The Solemnity of Saint Joseph

A new baby becomes the center of attention in the parents’ lives. It would have been no different for Mary and Joseph at the birth of Jesus. Together they watched Jesus grow in wisdom, age, and grace. In his role as head of the family, Joseph four times heeded the message of an angel, each time keeping Mary and Jesus safe as they traveled from place to place to find a safe home, finally landing in Nazareth. There Jesus learned life skills, prayer, carpentry, obedience, and more. Joseph and Mary had all along accepted life as it is with all its surprises and disappointments. I imagine that Jesus learned to take life as it came, too, from the example of his loving parents. With Jesus at the center of their lives, God was at the center of Mary’s and Joseph’s lives. On this solemnity of Saint Joseph, let us pray that Joseph and Mary will aid us in making God the center of our lives.