MY mentors have taught me time and time again, “show, don’t tell”.
A spiritual mentor of mine, St Joseph, shares the same message in his own way.
Most Catholics know – St Joseph does not have one attributable quote to him in the Gospels.
We have to look instead to his actions.
Early on, we hear that Joseph took Mary in despite pressures from the law and society.
He protected her from stoning and led her through their Egyptian exile.
St Joseph provided for the Holy Family as a carpenter.
He went on to teach his Son the craft too.
All rules are made to be broken – there are also times when telling, rather than showing, is needed.
Christians are called to share the Gospel. Both in word and in deed.
St Joseph didn’t say anything probably because he didn’t feel the need to share anything more than the baby in his arms.
Jesus is the Word incarnate.
What St Joseph left unsaid is fulfilled by his relationship with Jesus.
We are called to answer God’s call in our lives, too, to bear Jesus to the world and share the Good News of His life, death and Resurrection.
Pope Francis said that the greatness of St Joseph is that he was a husband to Mary and foster father to Jesus. By doing so, in the words of St John Chrysostom, he placed himself “at the service of the entire plan of salvation.”
With St Joseph as an example, and especially on his feast day today, we can place our lives at the service of salvation.
