Hi, my name is Father Tom McCarthy, and I'm an Augustinian friar.
I love Saint Joseph: his faithfulness to God, his faithfulness to Mary, his faithfulness to Jesus.
Stop and think about Saint Joseph. He was engaged to be married to Mary, who he loved. She cheated on him. Imagine how that felt. How did it feel that someone who you loved with your whole heart would cheat on you ... at least that's what he thought.
And then he understood by listening to the dream, by being a man of faithfulness, by being a man who listened, and look what happened. He took Mary into his home, and we know how the story goes. Joseph, from the beginning, was a man who trusted, who believed, and who was a quiet, quiet figure, but profoundly strong.
I love Saint Joseph!
One of the happiest moments was when Pope Francis announced that Saint Joseph's name would be added to the Eucharistic Prayer ... that Saint Joseph would be constantly with us. A man who took care of Mary, a man who took care of Jesus, a man who trusted. What an example of faith and strength to you and me!
When Joseph could have easily given up, he could have had Mary stoned to death! It was part of the law! But instead, he was to divorce her quietly. It showed what an upright man he was.
And then, he trusted by listening to the dream saying "Take Mary into your home. Everything's going to be okay." He trusted when it was crazy to trust!
How does Saint Joseph help you, my sisters and brothers? How is he an example to you and me? To trust when it doesn't make sense to trust? To love? And to be willing to change?
I love Saint Joseph!
Saint Joseph is the most powerful man we'll ever meet, and he never uttered a word in Scripture. He simply believed, and he trusted. He wasn't afraid to change. And he did profound things. He was profound in his simplicity.
As we celebrate Saint Joseph, let us be grateful for this wonderful, wonderful man. This man who took care of Mary - this man who took care of Jesus.
My sisters and brothers, let him take care of us. And let us ask his powerful intercession - and not just to sell homes - but his powerful intercession to be with us, to help us trust, to help us love, and to help us never give up, and to help us be willing to change.
Saint Joseph, thank you for the man you are. Thank you for being a spiritual father to us.
My sisters and brothers, celebrate Saint Joseph! Saint Joseph, pray for us all! God bless us all!
Comments