The Year of St. Joseph: 5 Takeaways for Catholic Women in Business

“Would that I could persuade all men to be devout to this glorious saint, by reason of the great experience I have had of the blessings he obtains from God! … I know not how anyone can think of the Queen of Angels, who suffered so much on account of the Child Jesus, and not give thanks to Saint Joseph for the assistance he gave them” (St. Teresa of Ávila).

Pope Francis introduced the Year of St. Joseph (Dec. 8, 2020 through Dec. 8, 2021) with an Apostolic Letter called “Patris Corde” (“With a Father’s Heart”). As Catholic women in business, none of us has a father’s heart. So, why is this Year of St. Joseph still so important for us?

It’s because we all need his protection, and we can all — men and women, parents or not — learn from his life and benefit from a relationship with him. Here are just a few examples of how:

Obedience

As Jesus’ foster father, St. Joseph had a pivotal role to play in our salvation, which meant that his obedience was essential. The Gospel of Matthew tells us that Joseph received orders from God in a series of dreams and responded immediately each time. This obedience enabled him to keep his family and his Savior safe.

In “Patris Corde,” Pope Francis points out that, according to Scripture, the Holy Family observed all of the laws of the Jewish faith, even though Mary and Jesus were exceptions, in many ways, to the normal human. Mary was purified after childbirth, and they offered their firstborn to God, even though he was God. We also know that Joseph and Mary taught Jesus to be obedient (Luke 2:51).

“In every situation, Joseph declared his own ‘fiat’, like those of Mary at the Annunciation and Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane,” writes Pope Francis. Similarly, we can declare our own fiats each day by being obedient to God in both large and small ways.

Rest

Pope Francis keeps a sleeping Joseph statue on his desk, symbolizing all of the dreams St. Joseph received from God. When he has a problem, he writes it down on a piece of paper and puts it under the statue to represent his prayer for St. Joseph’s intercession.

In a blog post for Blessed Is She, English lecturer and writer Jacqueline Hollcraft points out that St. Joseph “teaches us to rest.” It is in quiet, restful moments that God often speaks to us, but we have to take the time to be silent and listen. In the hustle and bustle of our workday, how often do we pause to ask God for help? How often do we use moments of silence to listen for His voice?

“No matter how carefully Joseph strove to find a solution while he was awake and alert, God revealed to him the wonderful plan of salvation while he was resting,” writes Hollcraft.

Surrender

In “Patris Corde,” Pope Francis writes that St. Joseph “teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.”

Last year forced us to surrender, to an extent — but how many of us did so graciously and with faith? How many of us believed that God could work through our fears of illness and job loss, through the frailties and weaknesses that were so on display in 2020 (and now)? How many of us sought desperately to take complete control, without that bigger picture that God sees? I know I often didn’t.

The Dignity of Work

St. Joseph is the patron saint of workers and even has a separate feast day dedicated to this patronage: May 1, the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker (instituted by Pope Pius XII in response to the Communist “May Day” celebrations for workers). 2020 was a year with devastating job losses (particularly for women), not to mention injustices faced by working parents (many of whom, without paid leave or supportive managers, had to choose between being home to care for their children and working to support them).

What better time, then, to dedicate a new liturgical year to St. Joseph? As Pope Francis writes, “Work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion ... How can we speak of human dignity without working to ensure that everyone is able to earn a decent living?”

May the year of St. Joseph help us refocus our businesses on honoring the dignity of every human being, made in the image of God!

Courage

St. Joseph’s life was one of courage. It took great courage to accept Mary as his wife with the arguably limited information the angel gave him. It took great courage to raise the Son of God. Let’s face it: It took great courage just to live in Israel at that time as a Jew.

In “Patris Corde,” Pope Francis explains:

“Joseph is certainly not passively resigned, but courageously and firmly proactive. In our own lives, acceptance and welcome can be an expression of the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude. Only the Lord can give us the strength needed to accept life as it is, with all its contradictions, frustrations and disappointments.”

What an example for the times we live in! Seemingly surrounded by unknowns, it takes courage to trust God’s will while proactively following His path, despite all of the obstacles that seem to obstruct it. It takes courage to trust that God has a plan while fighting for justice in the world He created: “Nor should we ever think that believing means finding facile and comforting solutions. The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.”

Ultimately, Pope Francis says, that is the Good News: that, “that, for all the arrogance and violence of worldly powers, God always finds a way to carry out his saving plan.” As the head of the Holy Family, St. Joseph shows us God’s love and providence better than just about anyone.

Taryn Oesch DeLong, managing editor of Catholic Women in Business, is an editor and writer in Raleigh, North Carolina, where she lives with her husband and works in digital media. Passionate about supporting women in work, in life, and in health, she is assistant editor and contributing writer at FemCatholic, a contributor at Live Today Well Co., and a fertility awareness advocate. When she’s not helping writers craft stories and writing her own nonfiction and fiction, you'll find Taryn reading Jane Austen and drinking a cup of Earl Grey tea, playing the flute or the piano, or volunteering. You can follow Taryn on Instagram and Twitter @tarynmdelong, on LinkedIn, on Facebook, or on her blog.