Saint
Joseph MARCH 19
Everything we
know about the husband of Mery and the foster father of Jesus comes from
Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about
him.
We know he
was a carpenter, a working man. He wasn´t rich for when he took Jesus to the
Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of
two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not
afford a lamb.
Despite his
humble work and means, Joshep came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew, they
both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel.
We know
Joseph was a caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had
been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she
was carrying, Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about a child Mary was
carrying, Joseph immediately took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again
to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he
owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young
wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt until the angel told him it was safe to
go back.
We know Joseph loved Jesus and he was worried
about the safety of this child entrusted to him. When Jesus stayed in the
Temple we are told Joseph searched with great anxiety for three days for him.
We know
Joseph respected God. He followed God´s commands in handling the situation with
Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after
Jesus´ birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for
Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.
Joseph is
also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.
We
celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary
and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.
