From Fr. Bill Dorner, OLSH Chaplain ,,,
Following St. Joseph's Example
Every year, on March 19, the Catholic Church celebrates the Solemnity of St. Joseph. Every year we remember one of the greatest saints who ever lived: the man who was the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the husband of our Blessed Mother.
While St. Joseph is one of our most beloved saints, many people are surprised to learn that there is not one word of St. Joseph recorded in the Bible. In fact, St. Joseph is only mentioned in the first two chapters of both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, and then we never hear of him again. But while St. Joseph remains silent in the Gospels, his actions speak much louder than words.
We are told in the Bible that on a number of occasions an angel of the Lord appeared to St. Joseph in a dream, and gave him instructions on what God wanted him to do. And we are told that as soon as St. Joseph wakes up he does exactly what the angel has told him to do. St. Joseph did not have to say any words – his actions spoke for him. St. Joseph was only concerned with following the will of God. He did not question God, try to bargain with God, or argue with God about what he was to do. Instead, St. Joseph simply obeyed God without saying anything.
And that is the lesson for all of us in our lives. We too, just like St. Joseph, must quietly follow the will of God in our lives. We must not try to talk our way out of doing what God wants us to do, or try to resist God’s plan for us, or just give God lip-service with our words. Instead, we must simply do God’s will. God wants our actions more than our words.
So let us pray that we may always follow the wonderful example we have in St. Joseph. Let us pray that, just like him, we too may do what God wants us to do. Let us pray that our actions may always speak louder than words.
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