March 19 - Solemnity of St. Joseph

    Every March 19, The Church celebrates the Solemnity St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster-father of Jesus.
    Based on what is known, St. Joseph was probably born in Bethlehem, and he probably died in Nazareth, although that exact information is not certain.
We only know who his father was, and something of his hereditary background - he was from within the line of King David. But more "personal details," the kind of stuff we make into movies, is nowhere revealed. However, intelligence and scholarly knowledge fills in may blanks. 
    
    Joseph was of a royal line, in the House of David - Scripture tells us that. But, he wasn't a prince; he was reduced to the humble, ignominious life of a common man. He was, in fact, a tradesman as far as we know. He probably worked in wood and metal, and St. Justin Martyr (90–100 AD – 165) suggested he probably made yokes and plows. That was a respectable, solid occupation in his time..., if not so much today.

    We know, too, that Joseph was certainly a man of God, in the priestly tradition of his people. He may have been vowed to celibacy, as some early church fathers claimed...maybe wishful thinking, but not uncommon in his day. At any rate we know that Joseph was chosen by God to take as his only wife, Mary, the Mother of God-Made-Man. There is no solid indication that he had any other wife.
    We don't know just how old he was, but esteemed early theologians say he was probably about 30 or 40 when he betrothed the 15 year old Mary as his wife... but a young wife already bearing a child that was not his. 
    We are explicitly told that when he learned that, he planned to quietly release Mary from their bethrothal, so she wouldn't suffer an ugly social scandal for being pregnant out of wedlock. Obviously, he was a kind and empathetic man.
    But that benevolent plan was side-tracked, when God sent his message to Joseph through an angel - "Dont fear to take her into your home and make her your wife. Protect her and and take care of the child she bears; He is my own, through the Holy Spirit. Name him Jesus. Trust me."
    He was not one to question God's commands - and he did exactly that.
    But beyond the mundane things we humans wonder about, his important mission in God's plan of salvation is clear: he was "to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David from whom, according to the prophets, the Messiah would be born, and to act as his father and guardian."
    What we have from Scripture itself about St. Joseph comes from the opening two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. But, no words of his are recorded in the Gospels; he was the "silent" man who acted when God called....who trusted God without discussion, without excessive, "talking it out."
    HE knew what was to be done as the will of God, and he did it.
    Something I've always found odd is that we see little focus on St. Joseph in the early Church... I chalk this up to God's will; he wanted the miraculous Virgin Birth of Our Lord most impressed upon the minds of the faithful. Joseph came later, venerated by the great saints of the Middle Ages.
    Pius IX (1870) declared him patron and protector of the universal family of the Church, just as he was the protector of the Holy Family, itself.

Meditation: The Solemnity of St. Joseph
    Joseph is an example of a simple man giving God his trust, simply. No fanfare, no lurid accounts of battle, or underdog stories about overcoming the odds. He simply goes down in history as the man who has trust in Gods designs and who acts upon them.
    We ask the Lord to always protect The Church — and he does — just as Joseph protected his family and kept watch over the child Jesus during his early years.

Our Gospel reading recalls this for us.
    The angel said to Joseph: "Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home" (Matt. 1:20), and that is precisely what he did: "he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him" (Matt. 1:24). Why was St. Matthew so keen to note Joseph's trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust? 

    With respect to Joseph, the prophet Nathan, in obedience to God's command, tells David: "I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins" (2 Sam. 7:12).
    David must accept that he will die before seeing the fulfillment of this promise, which will come to pass, "when (his) time comes" and he will, rest "with (his) ancestors." We come to realize that one of humankind's most cherished desires — seeing the fruits of one's labors — is not always granted by God.
    What God asks David to do is to place his trust in him. David himself will not see his heir who will have a throne, "firm forever" (2 Sam. 7:16), for this heir, announced under the veil of prophecy, is Jesus. David simply puts his trust in God and carries on according to God's will.
    In the same way, Joseph trusts God when he hears his messenger, the angel, say to him: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her" (Matt. 1:20).
    I suppose this was a weighty moment for Joseph, but we are led to believe that he carries on simply, quietly, doing the will of God. And THAT is the kind of hero, the kind of role model we want to imitate.

References:
1. "Holy Days: Meditations on the Feasts, Fasts and Other Solemnities of the Church," by Pope Benedict XVI

2. Catholicculture.com, Mar 19, 2026

3. "The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph," Pere Binet, ISBN 0-89555-187-X

4. Oxy Espiritual: www.youtube.com/@oxiespiritual1320genacion