The
heart is the greatest symbol of love, and thus, of vulnerability, therefore
many of us are afraid to expose our hearts for fear of the unknown that may
enter. However, if we choose to open our hearts to what we know is beneficial
to it, what have we to fear? St. Joseph is a perfect example of one who opened
wide the doors to his heart, choosing freely to give himself over to all that
is good, and the only guaranteed good in this world is God.
Of all the great patriarchs who walked this earth
and of all the men who most selflessly served their Lord, there is no man more
humble, more just and more closely united with Christ, than St. Joseph of
Nazareth. He shows us how to humble ourselves – making our hearts more
receptive to the graces which God wishes to send us. By denying himself, St. Joseph allowed God to
truly enter his heart, and his reward for doing so was the strength and grace
to carry the crosses which were given to him throughout his earthly life.
To
truly imitate St Joseph’s humble heart, we ourselves must firstly ask for the
grace of submission to God – for the courage to do this. Secondly, we must
recognize and be thankful for the fruits of this grace, which God has given to
us in His infinite mercy. Thus Joseph allowed the Almighty to inflame his
heart, enveloping it with all the graces and mercies so precious to Heaven and
earth, making it the perfect companion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the
Immaculate Heart of Mary.
The
Sovereign Lord had deigned to make St. Joseph of royal blood, placing in him
all the honor and glory of the House of David. Though St. Joseph’s family no
longer sat on the throne, he was still a continuation of this nobility. He
carried this heritage as though it were a secret between himself and his Lord –
a sacred bond between an earthly prince and the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. St.
Joseph’s royalty was not shown with an outward crown, but one which was hidden
within his most humble Heart – a heart in which the Lord Jesus took great
consolation and great delight.
By
entrusting this most fragile of gifts over to God, St. Joseph exclaimed his
“Fiat – Let it be done unto me as you say!” thus showing us to place all our
trust in the Lord, waking our hearts to be more receptive to the graces which
God wishes to send us. Only when we do this can we allow Him to enter, since our
prides and arrogances act as locked doors to our inmost being.
The
Lord is constantly knocking in the hopes that we may allow Him entry into our
humble abode (Revelation 3:20), however unlike St. Joseph who willingly opened
wide the door to his heart, many of us continue to place obstacles behind our
own doors and reinforce our locks. We refuse to open our hearts to God’s Will,
instead selfishly clinging to our own. Because St. Joseph denied himself,
therefore allowing the Lord to enter his heart, he obtained the Lord’s most
precious treasures – Jesus and Mary. And so with his example let us do, and
obtain, the same. Amen.
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