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Year of Saint Joseph (December 8, 2020 – December 8, 2021)

Inspiration for our spiritual life

On December 8, 2020, 150 years have passed since Blessed Pope Pius IX, moved by the difficult situation of the Church at that time, declared Saint Joseph the patron of the Catholic Church by decree Quemadmodum Deus. On the occasion of this anniversary, Pope Francis declared a Jubilee Year of Saint Joseph, which we want to commemorate with the following text.

A Few Thoughts on Saint Joseph

1. Joseph is aware of God's promises and believes in them
This perspective is emphasized in the liturgical texts. We reliably know this about Joseph from the Scriptures. Joseph came from the lineage of David. He was aware of the promises that the Lord made to the patriarch David. He believed in them, even when it seemed that the Lord was not fulfilling them in his time.

2. Joseph is a man with his own plans
Joseph was not a doormat; he had his plans, likely in various areas of life. We only know his plans in the area of family life: he was betrothed to Mary. And it is precisely in this area that God wants to use him.

3. Joseph accepts the change that God brings into his plans
Joseph might have expected to experience a typical marriage with Mary. But before his fiancée became his wife, she conceived a child with someone else: from the Holy Spirit. God exceeded their plans and significantly changed their marriage. But for Saint Joseph, fidelity to God's intention was more important than his own expectations or conforming to what 'normal' people expect in his surroundings. He did as the angel commanded him, and for him, everything was perfectly fine.

4. Joseph honors Mary's calling
God wanted Joseph to defend the honor of the Virgin Mary, her good name, and her virginity. Her intimacy with God. Joseph is a deeply devout man, and he is also sensitive to his fiancée's needs. He knows the mystery of how Jesus was conceived. Not only did the angel tell him, but surely they also talked about it together. Joseph is respectful and discreet towards Mary. He honors the calling that God entrusted to her.

5. Joseph's fear of sin
Joseph was frightened that Mary's unexplained pregnancy was an intrusion of sin into their relationship and his life. He could not reconcile something like this with what he knew about Mary, who she is. He was also alarmed at the thought: where would it go from such a betrayal if he married her and they lived together in familial closeness? God knew Joseph's righteous fear, and therefore He sent the angel to him saying, "Do not be afraid (to take her as your wife)."

6. Joseph believes that God's promises are beginning to be fulfilled here and now
Joseph accepts the name that he is to give to the child. He believes the prophecy from the angel that Jesus "will save his people from their sins." God's promise about the Messiah from the lineage of David, which Joseph believes in, is not something vague and distant, that was said once in the past and will happen sometime in the future, but certainly not now.

7. Joseph is free from how others perceive him
Joseph, considered by everyone around him to be Jesus' father, knew that things were different than what people thought. He heard talk about Jesus like, "Isn't this the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). Yet Joseph did not scorn those who spoke this way; he did not get angry with them. He knew that he was not who they thought he was. He might have been thinking in his mind what John the Baptist openly declared: "I am not the one you think I am..." How was Josef influenced in his self-perception by this? How did it encourage him to focus primarily on who he is in God's eyes?

8. Joseph has control over his sexuality
Even though he was engaged to a young woman (later pregnant and then a mother), he mastered his sexuality. We believe he did so wisely, harmoniously, successfully. And yet he loved Mary – as his fiancée! (And later as his wife.) Everything else – apart from sexuality – was between them. And yet Joseph did not misuse Mary. She was completely sure of his steadfastness when she argued with the angel that she could not be a mother because she did not live intimately with a man – it did not even occur to her that the child's father could simply be Joseph. Later, after the wedding, Joseph shared with Mary the intimacy of family life. And he persevered in his respectful relationship with her. He is a faithful descendant of his ancestor David, who refused to lay a hand on the Lord's anointed… (1 Samuel 26:9).

9. Joseph also controls his emotions
No other marriage was as intimate as this. Joseph saw closely Mary's physical beauty, but also her spiritual and mental beauty, which evokes such a strong attraction. Inner beauty evokes emotional affection, but also attraction in general... How easily our emotions can be possessive, impulsive, unfeeling. Joseph had to guard himself so that beauty and enthusiasm did not sweep him away and make him a bull in a china shop.

10. Joseph trusts in God's support for his role as a father and experiences it
Joseph responded to God's call: "Do not be afraid" regarding accepting responsibility for Jesus and his upbringing. He set aside fear and trusted in God's help. Joseph experienced the grace that God gave him to fulfill the role of a father, even though he was not Jesus' physical father. How profound those moments of prayer must have been when Joseph reflected on this and saw it!

11. Joseph loves and is loved
Joseph was in love with Mary; he loved his wife. And he was a man loved by his wife and could experience this wisely and devoutly. This love – given and received – was a source of pure joy for him.

12. Joseph's love grows through contact with Jesus
Joseph's love grew as Jesus grew and as Jesus returned his love, being grateful to Joseph and listening to him. At the same time, Joseph's respect for Jesus grew because he increasingly perceived God's power and God's love in Him.

13. Joseph shares in Mary's anxiety and courage
Joseph rejoiced and was glad with Jesus; he carefully watched Jesus, his growth, his words, his actions. He also kept similar things in his heart, just like Mary did. After all, he was a "just man." But he also shared in Mary's anxiety from Simeon's prophecy and from the foreboding that Jesus would suffer. How did Joseph experience this as a man?

14. Joseph allows himself to be influenced by Mary and Jesus
Joseph was able to live in such a close intimacy with Mary and Jesus like no one else. It was a pleasure and joy for him. It had a good influence on his life (to use the words of the Trappist Father Jerome). Joseph's way of experiencing family life, relationships, etc., was very similar to the style of Jesus and Mary.

15. Joseph relies on Mary and Jesus
Joseph was supported by the example set for him by Mary and Jesus. He also knew that Mary and Jesus prayed for him, perhaps they also prayed like that before him and with him. Joseph lived also from their forgiveness. When he hurt them in some way, he asked them for forgiveness and accepted their pardon.

16. Joseph willingly sacrifices for his family whatever is needed
Selflessness for Mary and Jesus multiplied Joseph's strength. Joseph willingly gave up other things for family life with Mary and Jesus. He realized that living for the Lord and living with them was enough for his happiness.

17. Joseph takes care of the family materially
God wanted Joseph to be a true husband to the Virgin Mary and to take care of the material needs of Mary and Jesus (these matters were also entrusted to him by Teresa of Avila).

18. Joseph communicates with Mary and proceeds together
Joseph united with Mary in caring for Jesus; they complemented each other, helped each other to overcome difficulties, bear worries, and grow in spiritual life, in relation to God.

19. Joseph does not suffer from feelings of inferiority
Joseph lived with those who were holier than he. Jesus and Mary were without sin. But Joseph managed it. He did not have an inferiority complex, did not reject himself, did not become despondent...

(Lecture by P. Gorazd Cetkovský, O.Carm.,
given at the national meeting of the Carmel tertiary in September 2021 in Kostelní Vydří)