Faith Fact- St. Joseph in Lent


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In spite of his role in the Holy Family, there's not a lot we know about Joseph. When he turns up in the Gospels, it's mostly just to be mentioned, or occasionally to be there in the background with Mary.

The little we do have of Joseph's story comes at the beginning of the Gospel According to Matthew. There, Joseph learns that Mary, his betrothed, is pregnant, and he knows that the baby isn't his. Joseph, we are told, is a righteous man, so while, in that time period, he could have had Mary stoned to death for being pregnant by another man, he chooses instead to divorce her quietly.

Then Joseph's life gets shaken up rather drastically. He is visited by an angel, in a dream no less, who tells him that the child Mary bears was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that this child, Jesus, will "save His people from their sins."

At that point, Joseph's life is all about this miraculous child. He protects Mary and baby Jesus from the wrath of King Herod while they are in exile in Egypt. He continues to move himself and his family for their lives' sake, not his own.

Because Lent is a time of preparation, it can also be a time of surprises. Because Lent gives us the chance to actually stop and listen to God, we sometimes get shaken out of our old ways of life into a new way of living. When we find ourselves in those moments, Joseph can be a great example to us for how to move forward and accept whatever it is that God is calling us to do.