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Protecting Our Families: Living in the Image of Saint Joseph
As we get ready to wind down the year of Saint Joseph, we would love to take a look at just how much influence this Saint has on our lives.
Joseph shows us how important protecting one's family is, and, as we begin to celebrate the year of the holy family, we should all take a moment to celebrate our own families and their protection over us.
Whether chosen, blood-related, or both, our families are central to our very being and shape us into who we are. As we look to Saint Joseph to teach us what it means to love and protect our family, we pray to him to continue to be with us and bless our families.
Do not be Afraid
“Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife” Matthew 1:19-21
The Angel commanded that Joseph not be afraid and take Mary as his wife. Joseph, a man of good, swiftly obeyed.
Not only is Saint Joseph’s love for and devotion to Mary worthy of admiration, but his devotion to protecting his whole family is unparalleled.
He trusted that God had amazing plans for him and his family, so he listened to the angel and took Mary’s hand in marriage.
Joseph never wavered in his love for his family and was a strong, powerful figure on which his family could lean. He bravely led Mary through the desert to Egypt, and he defended her and their son Jesus valiantly, knowing God was on their side.
Constant Fidelity and Upright Conduct
“Saint Joseph was the just man, by his constant fidelity, an effect of justice; by his perfect discretion, a sister to prudence; by his upright conduct, a mark of strength and by his inviolable chastity, a flower of temperance” –Saint Albert The Great
As a fellow saint comments on Saint Joseph’s significance in our lives and his holiness throughout his life, we are reminded of just how important it is to try to live as Saint Joseph did.
Saint Albert The Great starts by noting that Saint Joseph was a just, loyal man, who always stood by his family’s side and was fair to everyone around him. He goes on to further explain that Joseph had perfect discretion, cautious to be fair to all.
Joseph was a patient, fair man, who took the time to sit with his family and impart his wisdom to them. He was always fair and used caution to be sure that his decisions exuded as much justice as he did.
In a family, the strength of the individual members is extremely important. Saint Joseph, the patriarch of his family, was as strong as they come. He had enough willpower to sacrifice for his family, anything so that they may flourish. His strength is shown not in his body, but through the power of his words and actions as he protects and loves his family.
Surround Me With Songs of Deliverance
“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance” Psalm 32:7
Imparting wisdom to others in your family is one thing, but meeting them where they are and helping them through experience is another.
Joseph met Mary as she was and he became a place for her to come and be herself. He was her hiding place.
What strengthened their marriage, however, was that they both found another hiding place outside from each other: God. Having time and prayer with the Lord as spiritual space where they could both go and be themselves strengthened their marriage and their individual selves.
Joseph, through God, protected his family and surrounded them with love and kindness, protecting them from all trouble. He was a safe space for his family, something all family members are called to be this Christmas season.
The Lord is With You
“For the Lord your God is he that goeth with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you” Deuteronomy 20:4
If God was not on Joseph’s side, he would not have been able to win his fight.
Joseph fought valiantly to protect his family from all evil, like how he took Mary and fled from King Herod to Egypt, sacrificing the comfort of his hometown for the safety and welfare of his family. If God was not on Joseph’s side, Joseph would not have come out victorious.
If every fight you fight for your family is in good faith and intentions through God, He will go with you and help you emerge victorious.
Fight valiantly for your family with the Lord on your side, for He will aid you.
He Will Guard You
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” Psalm 91:11
Not only will God help you emerge victorious against your enemies, He will protect you and your family using his angels to ensure that you and your family are protected from all harm.
God is good, and Joseph knew this. He listened to everything the Lord and his angels told him, trusting that God would protect him and his family. Even when the task seemed grand, like fleeing to Egypt, Joseph willingly complied, trusting that God would send one of his angels to ensure that he and his family were safe.
God will help you and guard you as you protect your family from harm, just as Joseph did.
Live Together in Unity
"How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity!" Psalm 133:1
As we all know, a family unit is not always perfect. There are arguments, discrepancies. We are human. But, out of love for our families, we sit down and talk through it. Because that’s what families do. They fight for each other.
With God on our side, we talk to each other, we work through the arguments, taking extra care to hear our family members when they talk to us, being sure to be kind and respectful to everyone.
The more we can work through these discrepancies, the more we can live together as one unit. When we live together as one, when we love together as one, when we smile together as one, we live just as God intended: Unified. Holy.
Rounding Out the Year of Saint Joseph
Just as Saint Joseph did for his family, we must try to live up to his image and do for ours. We must protect them at all costs and love them as they are, trying our best to embody Saint Joseph’s love and patience.
As we get ready to round out the year of Saint Joseph, we are reminded of how amazing Saint Joseph was, and how we can carry his image with us as we go through our lives.