St Joseph is a model and powerful intercessor for men who
are discerning God’s will. Like many of
us, he had his own plans, desires and dreams.
Work hard. Build a career. Settle down with the woman he loved and raise
a family. Sound familiar? Sounds great.
And then God stepped in! Mary’s
news that she was pregnant turned his world upside down. He didn’t know what to do. Confused. Disoriented. Afraid.
How could this be? What did it
mean? We cannot really know what Joseph
went through at this moment and there is much speculation amongst the Church
Fathers that is beautiful and helpful for our meditation[1]. But essentially it was too much for him, so
broken hearted, he decided to divorce her and move on with his life (Mt
1:18-19).
Then suddenly he received his own annunciation! God broke through again and (somewhat)
explained the mystery he was involved in and how He was asking him to respond
(Mt 1:20-24). Joseph was like us. A
human being, a real man, struggling to understand and do the will of the
Father, wrestling with God’s will and God’s ways! I wonder if he asked himself, and asked God
“why me?” as so many of us have done when faced with the call to live for
Christ with an undivided heart, when asked to live consecrated chastity? Joseph, I imagine, struggled to do the
Father’s will. It must have sounded
crazy to him. He had no idea what it
could mean and God only gives us enough light for the next step! But he listened and he obeyed (Mt 1:24;
2:14). His was the obedience of faith
(Heb 11). He acted manfully. He made a decision. Even though he didn’t have the whole picture! From then on, his life was marked by this
“special grace of intimacy” with Jesus and Mary.
“Ite Ad Joseph” is a
wise spiritual maxim. Go to Joseph. He knows.
He understands. He will help you
struggle with the will of God and move forward.
He will strengthen you in your struggles with chastity. He will help you make a decision to follow
the Lord. He is the heavenly patron of
all consecrated men and women. He is a
model of manliness for all priests, called to chaste, spousal love for the
Church and entrusted as guardians of the Holy Eucharist. He is the guardian of virgins and spouse most
chaste and he is a real man! He is the
terror of demons! Ite ad Joseph!
God Bless,
Fr. Emmanuel Mansford
Vocations Director
[1] “Saint Joseph, Our Father
in Faith”, pp 15-21, Fr. Frederick Miller (Catholic Information Service,
2008).
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