Year of St. Joseph

The Year of St. Joseph

This liturgical year has been dedicated to St. Joseph by the Holy Father, Pope Francis. There will be several special activities and events to celebrate St. Joseph, as well as prayers, such as the Novena to St. Joseph for Life. For more information on St. Joseph, check out the St. Joseph page under Faith Formation > All Things Catholic > Saints

There will also be weekly reflections on St. Joseph from various sources.

February 28, 2021

Joseph’s great joy at the visit of the Magi did not last long. He had to abandon his newfound home and business to flee to a foreign land. Herod wanted to kill the Child. Joseph’s joy was changed to dread. Once again, God was testing him. Joy and sorrow are never far from one another in souls that love God. Heeding the message of the angel the Holy Family set out at once for Egypt. They could take with them only the bare essentials. St. Joseph had little idea of how he was going to make ends meet…from one day to another. He had to rebuild a home and a clientele in a strange country. The Holy Patriarch surely suffered…but he humbly submitted to the divine plan which he could not understand.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp. 149-151

February 21, 2021

By the example of their life in Nazareth, Jesus and Mary invite us to seek Joseph’s assistance. They frequently went to Joseph for his help in all kinds of needs. When we go to Joseph for help, we should have no fear at all. With the exception of God himself, Our Lady loved no one more than she loved St. Joseph her husband. The Church asks from St. Joseph the same support and protection as he gave to the Holy Family in Nazareth. ‘I am sure Joseph knew how to lend a hand in many difficulties…His skilled work was in the service of others; to brighten the lives of others in the town; and with a friendly word, a passing quip, he would restore confidence and happiness to those in danger of losing them.’ [J. Escriva, Christ is Passing By, 51]

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol 6, pp. 165-166


February 14, 2021

Painters have traditionally depicted Joseph as an elderly man in order to emphasize the perpetual virginity of Mary. Yet it is more likely that Joseph was not much older than his wife. ‘You don’t have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love; and the strength and joy of youth are no obstacle to a noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood, when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures.’ [J. Escriva, Christ Is Passing By, 40] Let us ask the holy Patriarch to teach us how to live this kind of love in the circumstances to which God has called us.

Francis Fernandez: In Conversation with God, Vol. 6: p.141

February 7, 2021

This week's reflection is from Carlo Maria Cardinal Martini

Even before Jesus was born, Joseph was a believer mature in faith. The events surrounding the conception and birth of Jesus reveal how differently he behaved and struggled as he moved towards a greater knowledge of God. His holiness and mature faith do not exempt him from the anxiety that comes with difficult situations. However, having taken upon himself the decision to do the honorable thing, which was the fruit of an attitude of charity, his maturity of faith is summarized as an openness to the power of divinely illuminated grace. In fact, the angel of the Lord arrives to resolve the situation: ‘Be not afraid.’ The angel reveals to him the deeper meaning of the event, thus overcoming his anxiety. The figure of Joseph allows us to grasp a fundamental teaching: we need to have a hope that is patient, that can wait as Joseph did, a hope that knows how to suffer with a humble spirit through difficult situations, sure that God will answer.

January 31, 2021

From “Joseph the Silent” by Michel Gasnier, O. P.

Certainly, Joseph was considered to be not only a fine workman noted for his skill, but a man of integrity. Everyone in the neighborhood knew the work given the carpenter would be carefully and conscientiously done…Before God, labor is not only a necessity; it calls for pride, nobility, a spirit of reparation. There is nothing slavish about it. On the contrary, it is a kind of prayer, a way of finding God, a means of salvation…Joseph understood perfectly that a work done in love goes straight to God.

January 24, 2021
From “Joseph the Silent” by Michel Gasnier, O. P.

Joseph chose to become a carpenter. Perhaps his father was a carpenter before him. Perhaps it was by personal preference. We simply do not know. In any case, this occupation was to stand him in good stead when he opened his shop in Nazareth. Here it is enough to say that though it was so unassuming, so humble, it was far from humiliating, and the carpenter workman could look upon it as a badge of honor. At Nazareth, then, Joseph without worldly goods or station, lived uncomplainingly by the labor of his hands. Happier in his poverty than Augustus on the most powerful throne in the world, he was more than content with his lot since it was God’s will…he was satisfied to be where God had placed him, to do what God asked of him with as much care and ardor as if he ruled a kingdom.