St Joseph

Today is the solemnity of St Joseph.  God has appointed you, St Joseph as the head of the Holy Family, the father and protector of the Holy Family.  As a carpenter, he is the patron of workers.  As one who presumably died earlier since the Gospels near the end do not write about him, he is the patron of merciful death. 

Today's passage can be describe as the first passion between Joseph and Blessed Mother.  The word Passion is from the Latin meaning suffering.  Kind of like the Passion of Christ.  

Joseph wanted to divorce, but instead he took a different route.  He wanted to do so quietly because he did not want her to be harmed in any way.  Hence his great virtue of charity.  St Joseph, a man of charity wanted to spare Blessed Mother her from public shame, disgrace, and the likelihood of death by stoning.

Ordinarily, a person usually seek a divorce for a number of reasons such as inability to find common ground, irreconcilable differences, etc.  

But this is not the case with St Joseph.  One biblical commentary mentioned that the reason for wanting to divorce her quietly so that the biological father can take ownership and claim the child.  He was not thinking for himself but for her and the child.  This is a good story because it confirms the divinity of Christ, and the Virgin Birth by the Holy Spirit.   It certainly created much tension.  

St Joseph is a charitable person.  Fr Bill McCarthy once said that you could tell if someone is holy because they love intensely.  That's a great description of St Joseph.

What does the virtue of charity mean?  Sometimes we define charity as love, or a benevolent act done towards neighbor.  But there is a deeper meaning when looking at the Church's description on the virtue of charity.  Charity is a theological virtue, like Faith and Hope.  So charity is not a Cardinal Virtue like courage, temperance, prudence and justice.  Cardinal virtues can be acquired by our own will, habits and disciplines.  But not the theological virtues, since they are infused virtues.  They are infused into the soul at Baptism.  We pray for an increase in the theological virtues before the Rosary.  And get this, one can actually lose the virtue of charity when committing a mortal sin.  The virtues are restored when a person goes to confessions and receive absolution.  

Thomas Aquinas said that charity is friendship with God.  When Charity is within the soul, the soul loves God above all things, and also loves neighbor because of God, and for God's sake.  With charity, the purpose of all actions is directed towards God, for God and all things God.  For instance, The Lord says: "what you do to the least of my brethren, you do unto me."  So Charity is loving God above all things and everything is done for God.  

With charity, he did as angel commanded.  In other words, he was doing for God, hence his virtue of charity.  He took Mary into his home.  He protected the Holy Family from the evil King Herod, and provided safe refuge for the Holy family in Nazareth.

Through the intercession of St Joseph, may we receive divine protection.  Please pray for us, dear St Joseph, now and also at the hour of our death.  Amen.  

St Joseph, pray for us.