Joseph's Justice is Rooted in Humility

Joseph's Justice is Rooted in Humility Fr. Idahosa Amadasu (bio) Introduction Saints are usually canonized for two reasons: to show that they are models of Christian life for us to imitate, and to invoke their intercession.1 Different saints are known to be exemplary in different situations in life where they can serve as models and intercessors for us: St. Therese of Lisieux is the patron of missionaries, St. Aloysius Gonzaga, the patron of Catholic youths, St. Camillus, the patron of hospitals and the sick, etc. But the remarkable fact about St. Joseph is the universality of his patronage. When Pope Pius IX, through the then Sacred Congregation of Rites, proclaimed St. Joseph the patron of the universal Church in 1870, he wanted to show that the saint is a model of every virtue and to confirm the universality of his intercessory power.2 St. Joseph not only possesses virtues that can be imitated by Christians in various walks of life and different circumstances, but he can also be called upon at all times and in every circumstance. St. Teresa of Avila supports this fact when she writes: To other Saints, our Lord seems to have given grace to succour men in some special necessity; but to this glorious Saint, [End Page 119] I know by experience, to help us in all: and our Lord would have us understand that as He was Himself subject to him upon earth—for St. Joseph having the title of father, and being His guardian, could command Him—so now in heaven He performs all his petitions.3 While this short consideration of Joseph's humility expressed in his justice to the Virgin Mother of God cannot possibly do justice to the qualities of the earthly father of our Lord, we hope that it could foster in some way a better knowledge of and a tender devotion to the man who never had a word recorded in his name in Scriptures, but whose actions spoke volumes. A man's actions reveal who he is, and St. Joseph revealed himself in deeds that made manifest "a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom" (Jas 3:13).4 The litany that the Church prays in his honor lists some of his virtues by describing the holy patriarch as most pure, most prudent, most obedient, most faithful, etc.5 The Holy Scriptures summarize his all-inclusive virtues in Click for larger view View full resolution Joseph's Dream, Torso Rosin, 1262. Ink, paint and gold on parchment. 30 × 21.5 cm. Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, MD. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. [End Page 120] these few words: "Joseph was "a just (or righteous) man" (Mt 1:19), that is to say, a man who "lived by faith" (Cf. Rom 1:17). In what follows, we hope to highlight how St. Joseph lived a just life in the humility that comes from wisdom. The Meaning of Joseph's Choice Within a Gospel pericope that is appropriately referred to as Joseph's annunciation (Mt 1:18–25), St. Matthew describes Joseph as a "just" man. This characterization of Joseph was given as an explanation for Joseph's response when Mary "was found to have conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:18). The evangelist tells us that on discovering Mary's pregnancy, "Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily" (Mt 1:19).6 Some other translations of this text say that "unwilling to put her to shame," Joseph wanted to "divorce Mary quietly."7 If as we are told, St. Joseph is a just man, how is his wanting to separate himself from Mary under these circumstances a just choice and hence a choice made in humility, fidelity, and love? According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), justice is the virtue "that consists in the constant and firm will to give their due to God and neighbor."8 But giving God and neighbor their due presupposes knowledge and acceptance of the truth about God and neighbor;9 in other words, it presupposes...