Page 83 - Reflections on St. Joseph

1. Obedience

The place of honour among the virtues of St. Joseph is held by obedience. Each time the
Evangelist mentions the saint it is to show him practising that virtue. “Rising up, he did
as he was commanded”(Mt.1:24; 2:14). “He rose up”, an expression that in biblical
language means the promptness, the energy with which one gives himself to the task he
is about to perform.

Joseph appears before us as that servant of whom God can ask anything, like the
centurion in the Gospel who said of his servant, ‘go’ and he goes; .... ‘Come and he comes’;
... ‘Do this, ‘and he does it”(Mt.8:9; Lk. 7:8)

As the prayer ‘Our Father’ had not yet been taught to men; yet during his whole life Joseph
was endlessly repeating the central phrase, “Father, may your will be done” (Mt. 6:10). He
had perfectly understood that the greatest wisdom a creature can possess is to live in
dependence on his creator, like the Son who entering the world offered himself as a
complete oblation, “Behold, I come, O Father, to do thy will”(Heb. 10:7; Ps 40:7-8).

At every manifestation of a desire from heaven, Joseph surrendered himself like a docile
child, ready to answer every call, every undertaking, and every sacrifice. He listened
always and obeyed. He did not know where God would lead him; but for him it was
enough that God knew. He did not argue; he did not object; he did not ask for
explanations. He was always submissive and prompt.

2. Humility

“Obedience is the achievement of the strong and humble”. Only God could measure the
depths of Joseph’s humility. He knew himself to be favoured by God. But, he was neither
disappointed nor exultant by his vocation. He did not make use of his title of adopted
father of the Son of God to set himself apart or on a pedestal. Where others might have
put themselves in the pleasant splendour of pride, St. Joseph remained in the spirit of
‘Magnificat’. He buried himself in the shadows.

If he found any good in himself, he recognized it as a free gift of God. By his modesty and
humility he was distinguished from others. He might have said like Elizabeth “From
where does this joy come to me that my God and the Mother of my God have deigned to
live in my house?

3. Silence

St. Joseph found his joy always in fulfilling God’s plan peacefully and so silently that the
Evangelist can give us no word of his. In all challenging situations in which God placed
him, he remained calm and silent. He perfectly knew that the duty of a servant was not
to speak but to listen to his master’s voice. Thus, he teaches us that silence is the
necessary condition for leading a life of union with God, of close contact with him.

Reflections on st. joseph 59