Happy Father’s Day. Blessings to our fathers, grandfathers, godfathers, and for all who provide a paternal role to others.
Pope Francis, in December of 2020 – on the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Universal Church – wrote the Apostolic Letter, “With A Father’s Heart” describing the merits and the intercessory understanding of St. Joseph. On this Father’s Day, the words Pope Francis wrote of St. Joseph continue to inspire.
“With a Father’s Heart, that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as the son of Joseph. Joseph had the courage to become the legal father of Jesus, to whom he gave the name revealed by the angel. After Mary, the Mother of God, no saint is mentioned more frequently in the papal magisterium than Joseph, her spouse. Each of us can discover in Joseph the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. The greatness of St. Joseph is that he placed himself at the service of the entire plan of salvation.”
“Joseph saw Jesus grow daily, in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favor. As the Lord had done with Israel, so Joseph did with Jesus: teaching him to walk, taking him by the hand, raising him to his cheeks, bending down to feed him. In Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God.”
“Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity. Joseph is firmly proactive; his acceptance and welcome are expressions of the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude. Joseph teaches us that acceptance of the Father’s will is not mere resignation but a sign of hope and courage that opens us to the deeper meaning of living our lives in accordance with the Gospel. The faith that Christ teaches us is evident in St. Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but he confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it. Joseph’s attitude encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, and to love the stranger in our midst. I like to think that it was from St. Joseph that Jesus drew inspiration for the parable of the prodigal son and the merciful father.”
“Similarly, in the face of difficulty, St. Joseph engaged with it and brought out resources he didn’t think that he had. Arriving in Bethlehem and finding no lodging where Mary could give birth, Joseph took a stable and, as best he could, turned it into a welcoming home for the Son of God to come into the world. For at the times when we seem to be abandoned it is God’s trust in us and in our creativity where we can turn a problem into a possibility, trusting in divine providence.”
“An aspect of St. Joseph that has been emphasized from the time of the first social Encyclical, is his relation to work. St. Joseph was a carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family. From him, Jesus learned the value, the dignity, and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s own labor.”
“In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father. Joseph never made himself the center of things. He found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift. In St. Joseph we never see frustration but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust. In a way, we are all like Joseph: a shadow of the heavenly Father, who ‘makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.’ And a shadow that follows his Son.
“Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man.
Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen.”