~ kaka Lucas, 19th March 2022

Very little is said about Saint Joseph the husband of Mary and foster father of Jesus. Otherwise, the strong silence allows us to see through into who really this man was, what character as a man he had. Some of the few characteristics that are mentioned repeatedly include; that he was a righteous man, he was pure, humble, contemplative and above all, a loving husband to Mary, a caring protective guardian of Jesus our Lord and Savior. 

As a man Saint Joseph must have experienced same or similar difficulties that you and I maybe going through as men in the world today, yet he lived as an open book. No matter the struggles, he remained faithful to God and his wife Mary. In other word Saint Joseph is well known as an upright man, a man full of faith and a man with an outstanding faith. Saint Joseph is a very good role model to us in our unruly Jamaican/Caribbean culture. He is a man who took gratefully the responsibility to raise a “jacket child”.

Doing God’s will was one of the main goals of Saint Joseph. He never questioned God. He neither blamed nor attempted to blame God even in his worse moments. He went ahead with what he was told and he did what he was asked to do accordingly. 

*You remember when the angle came to tell him to take Mary as his wife? (Matthew 1:20)

*You also can remember …… if you surely read your Bible … after the visit of the Magi, the angle appeared to Joseph again in a dream and asked him to take Mary and the child to Egypt until the king died (Matthew 2:13). And even after Herod’s death the angel came back to tell him to take his family back to the land of Israel (Matthew 2:20), and even after taking off to go back to Bethlehem, he ended up in Nazareth in Galilee since the son of Herod was ruling andmight as well harm the child. The whole story sounds very dramatic, but it is as real as it is. It can be a story you too have gone through in your own life. Amazing story of Gods mighty hand leading you.

As a man, Saint Joseph was obedient to God’s will in his day to day activities. He was a man of action. Never lazy to take his responsibility as a husband and father to Jesus. He intentionally loved, protected and found all means to provide for his family.

He also as a father kept the Sabbath. He took his family to the Temple in Jerusalem for the Passover.

*You remember when Jesus got lost (Luke 2:41-52)?

Saint Joseph lived an ordinary life. He had an ordinary work like many of our brothers, fathers and grandfather.  He did all these intentionally, purposefully, faithfully, passionately and lovingly. 

Following this humble man, Saint Joseph can be a very good role model in our lives. A role model especially for men in today’s world because there’s a lot one can gain from his experience. Above all we can gain peace of mind in totally abandoning ourselves to God and his mission.

At times it’s the little insignificant things we do that bring us close to God and His people. One of the many attributes that I admired about Saint Joseph and wish to emulate is to die in the presence of Jesus and Mary.

Saint Joseph Pray for us. 

Jesus, Mary and Joseph I give you my heart and my soul;

Jesus, Mary and Joseph help me when I am dying;

Jesus, Mary and Joseph may I breathe forth my spirit in peace with you.

Amen