Go to Joseph
He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed (Romans 4:17)
It is deep in the heart of man to be a guide, a provider, a protector — in a word — a father. Saint Joseph was a righteous man, a man attentive and obedient to the voice of God. He believed in God, trusted Him and acted on that trust.
Saint Joseph must have keenly felt his “inadequacy” to be a father to Jesus — to be a guide to the One who is the Way, to be a provider for the One who is our Treasure, to be the protector of Him who is our Shield, our Defender and our Savior. Yet in humble obedience, Saint Joseph lovingly and generously provided for Mary and Jesus with the skills and resources he had. For the Heavenly Father, this was enough.
With foresight and prudence, Joseph of the Old Testament masterfully guided the people of Egypt through a seven-year famine. When the people cried to Pharaoh for food, they were told, “Go to Joseph” (Gen 41:55). Like our Patriarch Joseph, Saint Joseph reminds us that it is not having an abundance of resources that makes one a good provider. The most skilled providers are those who make prudent use of limited resources — and do so moreover with steadfast faith and trust in God, the Father of us all.
Many of our agencies these days are grappling with the realities of decreased funding and emptier warehouses. Trusting that the Father will provide for our “inadequacies” to care for the needs of those we love, let us also “Go to Joseph.”
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Sister Marie Josepha Kluczny, RSM is a member of the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan, and the Executive Director of Catholic Charities of Southwest Louisiana.
