Homily, March 19, 2022, Solemnity of St. Joseph

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 “Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame…”

In India and most of the world, men are expected to be strong, powerful, decisive and outspoken. Oftentimes, quiet, meek and gentle men are considered weak.

Are these qualities signs of weakness?

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” It is in quietness that we become more conscious of God’s presence.

Jesus teaches, “Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth.” Meekness is humility before God and allowing Him to take over as Master of life.

St. Francis de Sales said, “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, nothing so gentle as real strength.” To be gentle is to have self-control, real strength is to have control over self, not others.

Yes, these describe St. Joseph very well. Quiet, meek and gentle. St. Joseph was a righteous man. Discovering that Mary was carrying a child from another, before he knew it was conceived from the Holy Spirit, Joseph had every right to expose her for being unfaithful to the betrothal, but he gave up his own rights so that Mary was protected from the law. His decision to quietly divorce her was to free her from the bonds of the betrothal to be with the father of the child. He was unwilling to expose Mary to shame, yet he willed for her safety and happiness.

Can any man be so humble as to bear such injustice to himself? And so generous as to offer freedom to others, quietly?

How many of us would do that - to protect someone else’s wrong by swallowing our own pride and forgoing our own rights, gently?

In my life, I have personally encountered such a man. My father had these qualities, my mother was the opposite. So, in my household, mommy was the one who won all arguments and had her way in decisions. But at the end of mommy’s life, she realised and admitted that papa was the one who had been right. My papa had never insisted on his views nor complained about mommy being wrong.

St. Joseph’s beautiful qualities are not signs of weakness. Neither are they unrealistic. They are qualities of righteousness, of faith and trust in God, of love and respect for Mary, his wife. These are qualities of spiritual strength which every one of us can imitate and receive through grace, if we ask for it.

St. Joseph, holy and humble husband of the blessed virgin Mary, pray for us.

Fr. Nivin Scaria



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