St. Joseph - as the Word projects him

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Solemnity of St. Joseph 2026: Silent, Simple and Sleeping!

2 Samuel 7: 4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a.

St. Joseph occupies a huge space in the climax of God's salvific plan which was accomplished in Jesus - still he remains a quiet, noiseless and unassuming person! In a noisy world of today, which claims recognition for every little thing and clamours for attention, St. Joseph's mode of living his life, carrying out his mission and responding to his call is a lovely lesson. Apart from this, there are three dimensions of this saint that we can notice emerging from the Word today.

Silent Protagonist: He had a very important role to play within the historical events that were unfolding in time, and he played it to perfection. The extraordinary quality that we see in this personality is his silence - how he remained recollected in his depths, to receive the directions from the Lord and execute them to the letter. The prefigurement of this image is seen in Abraham, presented to us in the second reading - how he spoke very little too; refrained from asking questions and dared to even give up his only son! Above all, he listened and obeyed! St. Joseph too listened and for that he chose to remain silent!

Simple Person: He was simple as a person... this does not mean he had just an old fashioned dress and no sandals on feet - that is how 'being simple' is understood these days! Simple is opposed to complicated! He was not complicated in anyway - an yes meant yes and a no meant no. He thought of rejecting Mary, he was told to accept and he accepted. He thought of returning to Judea, but was told not to and he went to the district of Galilee. He was a simple man who had no air of ego around him nor any self-interests to hang on! The figure of David is presented to us in the first reading drawing our attention to a way of life that was simple. He was fooled for the exaggerated enthusiasm he had for the Lord (when he danced before the ark) but he never even bothered about it. Though the man had limitations and weaknesses within him, he had no ego absolutely. When he was pointed out, he immediately repented. He was called to be a servant of the Lord and even as a King he remained so! St. Joseph never complicated his role or his person, he remained as simple as he was called.

Sleeping Prophet: Sleeping St. Joseph is a popular devotion by now... a renewed perspective reminded by our late Holy Father Pope Francis! May God grant this wonderful servant of God, who reminded us so plainly what it means to live as a Christian today - amidst all confusions and controversies - ever faithful to the call to be yeast, salt and light. Now let us focus on our Sleeping Joseph - it is not a mere novelty of thinking but an intense perspective of faith: the Lord provided for God's beloved even as they sleep (Ps 127:2). It is one lifestyle to spend sleepless nights thinking about something. It is completely a different life style to leave it to the Lord and sleep over it, for the Lord takes care of me even if I am asleep! It is a choice. It is a prophetic sleep when it is out of total surrender to the Lord - Joseph of the Old Testament, the namesake of the saint we celebrate, is a beautiful example of this lifestyle. He surrendered himself totally to the Lord and lived his life like a dream. St. Joseph too was so surrendered to the Lord that even as he slept, he felt protected and directed.

Today, let us thank God for the great gift and example of St. Joseph. Let us not only seek his intercession, but learn from his life that teaches us how to live our Christian call. May St. Joseph protect and direct us always

Made children of light and of life in the Son!

Conversion – from darkness to light

THE WORD IN LENT 2026 – WEDNESDAY FOURTH WEEK

March 18 – Isaiah 49: 8-15; John 5: 17-30

Conversion as the journey from darkness to light, cannot be taken up as a task all by ourselves, and we know that well. We are made capable of this journey by God, by God’s promises, by God’s faithfulness. We are formed by the Lord, we are made into God’s people, we are made the covenant of God – that is, we are made children of light by the Lord, says Isaiah in the first reading.

Jesus reiterates that in the Gospel, reminding us that we are made children, in the Son - in the Son who has been sent to us, sent for us, as the fulfilment of the covenant of love that God has made with us. Jesus makes us understand that we are made children of life, of eternal life by the faith we profess in Christ, the One who has been sent for our salvation.

The Word today explains to us what it means to have been made children of light and of life… it means the certainty of love, guarantee of life and fearlessness of light.

Isaiah outlines the glory of the day of salvation – when the Lord will restore the land, liberate the prisoners and do away with the darkness. He presents it in terms of the certainty of God’s love, the covenant of love that has no end. “I will never forget you” – those are truly strong words indeed, from the Lord. God remains faithful to that promise of love, by sending God’s own Son to be our salvation.

Jesus, the fulfilment of the covenant, offers us the guarantee of eternal life, provided we unite ourselves with him and in him. This is essentially the choice to make that journey from darkness to light… the choice cannot but be ours, although it is the Lord who enables us in this task. Jesus manifests his Sonship, the Sonship in which we are made children of God. This he does fearlessly, because he has the light of the will of God, and he is the light that leads us to eternal life. The light makes us fearless, fearless of anything in the world that can threaten us, fearless of anything around us that can lead us astray, fearless of anything that vies to destroy us! As long as we are determined to do the will of the One who calls us and sends us, we shall be in the light, and we shall be fearless… because we are made children in the Son.