When Joseph arose, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary his wife into his home. St. Joseph whose memory the Church honors today is considered the second greatest saint next to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Church honors him today by celebrating his feast as the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and as the foster father of Jesus. He was declared the Patron saint of the Universal Church in 1870 by Pope Pius IX. He is also the patron saint of workers (for which he is also celebrated as St. Joseph the Worker), and of fathers.
There is not a lot that is known about Saint Joseph, and the little that is known of him comes from the infancy narratives found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Nothing is heard about him after Jesus’ inauguration of his public ministry. But from the little that the Scripture affords us, we get a picture of an individual who was not only just, pure, gentle and prudent but also as one who was obedient to God. As today’s Gospel Reading makes it clear to us (the 1^st option), Joseph’s call to become a foster Father to Jesus came at a very difficult moment in his life. It was a call that, without any doubt, tested him to his limits. It was a call that would end up changing his life forever. What God was asking of him was tough by human standards, yet he obeyed. He was being asked to let go of his good name, something he had worked hard to acquire over the years. If he was to take Mary into his home, that was going to be the end of his good name. Mary was found with child out of wedlock. To take her into his home was admitting that he was complicit in what she had done. We can all imagine the whispers and murmurs from the people whenever Joseph or Mary was spotted. Yet, Joseph faithfully carried out his responsibility. And he did this without saying a word!
The actions/attitude of Joseph prior to the angel coming to him in a vision also portray Joseph as a very compassionate individual. He was aware of what the Law required of him, and no one would have blamed him had he let the law take its course. However, he did not wish any harm to come to Mary. He was not obligated to worry about what would become of Mary, yet we find him agonizing over the decision he wanted to make. Joseph was concerned about Mary’s fate. While we have no way of knowing the final decision he would have made since the angel convinced him to go ahead and take Mary into his home, it is worth noting that Joseph cooperated with the Lord without any hesitation.
Joseph is celebrated by the universal Church as a model of faithful responsibility. He carried out his responsibility of providing a father figure for Jesus without complaints. Whereas we are not told of the duration of his responsibility as the patriarch of the Holy Family, it is safe to assume that he cared for, and loved Jesus. Joseph did his best to understand Jesus life and mission. As a father, Joseph was responsible for ensuring that Jesus grew up in appreciation of the tradition of his community. It was from him that Jesus learnt the history of his people as well as the teaching of the prophets. Whereas today’s Second Reading talks about the righteousness of Abraham that allowed him to become a father in faith to many nations, we read the passage today because the same can be said of Joseph. It was the righteousness of Joseph that led to God allowing Jesus to be brought up under his (Joseph’s) watch and care. His willingness to adopt Jesus and to become his father has made him a father as well to the many brothers and sisters of Jesus.