He teaches us that silence is golden—and that the quiet ones, the shy ones, can sometimes change the world.
In 2020, Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph to be observed beginning on December 8 of that year. The Holy Father wrote: “Each of us can discover in Joseph—the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence—an intercessor, a support, and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”
Yes, Joseph is the official patron of the Universal Church, of workers, fathers, expectant mothers, families, carpenters, realtors, immigrants, laborers, cemetery workers, happy deaths, and so much more. (A rough tally counts more than 45 other patronages!) But I think his role is yet greater than all of that. Joseph is a man for us all and a saint to walk with us and bring us courage.
First, Joseph is the patron for all of us who want to learn how to listen. Joseph has no lines in the Bible; there is no “Magnificat” attributed to him, no prayer, no words of wisdom, no catchy quotes. Instead, he is famous for his silence. He is most notable for what he heard and did. He listened. He dreamed. He waited. He followed the advice of angels. He went where God led him.
Joseph is a figure of holy trust. He teaches us that silence is golden—and that the quiet ones, the shy ones, can sometimes change the world.
Second, Joseph is the patron of all who need to learn how to trust in God. “Let go and let God” could have been his motto. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy and the possibility of scandal, he trusted God’s will, cared for the woman he loved, and protected the child she bore.
Third, Joseph is the patron of those who end up being sent where they may not want to go. Joseph had to travel with his pregnant wife to Bethlehem, then flee to Egypt, then return to Nazareth, and then retrace his steps in Jerusalem when it seemed his son was lost. In so many ways, he is a patron for all who might be fearful about the future, and for all who are forced to go a difficult and dangerous way. Joseph is an intercessor for refugees, for migrants, for soldiers. And he stands before God’s throne for anyone who is anxious or worried about how what is coming. In so many ways, he is a saint for our times.
Finally, Joseph is the patron for all who feel unworthy or unready. He was chosen for an extraordinary role in salvation history. Scripture describes him as “righteous.” There is no doubt he was a good and holy man. But how could he possibly have been ready to be the earthly father of the Son of God? Joseph was a man with courage enough to surrender himself to the will of God, ready to became what God intended him to be.
What did it take? Patience. Attention. Trust. Prayer. He did it by having faith in times of uncertainty and courage in times of doubt. These are qualities each of us needs in our own troubled and often anxious time, and in our ordinary, everyday lives.
I sometimes think that when we are facing a seemingly insurmountable problem, we should ask ourselves, What would Joseph do? He’s a saint for all of us.
In a world where so many families are more dysfunctional than holy, more broken than whole, we might find help and hope by asking for advice from the silent partner of the holy family, that other carpenter from Nazareth. The quiet member of the Holy Family has much to say, if we are willing to listen. The one who taught Jesus to measure and cut and build can teach us, as well, how to measure our days, cut off what is unneeded, and craft lives of faith that can endure.
— from Befriending St. Joseph
