Holy Father Pope Francis while addressing the faithful gathered at Casa Santa Marta for morning Holy Mass, reflected on the emotions felt by Joseph when the signs of Mary’s pregnancy appeared after she returned from the house of Elizabeth. His Holiness highlighted that Joseph is also the man who “takes in hand” the mystery of bringing the people back to God, the mystery of re-Creation- which, as the liturgy tells us, is “even more wondrous” than the first.
As reported by Vatican radio, Holy Father Pope Francis remarked that “Joseph took on a paternity that was not his own: it came from the Father and he went ahead with that fatherhood and all it signified: not only supporting Mary and the Child but also raising the Child, teaching Him his trade, bringing Him up to manhood.” Further, His Holiness added, “Take up a paternity that is not yours, but God’s and this, without saying a word and in the Gospel, there is not a single word spoken by Joseph. A man of silence, of silent obedience.”
His Holiness concluded his remarks by highlighting the good qualities of St. Joseph, which included love, patience, and responsibility and pointed him as a man who carried forward every paternity and every mystery but took nothing for himself.
