As we continue our Advent journey, we focus today on Saint Joseph. Every Catholic church has an image or a statue of this man. He was proclaimed the patron of the Universal Church, families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, craftsmen, workers, and refugees. And yet, not a single word of his is recorded in the New Testament.
Joseph was a man of deep faith who was attentive to the Holy Spirit who led him. Joseph was told that his espoused was with child of the Holy Spirit and would do great things. The Spirit warned him to flee to Egypt, and willingly, he became an immigrant, a refugee. When told to return to his homeland, he brought Mary and Jesus back to Nazareth. He raised Jesus and none of the Gospel ever mention a word. The Spirit spoke, and Joseph listened and obeyed, showing us the importance of obedience in our own faith journey.
Father Eymard had a special devotion to Saint Joseph. Like Saint Joseph, Father Eymard ‘s life was a journey, always attentive to the call of the Holy Spirit. He relished being a diocesan priest but heard the call to enter a religious congregation devoted to Mary. He was happy in his years with the Marist but while carrying the monstrance in the Corpus Christi procession in Lyons in 1845, he was inspired to found a religious community totally dedicated to the Mystery of the Eucharist. His journey had reached its goal. There were years yet to go before the beginnings of the Eymardian Family were created.
May St. Joseph and Father Eymard help us at each Eucharist, when the Spirit is evoked upon the bread and wine, inspire each of us to be “hearers.” Then, too, may the Bread and Wine, the Body and Blood of Christ, strengthen us to also be “doers of the Word.”
Let Us Pray:
Good Saint Joseph and Father Eymard, you were men whose hearts were open to the Holy Spirit. That Spirit guided you on a path you did not understand, but you followed. May you fill our hearts with the same openness, humility, and trust, reassuring us that the same Spirit will guide us in our journey to serve the Lord and his people. Amen.
