St. Joseph, our father, our protector and our strength! He protected the Holy Family with such devotion and love it might seem hard to fully comprehend how anyone could ever truly imitate this great saint!
As we continue our fasting, almsgiving, and prayer this Lenten Season, the Lord is inviting us to trust in Him. When we give up our favorite food or add an extra half hour of prayer to our daily routine, it might be tempting to think, “what if this is all for nothing?”, when these practices and sacrifices get tough. We must stay rooted in the reality that the Lord wills our good and is calling us into a life with him, even if we cannot see how our efforts are moving us toward this. We must trust the Lord!
St. Joseph walked this path before us and gave a model to follow! Let’s look at 3 specific ways we can imitate St. Joseph this Lent when the going gets tough!
Extreme Humility
When confronted with Mary’s news that she was pregnant with a child that he knew was not biologically his own, Joseph did not react in pride. He did not let pride move him to rage or self-pity, but rather he quietly called off the engagement. Some theologians believe that St. Joseph did this simply because he did not find himself worthy to be the protector of Our Blessed Virgin Mary and the Son of God. Regardless of his reasoning, his decision to quietly end his betrothal in the face of such an unusual circumstance point to the fact that St. Joseph did not act in wounded pride but rather, the opposite, quiet humility!
Take a moment to think about how you typically react when circumstances outside of your control make living your Lenten obligations more difficult. Are you quick to blame others and demand justice? Do you see this as a reason to give up?
In these moments we are challenged to live like St. Joseph with recognition that when life gets hard, we are still called to live in the reality of our smallness. A smallness that keeps us from seeing how hardships beyond our control can be ladders to Heaven! Living in extreme humility like St. Joseph requires deciding to trust the Lord in every moment.
Immediate Action
“When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.”
Matthew 1:24
The moment St. Joseph received clarity and guidance from the Lord, he acted! He did not give the devil a chance to work on him or time to cave to his own human desires to sow doubt into what the Lord was calling him to.
Take a moment to think about how you usually respond when receiving guidance from the Lord? Do you act immediately or wait? What keeps you waiting and how can you eliminate it?
Fidelity and Perseverance
God repeatedly asks St. Joseph to orient his life towards God’s will, often in circumstances that are stressful or humiliating, such as the flight into Egypt and finding out your fiancé is pregnant. But in St. Joseph, we see a man that doesn’t give up. He repeatedly responds the Lord’s call, protecting the Holy Family, not on his terms, but on the Lords. And while we don’t have a ton of information on what St. Joseph’s daily life actually looked like, all of the biblical evidence we have points to the fact that St. Joseph was a man who was faithful in small things because we see him being faithful in the big things!
Take a moment to reflect on the disposition of your heart. Are you worn down by the events of your life that have repeatedly tested you and perhaps made you feel abandoned and rejected? Look to St. Joseph as an inspiration to maintain fidelity to the Lord with recognition of how St. Joseph has been rewarded and glorified for his faithfulness.
Looking to St. Joseph, the CURO Wellness team also invites you to consider whether or not Catholic Wellness Coaching can help you stay on track for the remainder of Lent To learn more and sign up for a free wellness coaching session, check this out. We look forward to meeting you!
