As we celebrate the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, we recall his stellar qualities, such as prudence, trustworthiness, and integrity. In commemorating this particular feast, such traits typically would be applied to decades of labor in the carpentry workshop at Nazareth, at the home he shared with Jesus and Mary.

For our purposes today, though, we turn to a quality of Saint Joseph which, it seems to me, informs all the others: that of constancy. Various definitions of the word constancy equate it to faithfulness, loyalty, steadfast devotion, and unwavering commitment. We can find clear evidence of these characteristics in Saint Joseph’s relationships with God the Father, the Virgin Mary, Jesus, the Church, and each of us.

Saint Joseph’s relationship with God the Father: The deep faith of Saint Joseph, an observant Jew, would have permeated every aspect of his life, dawn to dusk, day after day. His God was ever with him; theirs was a relationship of mutual trust. A devout prayer life surely opened his heart to the divine plan, as evidenced in a series of angelic visitations recorded in the Gospel according to Saint Matthew (1:18 – 25; 2:13 – 15, 19-22).

These speak to us of a man of action and courage, unfailingly dependable, totally accepting of God’s plan for his life, and ever protective of the family the Father had entrusted to his care. For example, dangers and uncertainty notwithstanding, he listened and responded quickly when directed to take his family to Egypt and then to return to their homeland, trust in God sustaining him throughout.

Saint Joseph’s relationship with Mary: Sacred Scripture gives us clear examples of the constancy of Saint Joseph as husband to Mary, the Virgin Mother of Jesus. Chapters 1 and 2 of the Gospel according to Saint Luke relate situations wherein Mary relied heavily on Joseph’s enduring love and total dedication to her and to her Son.

Consider the challenges resulting from the unexpected news of Mary’s pregnancy; the difficulties of the journey to Bethlehem and the search for suitable shelter; the ominous predictions of Simeon at the Presentation; the three days of anxious searching for the Child Jesus in Jerusalem. Through it all, Mary knew that she could count on Joseph and his stalwart commitment to her and to Jesus.

Saint Joseph’s relationship with Jesus: In his Apostolic Letter Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer), Pope Saint John Paul II states: “The growth of Jesus ‘in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and Man’ (Lk 2:52) took place within the Holy Family under the eyes of Joseph, who had the important task of ‘raising’ Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing and educating him in the Law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father” (16).

So the constancy of Saint Joseph as putative father of Jesus was evidenced in the daily life of the Holy Family – a life of faith, work, and love. From giving the Infant Jesus His name, the legal duty of a father (Lk 2:21), to modeling the sterling qualities of God-centered manhood, Saint Joseph was a steadfast example to Jesus as He grew through childhood to adulthood.

Saint Joseph’s relationship with the Church: In 1870, a decree of Blessed Pope Pius IX designated Saint Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, in response to impassioned requests of numerous prelates worldwide.

We turn again to Redemptoris Custos, where the Holy Father refers to Scripture and the early Church Fathers to assert: “… just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model” (1).

Saint Joseph’s relationship with you and me: Saint Joseph’s unceasing intercessory power goes without question, and how could the Son he so tirelessly tended on earth fail to respond generously to the requests of His foster father on our behalf?

Pope Saint John Paul II prays: “May St. Joseph become for all of us an exceptional teacher in the service of Christ’s saving mission, a mission which is the responsibility of each and every member of the Church,” no matter our vocation. “May St. Joseph obtain for the Church and for the world, as well as for each of us, the blessing of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit” (32).

The good and holy work of Saint Joseph, performed with such diligence and loving care at Nazareth, continues today, in the Church privileged with his patronage and in each of us, her faithful members.

With this in mind, we close with a prayer that unites us in mind and heart with this most steadfast and powerful of intercessors, so dear to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary.

Act of Consecration to Saint Joseph

O dearest Saint Joseph, I consecrate myself to your honor and give myself to you, that you may always be my father, my protector, and my guide in the way of salvation.

Obtain for me a greater purity of heart and fervent love of the interior life.

After your example, may I do all my actions for the greater glory of God, in union with the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

O Blessed Saint Joseph, pray for me, that I may share in the peace and joy of your holy death. Amen.

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