‘St Joseph - Father because disciple’, by João Maia, 2nd year Master's student in Theology

The long history of the Church has always preserved the figure of Joseph as a participant and special witness in the salvific narrative. Many titles, names and adjectives have been associated with this biblical character, the same one who never has a single sentence of dialogue. In fact, the Gospels mention the crowds, the shepherds, the Magi, the Pharisees, the Sadducees and many others, but never the one entrusted with the protection of Mary and Jesus. There are dozens of characters who speak throughout the text, but few have the centrality entrusted to Joseph.

Not infrequently, when people talk about Saint Joseph, they emphasise his role as protector of the Holy Family or praise the spousal chastity in which he tried to live. The dimension of the just man and even that of the loving, elderly adoptive father of Jesus have filled the ecclesial imagination and imagery for centuries. There are hundreds of pictures and images of Joseph as the old man with little Jesus on his lap or as the humble carpenter from Nazareth. All of this has its place, but it's reductive, limited and simplistic if that's all we can say about Joseph. Born in the region of what would become Roman Palestine, Joseph became a key figure in Salvation History. When we reflect on the biblical text, we see that this simple craftsman was decisive, courageous and exemplary. The descendant of the house of David is an example of a father, because he was first and foremost an example of a faithful and attentive disciple. We are not questioning the tenderness that surrounds the figure of Joseph, but rather we want to emphasise that this tenderness has a special seriousness, courage and determination that can go unnoticed when we look at common images.

Joseph took upon himself a unique mission of fatherhood, in no way inferior to any other father in human history. He is the guarantor of the family of Nazareth through his labour, his love and his self-sacrifice. Yes, Joseph is a ‘just man’, not only because he contemplates God made flesh, but first and foremost because he ensures that this little baby can grow up and reach adulthood. When Pope Pius IX made Joseph patron saint of the Church more than 150 years ago, he emphasised precisely Joseph's action. He is the determined protector, the actor who provides for them, not out of mere obligation, but out of love for both Mary and the very God of Israel, of whom he is a faithful disciple from an early age. Joseph is a privileged figure of what it means to live in God's charity.

On this day when we celebrate Father's Day, let's remember this father figure, who was not a father by genetic condition, but by his daily and permanent experience. In St Joseph we have an example for both fathers and sons, because everyone is called to be a disciple of Christ.

João Maia - 2nd year of the Integrated Master's Degree in Theology