Year of St. Joseph: An Accepting Father

Here’s another of our short reflections on each of the seven aspects of Saint Joseph’s fatherhood in the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis, Patris Corde (With a Father’s Heart).

Prior posts considered Saint Joseph as “A Beloved Father,” whom the Church lovingly honors and venerates, as “A Tender and Loving Father,” evident in his constant care and devotion to Mary and Jesus, and as “An Obedient Father,” who listened to God’s will and obeyed, expressing his “yes” to God through his actions. Today, we “Go to Joseph!” once again, this time seeing him as “An Accepting Father.”

In this “Year of Saint Joseph” the Holy Father encourages us to increase “our love for this great saint, to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.” We are seeking to plumb the depths of the fatherly heart of Saint Joseph, that heart that Jesus and Mary knew so well.

An Accepting Father

This fourth attribute of Saint Joseph’s fatherly heart is at the center of the Apostolic Letter. If Patris Corde was a diamond mine, this section would contain the motherlode (or “fatherlode”) of precious gems, accessible to us, if we are willing to dig for them.

The Holy Father states, “Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his own ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his own history.” Let’s chisel away at these sentences to find the gems they contain.

“Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand.”

Reality is not of our making, it belongs to the Lord God, Who provides for His creation according to His wisdom and love. But things happen to us that we don’t want, things that burden us, deprive us, and frighten us. We question how such things could possibly come to us from a loving God. Our faith and our understanding are tested.

“Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion.”

God’s ways are not our ways. We know this, but we still plan for and expect things to go “our way;“ we want to control reality. When we cannot control things, we are disappointed in God for upsetting our plans and denying our expectations. We rebel.

“Joseph set aside his own ideas in order to accept the course of events … mysterious as they seemed“

Saint Joseph had no illusions about reality; he was not God, but a creature, entirely aware of his dependence on his Creator. His plans were always contingent on God’s plans, even when Joseph did not understand what God had in mind for him. Joseph was free to accept the course of events, knowing that God was in control even when he could not see the bigger picture. Saint Joseph was accepting because he believed that, as St John Henry Newman said, “God knows what He is about.”

“ … embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his own history.”

Here is the gem we have been digging for: “Joseph is certainly not passively resigned, but courageously and firmly proactive.” He embraced every situation, every circumstance, every turn of events, as if it were given to him personally by God–for, in fact, that is exactly what life is! Life is a gift from God and our circumstances are the time and place in which we are to live this gift. God entrusts us with the particulars of our life and trusts that we will embrace them as coming from Him. Saint Joseph did not react to his circumstances, he responded to them; “He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.”

How did Saint Joseph do this?

Scripture tells us that Saint Joseph “was a righteous man” (Mt 1:19), a devout observer of the Mosaic law, and a man who gave to God what is God’s. Pope Francis tells us that, “The nobility of Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity.” Love is the answer. Saint Joseph subjected his duties to the law of love. He embraced his obligations, and accepted his circumstances not as burdens, but as personal occasions to love. This is a profound truth and sound spiritual direction.

The Pope presents Saint Joseph to us as our spiritual guide: “The spiritual path that Joseph traces for us is not one that explains, but accepts.” And yet, this proactive acceptance opens to us the horizon of “a broader history, [and] a deeper meaning,” even disclosing to us the mysterious part we play in salvation history.

This is the work of God–for every one of His creatures, including you!

He fortifies and equips us for this work just as He did Saint Joseph. “Only the Lord can give us the strength needed to accept life as it is, with all its contradictions, frustrations and disappointments… We need to set aside all anger and disappointment, and to embrace the way things are, even when they do not turn out as we wish. Not with mere resignation, but with hope and courage. In this way, we become open to a deeper meaning. Our lives can be miraculously reborn if we find the courage to live them in accordance with the Gospel… In this greater perspective, faith gives meaning to every event, however happy or sad.”

“The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph.” Let us respond in faith to the angel’s message to him (“Son of David, do not be afraid!” Mt 1:20) to accept and welcome the persons and circumstances God entrusts to us and subject our duties, and ourselves, to the higher law of love.

PS Want to share Saint Joseph with your children? We make it easy! We have an entire category of items dedicated to Saint Joseph for all ages and types of learners–> click HERE! It includes our Glory Story about him (“From An Angel in a Dream”), coloring pages, and much more–even stickers! All of them are guaranteed to get their imaginations going, prompting contemplation…and conversation! Enjoyable for all!