A Joseph-Like Response to God’s Will
“I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honor and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him. I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant.” St. Teresa of Avila
If our Redeemer’s foster father, the glorious Saint Joseph, was worthy of the Christ child’s imitation, and worthy of our Queen Mother’s highest esteem and love, he is of course worthy of ours, too. We venerate him as the highest saint in heaven, after Our Lady, because after the Mother of God, he was the most virtuous person to ever be created. I would venture to guess we will only fully understand the incredible gift St. Joseph was to mankind when we enter Heaven, not the least because he served Our Lord and Our Lady with profound humility and burning charity.
Sacred Scripture records just one of St. Joseph’s words, the Holy Name of Jesus, and even that is understood, not a direct quote. Still, just as the scarcity of precious gems increases their value, we can treasure and ponder the little we hear of Saint Joseph all the more. When we long for more images and details to deepen our meditation on his holy example, we can also gaze at him through the eyes of the mystics. In “The Life of Saint Joseph as Seen by the Mystics,” for instance, Paul Thigpen beautifully weaves various Church-approved mystical visions into the breathtaking tapestry of St. Joseph’s earthly sojourn.
By providing a window into his daily life, this work imprints upon the heart a deep appreciation for St. Joseph’s heroic virtue. He profoundly loved and appreciated Our Lady and Our Lord, and though in his humility he felt totally unworthy of God’s unique mission for his life, he nevertheless embraced it with remarkable charity and gratitude every day.
The account also leaves no doubt that, as the Litany of Saint Joseph indicates, after Our Lady and Jesus, St. Joseph was supremely virtuous and holy, surpassed among creatures only by Mary. Like Mary and Jesus, he was deeply other-centered and God-centered, never self-centered, making him an ideal role model for us both at work and at home.
Let’s reflect on St. Joseph’s life through the lens of some of his admirable virtues.
St. Joseph, Most Just
Like Mary, Mirror of Justice, her spouse was resplendent with the virtue of justice. Mary and Joseph always gave others and God their due. They were poor, largely by choice, and yet always gave generously of the little they had, the fruits of their labor, to those in greater need. They never counted the cost to themselves, but delighted in any and every opportunity to serve, whether each other, Jesus, or other members of the community, especially the poor. They perfectly lived Christ’s words, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40)
Do we delight in serving others, or do we do it begrudgingly, with a grimace on our face, if at all? Do we reserve the best for ourselves (whether we are speaking of our time, treasure, or talents)? Do we give only from our excess? It seems the holy family loved and gave until it hurt, as Mother Teresa so powerfully put it. Any trace of selfishness would have brought them only anguish, while a life of holy poverty and generosity brought them deep joy.
St. Joseph, Most Obedient
The mystics detail beautifully how obedient Jesus was to St. Joseph, even in the most minor details of his daily life until he embarked upon his public ministry. This pained Saint Joseph, whose humility was so deep that he begged God to relieve him of the responsibility of commanding Jesus in Our Lord’s daily conduct, and instead permit him to submit to his Divine Son. His petition was not granted, as no one surpasses Christ in humility, and it was God’s will that Our Lord submit to St. Joseph during his time on earth.
Likewise, St. Joseph was well aware that the Blessed Virgin far surpassed him in holiness and virtue, and as a result, the only competition between them was to see who could submit to the will of and serve the other more! Thigpen writes, synthesizing the mystics, “There arose between the two spouses a holy contest about who should obey the other as superior. But she, who among the humble was most humble, won in this contest of humility. For as the man is the head of the family, she would not permit this natural order to be inverted. She desired in all things to obey her spouse, asking him only for permission to help the poor, which the saint gladly gave.”
While he was the head of the household, St. Joseph was constantly looking for ways to support, console, and uplift his beloved bride and Divine Son. For instance, knowing how Jesus and Mary longed to be near one another (as did Joseph and Mary) Joseph would look for opportunities to have Jesus leave his work to delight in Mary’s consoling company.
Often, Jesus would do the same for his loving foster father, to Joseph’s wonderful benefit. “Whenever Joseph saw Mary, his love for God grew stronger, and his heart would come alive with a hunger for greater holiness. For the Mother of God possessed this special privilege: When someone gazed upon her with a true and chaste love (as Joseph certainly did), that person would be filled through and through with a holy zeal and heavenly longings,” writes Thigpen. Be still, my heart.
In our work and family life, how can we better adopt this profound humility when we are called to submit to authority figures and serve others? Likewise, when we exercise authority over others, how can we imitate St. Joseph in fulfilling our duties and responsibilities humbly and charitably, without lording it over others or without our authority devolving into a pride-riddled power trip? In what small ways can we uplift, enliven, and enrich those we direct, rather than always seeking to squeeze from them every last drop of productivity?
St. Joseph, Most Chaste, Most Prudent, Most Faithful
Let’s weave these last few together, since they flow so beautifully from each other. Saint Joseph was deeply faithful to God. When an angel told him to take his wife and child to Egypt, leaving his home, place of work, and all that was familiar to him and his family, Joseph did not hesitate or question God’s providence in this matter. What predisposed him to have such pure faith?
It seems to me his chastity, and his purity of heart, which includes but goes beyond just physical purity, enabled him to embrace God’s will, no matter the apparent cost to himself or the strenuousness of the undertaking. His judgments and prudential decisions were not bogged down by selfishness or sensuality, a desire for worldly comforts and pleasures. The pure, unadulterated gaze of Joseph’s heart upon God made it extremely sensitive and supple to the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, as revealed to him by God’s messenger angels.
Most of us don’t hear directly from angels even once, whether while we wake or in our dreams. But we can become better attuned to the whispers of the Holy Spirit by deepening our prayer life and making more time for meditative silence, as Saint Joseph and Our Lady did so often. Prayer and silence are not just nice recommendations, but necessary ingredients both for making prudent decisions, and ultimately, for attaining eternal salvation and the Beatific Vision.
In the end, it was not original sin, but the raging fire of love burning in Joseph’s heart for God that ultimately brought about his holy death, according to the mystics. How can we cultivate a Joseph-like heart, so that our faith in God, and our obedience to him, are like a machine well oiled by purity, prayer, and charity?
As we live the holiest week of the liturgical year, after what was hopefully a fruitful Lent, may we petition the great Saint Joseph to help us imitate his virtues and those of his Divine Son, Jesus.
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, pray for us!
Katherine is a mother of four and lives in Virginia with her family. She contributed a chapter about Our Lady Undoer of Knots to Crowned with Grace: A Collection of Marian Titles and Devotions. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in politics from Ave Maria University. Prior to her current role as homemaker and home educator, she served as communications director for the National Center on Sexual Exploitation and for former Congressman Keith Rothfus. She also worked in communications at Heritage Action for America. She is passionate about living out her Catholic faith and fostering a culture that protects children’s innocence and joy.