God chose Joseph to be the husband of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus; he is considered the second greatest saint. He took an active part in the divine plan of redemption, as an example of humility and faith. Scripture tells us also that he was just, pure, gentle, prudent, and unfailingly obedient to the divine will. Joseph worked as an artisan and carried out his work for the glory of God-sanctifying his profession. According to tradition, he died in the presence of Jesus and Mary. We wish to imitate him by renewing our desire to be faithful. We know that the only meaning of our life is to be faithful to the Lord till the very end, as was Joseph. Pope Pius IX named him Patron of the Universal Church, and pope John XXIII included his name in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).

"What must Joseph have been, how grace must have worked through him, that he should have been able to fulfill this task of the human upbringing of the Son of God. For Jesus must have resembled Joseph: in his way of working, in the features of his character, in his way of speaking. Jesus' realism, his eye for detail, the way he sat at table and broke bread, his preference for using everyday situations to give doctrine-all this reflects his childhood and the influence of Joseph.

"It is not possible to ignore this sublime mystery: Jesus, who is man, who speaks with the accent of a particular district of Israel, who resembles a carpenter called Joseph, is the Son of God." 1

1.   Blessed Josemaría Escrivá, Christ Is Passing By, 55, Princeton, N.J.: Scepter Publishers, 1974.