LIFE, MARRIAGE & FAMILY: St Joseph, the silent
By Mark Griffin, Director of the Life, Marriage & Family Office
In Catholic tradition, the month of March is dedicated to devotion to St Joseph. It is interesting to consider that, throughout all of scripture, there is not one single word recorded from the mouth of St Joseph. For a man who is honoured with many great titles: ‘Terror of Demons’; ‘Pillar of Families’; ‘Exemplar of Fathers’; ‘Protector of the Holy Church’,to name a few, this is actually quite astounding.
Although the scriptures don’t record any spoken word of St Joseph, the Bible, along with Church tradition, teaches us that St Joseph lived a simple life, focussed on meaningful family interaction with Mary and Jesus, and built on hard, honest work.
He never sought fame or fortune. He simply went about his day, faithfully obedient to God’s will in His life. The simplicity of his life did not mean that life was boring, nor did it mean that life was easy. He was confronted with many challenges that would completely debilitate many people today, accustomed to life’s modern-day luxuries.
However, because of his rightly ordered life with his family, they faced challenges together and they were stronger because of the love and connection that they shared. This silent witness of a family life lived well is an enduring legacy left to us by St Joseph.
In a world today where seemingly everybody has a podcast, or a blog, or some other platform, attempting to be heard and to influence the masses, St Joseph’s example demonstrates that actions can certainly speak louder than words.
The noise of the modern world so often gets in the way of meaningful relationships. If we let that noise invade our lives and our family relationships, we are setting ourselves up for dysfunction and unhappiness.
Throughout this Lenten season, maybe we could consider how much ‘noise’ we have in our own lives. How many of our daily activities are we actually using to avoid meaningful relationships, or even a meaningful prayer life?
Are we able to sit in silence for a period of time, just reflecting on how the Lord is working in our life? How much do we depend on sitting back and being entertained, rather than being silently discerning of what lies ahead, then jumping head-first into life and leading others, especially our families, towards more meaningful and useful activities?
I’ve always pictured St Joseph as a ‘go-getter’, rather than one who procrastinates and avoids challenges. If there were more like him in the world—especially more husbands and fathers like him, chomping at the bit to lead the way—this would surely have a positive impact on the world.
St Joseph, Pillar of Families, Pray for us.