Page 82 - Reflections on St. Joseph

fortitude, piety and fear of God. We know that besides these Gifts to the individuals, the Holy
Spirit continues to build up the Church through the instrumentality of some Holy Men and
Women. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the Church as a Sacrament of Salvation
continues to bring people to Christ and so that she can fulfil her mission, the Holy Spirit
“bestowed upon her varied hierarchic and charismatic gifts, and in this way directs her...” (Cf.
CCC.768).

We all are guided by the Holy Spirit and we all have received different gifts from the Spirit. As
religious we have received the gift of the evangelical counsels. They are given to us for the
building up of the Church, the body of Christ. Our Constitutions say: “The Holy Spirit builds up
the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, also with the gift that is renewed, of the evangelical counsels,
which strengthen in a more perfect way the bonds of baptism” (OSJ Const. Art.1). St. Paul in his
letter to the Romans says: “We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in
proportion to faith; ministry in ministering; the teacher in teaching; the exhorter in exhortation; the
giver in generosity; the leader in diligence; the compassionate in cheerfulness” (Rom 12:6-8).

The life style of St. Joseph

We know that our beloved founder St. Joseph Marello was enlightened by the Holy Spirit and he
received a special grace of attraction towards the life of the Guardian of the Redeemer, St.
Joseph. What attracted Marello was the life style of St. Joseph, which we can call the spirituality
of St. Joseph. St Joseph Marello closely observed the life style of St. Joseph. So, he could discover
certain basic characteristics of life of St. Joseph. Thus, Marello taught “St. Joseph lived in union
with God, in humility, in hidden life, hard work and total commitment to ‘the interests of Jesus’.”
(OSJ Const. Art.3).

St. Joseph’s heritage

We believe that St Joseph inherited the moral and spiritual heritage from his ancestors. He was
aware of the promises God made to them. He felt himself to be one with them. He had a duty to
be worthy of their virtues and to repair their faults. So he called his ancestors to mind often
with the awareness that he owed a debt of gratitude.

He always remembered where he was from. In his veins ran the blood of Abraham whose living
faith and total obedience had won for him an everlasting posterity; the blood of Jesse of whom
Isaiah had said “a branch shall spring forth from his root.” Many legal documents bore witness
to his link with the prophet-king. Solomon was another glorious ancestor well known for his
incomparable wisdom; Roboam, Josaphat, Achaz to whom Elijah had foretold the virgin’s
conception, and many others. In spite of his royal blood of the illustrious tribe of Judah, his
status was that of an unassuming workman in a small town. Instead of living on rich lands of
his ancestors he resided in Nazareth, an unpretentious village.

When we look at our Patron all the evangelical perfections are found in an admirably balanced
manner in him. For our reflection now we will take only some of the outstanding virtues which
Marello accepted and imitated in his life, which he asked us, his spiritual children to imitate.

58 Reflections on st. joseph