St Joseph, a great man that teaches us much.

   How can a man with so little mentioned of him actually teach us anything?  First, we must remember that little is mentioned of him because only that which is necessary for us in the Bible is written in there.  It was not the story of Joseph saving us, but Jesus.  Joseph was only mentioned because of his having to do with Jesus’ redemption of the world.

   Ok, so why focus on Joseph at all, if it is Jesus that redeems us?  Fair question.  We do not focus on Joseph to focus on Joseph, but we focus on Joseph as a means to an ends, Jesus.  Jesus entrusted His livelihood to Joseph.  That right there says a lot of what God thinks of Jesus.  The Father trusted His Beloved Son to Joseph and Mary.  Truly we can trust Joseph, too.

   So, what does Joseph teach us?  Obedience, for one.  He was ready to divorce Mary quietly, because she was pregnant and he was not the father.  But once the angel informed him in the dream of his vocation, he quickly did as he was asked.  Oh how much joy The Father took in knowing that he had such an attentive man to provide for, guide and protect His Son.  Oh, that we might be so attentive to The Father like Joseph.

   How can we be attentive like Joseph?  First, we must be listening.  In prayer, we commonly tell God what we want Him to do, but we fail to listen to what God wants us to do.  Indeed, Joseph seemed to spend more time listening and less time talking.  We spend so much time listening to the TV, social media, and others, but we need to be attentive to God first.

   Joseph, you have much to teach us.  You were given such an awesome responsibility to provide for, guide and protect the Maker of the Universe within your home.  Help us to be attentive to God and all of His promptings, especially those He gives us through our responsibilities.