of the
human heart and is in contrast with the logic of the Gospel. This word spoken by the Angel in a dream,
heard and embraced, leads to a radical change in the life of Joseph. The man “of dreams” is open to
“surprises” from God and accepts His will even if it upends his life. Three times he dreams and each time
he only receives a message and a partial explanation. However, to do the will of God it is not necessary
to have a complete picture of the situation, with all consequences and possible developments spelled
out. It is enough to have “only that much light as serves for the first step.” (H. Newman)

…in the night… This reference to the time of day recalls the symbolic character of the night in Holy
Scripture. It serves to highlight and understand the depth of character of Joseph, who does not draw
back in the moment of the challenge. As a father, he must take care of the Child; as a spouse, he must
protect Mary, not only by day when all is bright and secure, but also at night, when the obstacles seem
all the harder to overcome.

…took with him the child and his mother… In Joseph we can admire his willingness and readiness,
simple and ordinary virtues which adorn him. However, the words of the Gospel reveal that the center
of his life and his mission, is Jesus. Joseph obeys the order of the Angel, and this obedience is always

iv iv Reflections on st. joseph