WHO’S IN CHARGE
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
My dear encountered couples:
Today is the solemnity of St. Joseph under the title of “Husband of Mary.” The Church has always considered Joseph the model husband and father.
There is often competition in homes as to who’s the boss, who’s to make the decisions, who is the most important. Is it the husband or the wife?
Today we are accustomed to career women — women who have their own pursuits in the world of business and making a living. There are many single parent families where the woman is not only carrying out the role of mother, but also earning the money needed for her own and her children’s support. In fact, there are a good number of families where, even though there are both parents, the woman is the breadwinner and the strength of the family. It doesn’t seem to have been that way in the days when Jesus was growing up. There may have been a few women who did it all, but that was not the custom. Men seemed to have relegated women to the bearing and caring of children, along with the usual cooking and cleaning that home life requires.
Mary was one of those women. We look upon her as able to take whatever life threw at her, but not physically in the sense of a brick layer or dock worker. It was Joseph who did the heavy work and provided the Holy Family with money. He was the security and protection needed by his foster child, Jesus, and his wife, Mary. Many Christians place Joseph in the background. He’s a third-class figure in our crib scenes. Jesus and Mary would tell you differently. They would tell you they couldn’t have made it without him. For them, Joseph was number one, after God of course.
Consider his importance in God’s plan of salvation and honor him on this his feast day. And be sure to pray to Joseph to help you with your family especially in stopping the spread of the coronavirus and heal the people affected by it. He’s an expert on support and security.
