Daily Reflection: Tuesday, March 19
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 – Solemnity of St. Joseph
Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. I never usually think of him, he seems to be on the sidelines most of the time. Joseph had an enormous role in God's divine plan. He was chosen from birth and before his birth to be the earthly father of His only Son. Therefore, he must have been a pious and spiritual man of the Jewish faith.
What was it like when Mary came to him about her news? Like any man he must have gone through a range of emotions anger at Mary, disbelief. He might have been questioning why this happened. He must have been worried. He knew the law and he was upset about Mary, whom he loved and knew that she could be stone for this.
Being a holy man, I feel that Joseph took this issue to prayer, because of the flood of emotions he was unable to hear God, and therefore God came to him in a dream. After the dream, he knew what he must do.
As the time of the birth of Jesus came, he found out that he needed to travel. What a major worry for him, to travel with Mary who was excepting their first child. He must have worried about the birth.
After the birth of Jesus, Joseph also played a major role in the developing the humanness of Jesus. Like all good fathers and adoptive fathers, he loved his son, and taught him a trade, his trade carpentry. He also taught him the Jewish faith and what it meant to be a Jewish man.
We do not know when he died and how old Jesus was at the time of his earthly father death. However, seeing that he was fully human, he must have experienced grief, and mourned his earthly father that he loved so deeply. A father who showed him a father’s love.
Fr. Scott F. Brookbank, OFM
Read also:
This week’s Letter from the Pastor
