A Real Man 

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

   Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of our Blessed Mother.  To understand what a real man should be we need only to look to Joseph as the ultimate example of manhood, one devoted to the good of the other and totally committed to the will of God.

   Men today are suffering from a lack of manhood.  They believe being a man means sex with as many women as possible while never taking responsibility for their actions.  Their children are ignored and rejected.  Far worse, many are murdered in the womb.

   Far too many children grow up without the influence of a Godly and devoted father.  Many never even know their father.  How is a boy to become a man without a proper example to learn from?  How is a girl to understand how a man is supposed to treat a woman if there is no father who loves and respects both her and her mother?  Society cannot survive without the family and the family has been virtually destroyed.

   How different the world could be if more men looked to Joseph as the example of how to be a real man, rather than being just a self-serving egotist.  How different would society be if men took their rightful place as husband and father, caring more for their spouse and children than for themselves.  Maybe, just maybe, we could save society if men would “man-up” and be the responsible father and husband they are intended to be.

   St. Joseph is the example of manhood that could save our families and by extension our nation if only men will do their best to emulate the life he led.