In the presence of Joseph, it is easy to engage in confident prayer. The following words, among the many that are possible, are those of a father about this righteous man, Mary’s spouse, who was able to hear the voice of angels and incline to God’s will.
Lord,
This time a father is speaking out in prayer to You, on the feast day of Joseph, the righteous father, the solid beam of the house in Nazareth, Mary’s husband, the virgin father of Jesus, Your Son. How difficult is the prayer of fathers! It is rare, poor and hardly visible. For fathers, just a glance up to heaven, a restrained sigh or an accentuated wrinkle are often enough. However, fathers also pray, asking and waiting; and my prayer is for others: for the children, first of all, for the loved ones at home, and for my own wife who is not only a mother.
Before saying what a father may ask, Lord, I place myself next to Joseph. Like him, I—as a father—would like to learn to recognize the faint traces of the angels; to believe the Word brought by the announcement; to keep it close, simply to obey. Like Joseph, marital love is enough to make me believe in the mystery of life entrusted to weak flesh and toilsome hands; it is enough to make me resist against Herod’s threats, to protect life, in active silence.
Lord, even the fathers experience desolation, like Joseph, when he thought of sending Mary away and yet supported her like a rock, because he trusted You and You came to comfort him as he slept. Lord, give me Joseph’s faith, and come to visit me too visit in my nights; give me the courage not to be afraid of life and to accept all that comes from You.
Saint Joseph, may you be blessed; stay close to me. And, with you, may the Virgin Mother and the Son of the Most High also be at my side. AMEN
