“When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.” Do you know what I always find very interesting in this Gospel reading? It says that Joseph didn’t want to expose Mary to shame. In all this complicated, confusing, and hard to understand situation, Joseph didn’t think about himself, but he thought of Mary first; he cared more about her than about himself. Joseph didn’t want to expose Mary to shame. He could have reacted in many different ways: he could have gotten angry, disappointed; he could have said to her -- leave Mary, how could you do something like this to me. But he didn’t. He wanted to divorce her quietly, not causing her any harm nor scandal. From this great saint whose feast day we celebrate today, from St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, we learn how to listen, how to be patient, how to care for others, and how to sacrifice for others. St. Joseph -- pray for us.
