We all know the story of the Angel’s annunciation to Mary and her generous response. The ‘fiat’, Mary’s yes, is an example for us of how to listen and follow God’s will. But today we want to turn our gaze to Saint Joseph and remember that there was also an angel’s annunciation to him, before which the sacred Scriptures did not record a verbal response, but a simple and direct act: “he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him” (Mt. 1:24). And so, without having a single word recorded, we know Saint Joseph as the just man, who fulfilled the Lord’s will at all times. The Holy Father, Pope St. John Paul II, in his Apostolic Exhortation (Redemptoris Custos #25), speaking of St. Joseph under the heading: “Primacy of the interior life”, says: “The same aura of silence that envelops everything else about Joseph also shrouds his work as a carpenter in the house of Nazareth. It is, however, a silence that reveals in a special way the inner portrait of the man. The Gospels speak exclusively of what Joseph ‘did.’ Still, they allow us to discover in his ‘actions’ – shrouded in silence as they are – an aura of deep contemplation. Joseph was in daily contact with the mystery ‘hidden from ages past,’ which ‘dwelt’ under his roof. This explains, for example, why St. Teresa of Jesus, the great reformer of the Carmelites, promoted the renewal of veneration to St. Joseph in Western Christianity.” From the preceding, we can clearly understand that Joseph’s silence is not mutism; it is a silence full of listening, an active and laborious silence, a silence that makes his great interiority emerge.
That Jesus grew up in this “school of St. Joseph,” should not be surprising to us because the Scriptures speak of him seeking spaces for silence during his earthly ministry. Luke 5:16 speaks of Jesus often withdrawing to lonely places to pray. Other scriptural passages that reflect this reality are Mt 14:23, Luke 6:12-13, etc. He also invited his disciples to have this experience of silence and contemplation, as we see in Mark 6:31. How wonderful it would be if each one of us, following the example of Saint Joseph, managed to recover this contemplative dimension of life opened up precisely by silence. But we all know from experience that it’s not easy in this modern age: silence scares us a little because it asks us to go inside ourselves and find the truest part of ourselves. Many people are afraid of silence, they must talk, talk, talk, or listen to noises emanating from their communication gadgets, interrupting the peace of those around them, but they cannot accept silence, because they are afraid. The 17th-century philosopher Blaise Pascal remarkably said: “All of humanity’s problems stem from man’s inability to sit quietly in a room alone.” To achieve great virtues, we must cultivate silence – as St. Joseph Marello affirms: “In silence, men of great virtues are formed.” Let us, therefore, embrace this virtue of silence by returning to the “School of St, Joseph” and imploring his intercession. Through the intercession of St. Joseph, may we be “infected” by the virtue of silence, in a world that is often too noisy, that does not favour meditation or listening to the voice of God. Amen.
… St. Joseph and the dignity of work
At the beginning of humanity, work was a collaboration of man in perfecting visible creation (cf. Genesis 3:17-19). This was not a burden or curse, but an accomplishment and a joy. Sanctifying our work is the mission of all Christians. Through work, we exercise our freedom as children of God and dedicate ourselves to transforming the world so that we live in a better society. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: “The sign of man’s familiarity with God is that God places him in the garden. There he lives ‘to till it and keep it.’ Work is not yet a burden, but rather the collaboration of man and woman with God in perfecting the visible creation.” (CCC #378). Therefore, today, we shall be looking at: “St. Joseph and the dignity of human labour.” In his 1955 declaration, Pope Pius XII said of St. Joseph, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the Godman, Saviour of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” Saint Joseph, who in the Bible is recognized as a just man, is the one who reveals with his own life that God the Father works, and through Him, work is sanctified.
Therefore, dear friends, let us try to discover today and always, continuously, the presence of Saint Joseph in our families and society; and he will continue to be, as he always has been, our protector and model. May he also remind us to diligently treat those who work under our care and not dehumanize them or use them as though they were machines. May Saint Joseph continually intercede for all workers, for those receiving unjust wages or salaries, for those awaiting promotion at their places of work, for retirees with unworthy income, for those who live in the instability of the informal economy, for those who live without even a home, and most especially all the unemployed and those who are out of work, looking up to God for justice in an imbalanced and corrupt society like ours. Shalom!
• Rev. Fr. Chinaka Justin Mbaeri, OSJ, a priest of the Oblates of St. Joseph, Nigeria based in Paroquia Nossa Senhora de Loreto, Vila Medeiros, São Paulo, Brazil.
