How does Joseph exercise his
role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing
presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the
time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in
the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the
spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to
Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave
birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search
for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of
Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his
calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly
attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s
plans, and not simply to his own. … Joseph is a “protector” because he is able
to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all
the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at
things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly
wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call,
readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation,
which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect
others, so that we can protect creation!
The vocation of being a
“protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it
also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. … It
means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person,
especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we
think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and
wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their
children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means
building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect,
and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and
all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to
live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for
our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are
hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are “Herods” who plot
death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.
Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of
responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of
goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan
inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us
not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this
world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let
us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors,
then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they
are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear
down!
Here I would add one more
thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness.
In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working
man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the
weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for
compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of
goodness, of tenderness!
e Pope Francis, Mass for the beginning of the Petrine
Ministry March 19, 2013
