St Joseph
Joseph is not mentioned often in the Bible. We read about him before the birth of Jesus when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and asked him to take Mary as his wife. (Matthew 1:18).
Imagine his dilemma. He was engaged to Mary when she found out she was due to have a baby by the Holy Spirit. At first he considered doing what many men with a pregnant girl friend whose baby is not theirs would have done - run a mile in the opposite direction. Being an honourable man he decided to break the engagement privately so as not to disgrace her.
Then the angel appeared to him in a dream; and based on that dream alone he decided to marry Mary and raise her son as if He were his own.
He was there when Jesus was born in Bethlehem and we read about him when he took Jesus and Mary to Egypt to escape from Herod (Matthew 2:13) and then when they returned to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19).
He is also mentioned when the boy Jesus was twelve years old and found in the Temple in Jerusalem (Luke 2:41).
So as Jesus' foster father he was there during His early years protecting Him from Herod and providing a loving family for the Son of God.
What a wonderful man he must have been. Working quietly in the background, without much recognition, doing God's will in raising His Son on earth.
Click here to find a special Prayer to St Joseph.
© Copyright V Moubarak 2007