Joseph the worker

St Joseph the worker, is a feast celebrated on May 1 and instituted by Pope Pius XII in the year 1955.

A question arises; why is he presented as a worker? Was it because he upheld the dignity of labour? What was his work? Was it only the carpenter’s work which he did to provide for the family? I feel not. His greatest role was to be the partaker in the entire salvation history along with Jesus and Mary. He played his role as the foster father of our redeemer, Jesus Christ.

Joseph’s vocation was to be an earthly image of Jesus’ heavenly father. God’s fatherhood is perfect; hence God could not help but choose St. Joseph to be the father of His only son. St. Joseph in his turn has done justice to the fatherhood perfectly and completely. When Jesus addressed or thought of His heavenly father, He probably relied on the analogy of his earthly father, St. Joseph.

As the Husband of Mary, the mother of our saviour. From the time he accepted the immaculate conception of Mary, his life was entirely built on endurance and great faith with which he took the child Jesus and his mother and fled to Egypt, returned from Egypt to Israel and until the final migration to Nazareth, St Joseph’s work as a defender and the doer of the God’s message was so perfect and complete. He was the defender par excellence!

Now we have a year dedicated to him, a time to ponder and be thankful to all that he has done for the Holy family and is still doing for the Holy Catholic Church. As a just and silent man in the bible He does his work even while he sleeps.  In the words of Holy Father Francis “On my table I have an image of St. Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the church.” Let us hold him tightly ‘The Carpenter of Nazareth faithfully and unquestioningly fulfils all that God asks of him and then just as quietly disappears’. Let this great saint be the protector of us especially during this Pandemic.

Sr. Ligi