Put yourself in St. Joseph’s sandals. Your fiancée tells you she’s pregnant and you know you’re not the father.
Your fiancée is cheating on you. Well, that’s a red flag if there ever was one!
You’re a good guy, a righteous man, so you know you need to break up with her. But, you’re unwilling to expose her to shame, so you’re going to do it quietly, without letting everyone and their brother in on what’s been going on. It’s the gentlemanly thing to do.
So far, so good. That’s what St. Joseph experienced. He reacted to a devastating blow with composure.
Then, God told him to do something different.
Joseph was told, don’t worry, this is all part of God’s plan. Take Mary into your home; name her baby Jesus. Then, Jesus will save the people from their sins.
Wow. Such a simple task with HUGE and mysterious consequences. Yet, Joseph woke up and did exactly what God wanted.
We need to learn to be like Joseph.
He was a normal man, full of sin and free will just like the rest of us. Did he have doubts and fears? Probably. But, he did God’s will anyway.
Joseph is not mentioned much in the Bible. He doesn’t get a lot of fanfare and attention. He didn’t work miracles or do anything to draw attention to himself. He wasn’t in the spotlight, but he quietly did God’s will every day. Wake up, work to take care of Mary and Jesus, go to bed. Repeat.
Joseph had an irreplaceable role in salvation history.
And guess, what? So do you.
Jesus, help me do your will in my daily routine. Make my heart docile like St. Joseph’s. Amen.
Cecilia Pigg is the Managing Editor of The CatholicMatch Institute. She enjoys exploring new parks with her husband and son, and does not enjoy loading the dishwasher.
