Saint Joseph 

   “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary into your home.  For this child has been conceived in her womb through the Holy Spirit.” (Matt 1: 20) 

   St. Joseph deserves honor and recognition as the earthly father of our Lord.  Though he was not the biological father of Jesus, he was chosen to be the father who would raise the Him, loving Him, and caring for Him, protecting Him from those who would have killed Him.  To me all that makes Joseph a hero, a person deserving of our respect and honor.

   Joseph chose to answer the will of God and take his Savior to raise as his own son.  This meant ignoring the whispers and sneers of those who would consider him a fool for accepting Mary, pregnant with a child that was not his.  It meant that his life would be directed not by the plans he may have made but by the will of God.

   Not a word of his is recorded in scripture.  The only word we know that he spoke would have come when he named the baby “Jesus”, a father’s right and responsibility under Jewish law.  But his actions speak volumes of his love and trust in God and his devotion to God’s will

   In this time of anticipation and expectation of the birth of Jesus let’s not allow Joseph to fade into the background.  Imagine his wonder and even confusion as shepherds began arriving talking of angels telling of the birth of Jesus.  What was going through His mind when three Kings showed up with their gifts for the newborn king of Israel.

   When I became an oblate of the Benedictine Order I chose Joseph as my monastic name and patron saint because to me he represents what I should strive to be; a humble servant of the Lord, never seeking my own recognition, always seeking the will of God, and never wavering in my trust in the mysterious ways of God.