On December
8, 2020, Pope Francis announced the beginning of the universal celebration of
the “Year of Saint Joseph,” which will conclude on December 8, 2021. He
introduced this year with an Apostolic Letter entitled “With a Father’s Heart.”
In the introduction to that letter, the
Holy Father said, “Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes
unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support and
a guide in times of trouble.”
The Gospel of
Matthew points to the fact that Jesus was “the carpenter’s son.” (Matthew
13:54-58). Joseph was a worker. He worked with his hands as a carpenter so as
to provide for the daily needs of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Son of God. He provided them with a home, with food, and
with the other daily necessities of life. Joseph also protected them both by following
the various messages of the angel of God who spoke to him in his dreams. Joseph fulfilled his duties in life in a quiet
and hidden way, serving in his role as father, spouse and worker.
Though
Joseph is universally recognized and honored today within our Church and even
as a prominent historical world figure, during his lifetime he would have been
a man who was largely unnoticed. He
would have been seen as an ordinary man doing his ordinary duty. But in many ways, that’s what makes Saint
Joseph an ideal man to imitate and a source of inspiration. Very few people are called to serve others in
the spotlight. Very few people are
publicly praised for their day-to-day duties. Parents, especially, are often greatly
unappreciated. For that reason, the life
of Saint Joseph, this humble and hidden life lived out in Nazareth, provides
most people with inspiration for their own daily lives.
If our own
life is somewhat monotonous, hidden, unappreciated by the masses, tedious, and
even boring at times, we can look to Saint Joseph for inspiration. Today’s memorial especially honors Joseph as a
man who worked. And his work was quite
ordinary. But holiness is especially
found in the ordinary parts of our daily lives. Choosing to serve, day in and day out, with
little or no earthly accolades, is a service of love, an imitation of the life
of Saint Joseph, and a source of our own holiness in life. We must not underestimate the importance of
serving in these and other ordinary and hidden ways.
As I reflect
today upon the ordinary and “unremarkable” daily life of Saint Joseph, I find
that my life is similar to what he would have experienced as a worker, a spouse
and a father; I rejoice in that fact! I rejoice in the fact that I’m also
called to a life of extraordinary holiness through the ordinary duties of daily
life. I strive to do them well, do them
with love, and do them in inspiration of Saint Joseph and his spouse, the
Blessed Virgin Mary who would have shared in this ordinary day-to-day life.
It’s
comforting to know that what we do each and every day, when it’s done out of
love and service of others, is the surest path to holiness of life for us.
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