St. Joseph has raised the bar for fathers to come. The Heavenly Father has given us a completely human father as a pattern for what true paternity is. Joseph is God’s model of real fatherhood, Mary is our perfect image of motherhood, and Christ is our ideal of true and perfect sonship. Because of this earthly trinity, we have the perfect family blueprint for the most imperfect of times. St. Joseph teaches us that fatherhood goes beyond genetics, and now more than ever he is a role model for both biological and adoptive parents. Though Christ is not flesh of his flesh, he accepts the life that grows within the sanctuary of his beloved’s womb.
From the
moment that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, he took on the
human nature of his chosen father, Joseph, and the flesh and blood of Our Lady.
When St. Joseph accepted the role of father, he became the Patron of Fatherhood
and the Unborn, the loving guardian of the helpless and innocent. Just as he
loved the unborn Redeemer while still in his mother’s womb, so too does he love
all the children of this world. And just as he wept for the children who were
massacred by King Herod, so too does he now weep for those who are aborted in
clinics, every day, all around the world.
Behold, sons are a gift from the
Lord; the fruit of the womb is a reward. — Psalms 126:3
Truly you have formed my inmost
being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I
give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. My soul also knew
you full well… — Psalms 139:13-16
St. Joseph is
also a model for those men who are afraid or hesitant to take on the
responsibility of raising a child. So many young men are faced with the news
that their wife or girlfriend is pregnant. A flood of panic overtakes many of
them, especially those who are unmarried, and in their despair they run away
from their responsibilities, abandoning mother and child. It is this act of
abandonment that leads many children to be aborted by their mothers, not out of
malice but out of fear. Who better to be a guide for these men, than one who’s
been there?
St. Joseph was faced with the exact same situation as these men and
almost resorted to sending his beloved, and the child within her, away. In the
end though, he took his rightful place as husband and father. He knows what it
was like to almost lose his wife and son, and if men would only look to him,
chosen by the Eternal Father, they would know that he understands how they
feel. He felt confused, scared, and full of anxiety, but the love of a father
for his son outweighs all of these frustrations. He was truly predestined above
all other men to take on the role of Father of the Redeemer and Spouse of the
Blessed Virgin.
Watch, stand fast in the faith, act
like men, be strong. Let all that you do be done
in love. — 1 Corinthians 16:13-14
God and his
followers have never been under attack more than right now. We need St.
Joseph’s prayers for a world gone wrong, and we need him as our example to
follow Jesus to the Father and to live his Divine Will.
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