By Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA
In the 17th century, devotion to St. Joseph developed a growing litany of praises drawing on his beloved personal attributes: Spouse of the Mother of God; Foster father of the Son of God; Head of the Holy Family; most chaste; prudent; strong; obedient; faithful; guardian of virgins; glory of family life; Protector of Holy Church. Three other praises among others stand out: Terror of demons; Chaste Guardian of the Virgin and finally, Guardian of the Redeemer, or as more boldly put, but significant, nonetheless – savior of the Savior!
All of this resonates through the history of tradition in the Catholic Church as a string of jeweled phrases, the faithful’s bursts of love and affection toward this admittedly greatest male saint in the Christian calendar. Not a word of his is recorded, but his resolve and strength laces through the narratives of Matthew and Luke, steering the Holy Family. His marriage to the most blessed woman who ever lived, so true and authentic, is unique and resplendent. His universal spiritual fatherhood shields the Body of Christ. He is quick to obey God’s plan in all respects, immediately trusting God despite all unknown situations and destinations visited upon him.
The most blessed and virtuous man after Christ, Joseph (his name means “He will add”) serves as a model for all and especially for the role of the male as protector, provider and leader who unifies the family. He is protector of Mother and Child, as all fathers are seen throughout history, certainly in the Jewish-Christian understanding. Pierre Trudeau leaves his role as prime minister of Canada and blares: “Canada will always defend a ‘woman’s right to choose.’” Is this protection? Provision? Unifying? Obviously not, but is instead satanically rendered to sugar-coat the reality of a “mother’s right to solve her inconvenience by murder.”
Such is the mantra of “health care” and “reproductive freedom” that has taken root in the parlance of Canadian and American cultures today. It used to be touted that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” a bit less venturous with decodifying language than the latest wreckage. But ending a surprise pregnancy is not reproductive freedom. It’s destructive. It’s deadly, and it deadens the conscience of individuals and societies.
The abortion push frequently is not about a woman’s right to choose, but rather a man’s cop out from protecting and standing up for both against child murder. Imagine where we would be today in a world without Christianity if a maiden in Nazareth said no to Gabriel or if Joseph divorced Mary for probable adultery? Or if he did not obey and take Mary and Jesus to Egypt, a land with bitter memories for the Jews of that time. Joseph’s responses all demonstrate his trust in God’s power to do the highly improbable or even unheard of, and they set the stage for humanity’s salvation.
The masculine role of provider and protector extends both to wife and family in a godly society. Joseph and Mary trusted God in what seemed impossible, dangerous and culturally insurmountable in both the pregnancy and flight issues summarized in Matthew (Chapter 2) and Luke (Chapter 2). In either instance a wrong or delayed response would have thwarted our redemption from Adam’s fall forever.
St. Joseph’s actions speak volumes of trust, self-giving, exuding the manly instinct of protecting and providing. Most importantly, his chastity was the forged foundation for protecting and providing. It was the unifier that put in perspective a selfless, outgoing strength to protect Mary from the shame and punishment of any perceived wrongdoing, even before the first dream validating Mary’s innocence. That link of chaste self-control was just the beginning of the virtue of purity and a boost to trust in God and afford deeply humble care for his beloved spouse.
Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA, Ph.D., is the associate chaplain for Priests for Life. A concert pianist, he was formerly an associate professor of music at Villanova University.
