Today's feast is an opportunity to deepen the many lessons we can learn from the life of St. Joseph. He is the man God chose to be his father on earth: the father of God made man. This gives us an idea of his greatness... A man who could guide and give instructions to God. And, at the same time, he was perfectly humble, aware that he was but a creature.
Joseph is a magnificent model for men. At a time when the media give sad examples of how men can abuse women, St. Joseph is the opposite: he teaches us to respect them, as he respected the Virgin and her virginity. St. Joseph is a model of true manhood.
When many men shout and do little, St. Joseph is silent and does much. When many men abuse, St. Joseph protects. He is a protector, not a predator. He is a mature father who lives for God and for others, not an immature child who seeks only pleasure. In today's Gospel, Joseph teaches us to always look for the honest choice, even when everything seems to be falling apart around us.But women can also have a very close relationship with him and learn a lot from him. It is said that a strong, loving father makes strong women. And you couldn't find a stronger, more loving father than him. A good father helps women to blossom, to be fully themselves, to be strong themselves. Women could imagine him looking at them and saying, "My child, is this really what God is asking of you? Couldn't you be more courageous, like your Mother Mary, or like those holy women who were with her at the foot of the Cross? Does God really want this angry face, this sulking? Come on, my daughter, I know you can do better. I know you have it in you. But you can also imagine him listening to you with great patience, genuinely sharing with you any worries or sorrows you may have, taking it seriously himself, really getting involved, and giving you brief but wise advice.
St. Joseph can teach us a lot about how to relate to Jesus and Mary. He would surely find ways to surprise Our Lady, to show his love, such as picking for her some pretty flowers he found on his way back from a place he had been working; making sure a repair was done because it mattered to Mary; and, though perhaps exhausted after a hard day in the workshop, making the effort to listen carefully to what she wanted to tell him about what Jesus had done that day, or making the effort to play with the baby Jesus....
