St. Joseph - The Earthly Reflection of Our Heavenly Father

With today being Father's Day in the USA, I think it is a good time for us to take a quick look at St. Joseph & see how his actions reflect those of God the Father. I know some people are saying with what little we know from the Bible how can you hope to accomplish that? Yes, St. Joseph doesn't appear much, but what is there speaks volumes about what it means to be an earthly father as well as how God the Father in Heaven wants to relate to us.

1st, every action of his is motivated by love. His concern for Mary's honor, his willingness to do whatever needed despite the cost to protect & provide for her & to protect & provide for Jesus is a reflection of the love God has for us. Joseph did all he did because he loved God. & from that love of God his spousal love for Mary flowed. His love for Jesus flowed from that same love of God.

The relationship between Jesus & Joseph was truly that of father & son. In every way except biological Jospeh was the father of Jesus. He truly was Jesus' father. I know that we usually here the term "foster father" when refering to Joseph. We need to understand why that term came about. It came about as a response to those who tried to claim that Jesus wasn't God & actually was Joseph's biological son.

To say that Joseph wasn't Jesus' father as the same as someone trying to tell me that Jon isn't actually my friend Dan's son. Jon was adopted & at that point he became Dan's son. When Joseph woke up from his dream & took Mary as his wife, the same thing happenned. Jospeh became his father. No where in Scripture does it refer to Joseph as anything but Jesus' father. (Luke 2:32, 43, 48 for 3 examples)

& what was Jesus' response to Joseph as earthly father, the same as His response to His Heavenly Father. Jesus was under & obedient to Joseph's paternal authority (Luke 2:51). So much so that later the people of Nazareth refered to Him as the son of Joseph.

By Joseph's actions as father of Jesus we also have the perfect role model of what it means for all of us men to be a real father. & as I have already pointed out, that starts with how we do or don't love them.

& from that love flows all the rest. God the Father's love was such that He wanted to restore us to a right relationship with us. In order to do so, His Son had to become human. & that ment being born, being an infant, a child, etc. & that ment that Jesus would need an earthly father to care for Him, to protect & provide for Him, to rear & raise Him just like any human child needs a father to do. That also included being a good husband to Mary as well.

Joseph's fatherhood also has meaning for us in the Pro-life movement. Joseph could have said no to being the protector of the unborn Jesus. But he said yes. In doing so, Joseph reminds us that Jesus was a living human being (as well as the 2nd person of the Trinity) in the womb of Mary. Just like every unborn child is a human being that deserves the same protection.

If Joseph were here today, I am sure he would be praying in front of abortion clinics. I am sure he would also be supporting crisis pregnancy centers as well. & I am sure he would be helping other young men to become good fathers.

The fact that he is now in heaven doesn't mean that he can't help us today. As I said, we can start by studying his example in Scripture. But we can also ask him to help us by his intercession before the throne of his Son Jesus. We can also take him as a friend & padrone to help guide & lead us along the way. This applies to all of us men, married or single.

So, while we shouldn't forget our earthly fathers, grandfathers & even great-grandfathers should we have been so blessed, we should also remember our Heavenly Father & His love for us that far outshines that of our earthly fathers. & we should also remember Joseph this day & be grateful to God for the gift God gave us in him.