5 lessons from St. Joseph

St. Joseph was obedient. Joseph was obedient to God's Will all his life. Joseph listened to the angel of the Lord explain the virgin birth in a dream and then took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1: 20-24). He was obedient when he led his family to Egypt to escape Herod's infanticide in Bethlehem (Matthew 2: 13-15). Joseph obeyed the angel's subsequent commands to return to Israel (Matthew 2: 19-20) and settle in Nazareth with Mary and Jesus (Matthew 2: 22-23). How often do our pride and obstinacy hinder our obedience to God?

St. Joseph was selfless. In the limited knowledge we have of Joseph, we see a man who thought only of serving Mary and Jesus, never himself. What many may see as sacrifices on his part were actually acts of selfless love. His devotion to his family is a model for fathers today who can allow disordered attachments to the things of this world to distort their attention and hinder their vocations.

St. Joseph guided by example . None of his words are written in Scripture, but we can clearly see from his actions that he was a righteous, loving, and faithful man. We often think we influence others primarily by what we say, when we are so often observed for our actions. Every decision and action recorded by this great saint is the standard that men must follow today.

Saint Joseph was a worker . He was a simple craftsman who served his neighbors through his handiwork. He taught his adopted son Jesus the value of hard work. It is likely that the humility displayed by Joseph in recorded scriptures spilled over into the simple approach he took to his work and to provide for the Holy Family. We can all learn a great lesson from Saint Joseph, who is also the patron saint of workers, about the value of our daily work and how it should exist to glorify God, support our families and contribute to society.

Saint Joseph was a leader . But not in the way we can see leadership today. He drove like a loving husband when he improvised to find a stable for Mary to give birth to Jesus, after being turned away from the Bethlehem inn. He led as a man of faith when he obeyed God in all things, took the pregnant woman as his wife, and later brought the Holy Family safely to Egypt. He drove as a family supplier working long hours in his workshop to make sure they had enough to eat and a roof over their heads. He led as a teacher teaching Jesus his trade and how to live and work as a man.