They are going to rest on the bank of the river for a while. Days passed from Nazareth. Even though the miles are crossed, it still takes days to reach Bethlehem. Mary slowly called out to Joseph as she stared into the river. She turned towards her spouse as she heard no reply. Joseph was in sound sleep. Mary is trying to pull off the sandals that were lying on Joseph’s feet after walking for many days. She found it very difficult to remove it from his swollen feet. When she gently wiped his feet with damp clothes, blood was flowing from his feet. The journey to Bethlehem begins with a direct account of the journey of father Joseph. The above is a scene from the movie The Nativity Story (2006).
We come to the reality of the Holy Family when we learn the beautiful silent example given by God by choosing a carpenter named Joseph. Joseph was the one who found the answer to his own pain by adding meditation to a wider level of silence and prayer. Joseph is an epic in which the Bible describes the life of protection and example with the single word ‘righteous’. A father who molded the life and personality of his son Jesus with a silence that brought him to perfection.
All the pieces of wood that passed through the hands of a carpenter named Joseph were blooming. Everything is the same wooden planks when viewed with the naked eye. As the foster-father of the Son of God, entrust anyone other than the carpenter who unleashes the infinite possibilities of anything with a single glance! Yet Joseph was the one who, in his waking and sleeping, asked God for a decision on whether to take what was given. As a carpenter, he did two things during his great journey as the foster father of the Son of God: Listen and Silent. In English, these two words are made up of the same letters. That is why these two words have such an inseparable connection. Joseph was silent and attentive. Joseph never shared the thought of accepting Mary as his wife with anyone but God. That is why God Himself gave the great answer to that silence. He is a role model for us as he listens to His voice silently without making a fuss over crises.
God was adding all the shortcomings of Joseph. The one who was added when the Son of God needed a foster father on earth … the one who added Mary as her husband … the one who added her as the head of the family to be an example to the whole world … That is why the name Joseph means ‘he will add’. Don’t forget that Joseph is a good father who can ‘add’ all the shortcomings in our lives as well. That is why the church places Joseph first in the worship of the saints. This homage to Father Joseph is known as Proto dulia.
In the office of Pope Francis, there is a statue of St. Joseph. It was not a statue of Joseph who was not accompanied by a carving chisel, a lily, or the baby Jesus. On the contrary, it is in the form of a sleeping Joseph. The Holy Father himself answers why.
“I have great respect and love for St. Joseph. He is a man synonymous with silence and strength of mind. In other words, he will pray for an answer to every problem if we cast him. “
After the birth of Jesus, God told Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt to escape the attack of Herod. Dreaming is not something that happens during sleep; rather, they are visions that you get when you think deeply about something. Maybe his nights were always younger. Only then can we understand the depth and breadth of Father Joseph’s care and love.
There is a very beautiful scene in The Nativity Story. During the trip to Bethlehem, Joseph gave Mary half of what he had left because he had run out of food. Joseph takes a small piece of his belongings and hides it between his clothes so that Mary cannot see him. After that, the hidden food is given to their donkey without anyone noticing. Joseph hides but Mary unknowingly sees it. She smiles understanding that care. After eating it, the little donkey came to Joseph and thanked him. Then Joseph touches it and says, “I’m hungry, not you.” When we put together the beautiful record of his care for nature and our fellow human beings, we get a beautiful picture of a ‘good father’ to meditate on in a dream.
 At the end of the Year of St. Joseph, let us pray to him in a special way. May St. Joseph always protect our families, our lives, and our church.