Prayer to St. Joseph: Model of Obedience
Saint Joseph, one of the most visible traits of your soul is obedience to God. Woven into your entire life is faithfulness, obedience, and confidence in the Lord who loves you.
At the beginning of the Gospel, Mary, your betrothed, finds herself pregnant. As a compassionate man, you decide to let her go home secretly so as not to expose her. But God asks you to take her to you, nonetheless, as a faithful spouse. Mindful of this first message from God, you join him in embarking on the ever mysterious path of the Incarnation.
A few months later, the Roman emperor orders a census of his territory. Trusting in the ways of God, you accept this second challenge. You leave Nazareth and you go to Bethlehem, the City of David, where the Son of God is to be born.
After the visit of the wise men, the Lord speaks to you again, “Get up, take the child and his mother with you, and escape into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.” Without losing an instant, you get up once again. During the night, you take the child and his mother to travel to Egypt, and you stay there as long as God wills.
A few years pass before the death of Herod. Then the Lord says again, “Get up, take the child and his mother and go back to the land of Israel.” With admirable diligence, you get up, take the child and his mother, and return to Nazareth.
These few events are enough to reveal the extent of your sense of obedience. The Gospel is discreet about the way God intervened – God made use of an angel or messenger who transmitted his wishes to you.
As you know, the Lord speaks to us in our lives too. He speaks to us through events, through the silence of prayer, through music, and through the medium of his Church. Help us to discern God’s voice amid all the noises of the world. Help us to live in accordance with it, so that each day we may be faithful to his love and may walk in his ways. Amen.
