So great was Saint Joseph’s love for the Blessed Virgin that he remained her faithful companion respecting her virginity for the whole of their married life – raising as his own her Holy Child.
I have been meditating on the life of Saint Joseph, foster father of Christ.
My father is named Joseph, as was my late father-in-law (may God rest his soul). My husband has Joseph in his name, as do a couple of my brothers-in-law. And my brothers have Joseph in their names. One of my sons is also named Joseph.
And so it is that Saint Joseph is a pivotal Saint in my life and in my family…
You see, we invoke Saint Joseph as the protector of the family and he is a very powerful Saint.
And I have been reflecting on that title of Saint Joseph – Protector of the Family. You see, Saint Joseph’s family was unconventional. He did not have a physical relationship with his wife and his child was not his biological child, but rather a Foster Child. And not only that… His Child’s true Father (and his wife’s true Spouse) were in fact, God Himself…
So there was a lot of pressure there on Saint Joseph, I imagine…
And I have been reflecting on the attitude and emotions of that Saint under those circumstances…
Saint Josemaria wrote, in “The Forge” at 552, “There are many good reasons to honour Saint Joseph, and to learn from his life. He was a man of strong faith. He earned a living for his family - Jesus and Mary - with his own hard work. He guarded the purity of the Blessed Virgin, who was his Spouse. And he respected he loved! God's freedom, when God made his choice: not only his choice of Our Lady the Virgin as his Mother, but also his choice of Saint Joseph as the Husband of Holy Mary.”
Saint Joseph loved his wife. I think that when we reflect in Saint Joseph, it is easy to think that he was not really madly in love with his wife. It is easy – when contemplating the Virginity of the Queen of Heaven – to reflect on Saint Joseph’s feelings as somehow less strong than another husband’s feelings for his wife. It is sort of easy to assume that since there was no physical relationship between Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, there must not have been a very strong love between them…
And I have been thinking about that today, because it suddenly occurs to me that such a thought is complete and utter nonsense. After all, what incentive would Saint Joseph have had to protect the virginity of the Blessed Virgin if his incentive was not love.
At any point during the years that they lived together, Saint Joseph could have tempted (or forced) his wife to choose a physical relationship with him. After all, as her husband (and at that time) it was his legal and God-given right…
And yet, he never did such a thing. So great was his love for the Blessed Virgin that he remained her faithful companion respecting her virginity for the whole of their married life – raising as his own her Holy Child.
And that takes great love. And it occurs to me today that the perfection of the Virgin would have made such a deep love an act of perfect Grace… And right now, I cannot think of a greater love or one filled with more purity than that...
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.