Today is the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father of Jesus. Happy feast day!

“Upon reading the Gospels, one of the things that strikes me most about Saint Joseph is his silence. He is such a significant figure in salvation history and yet he is never quoted in Sacred Scripture. Not once!” writes Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing, March 20.

“Instead, Joseph seems to be a man of deep prayer who listens to the promptings of God and then, faithfully and generously, puts them into effect.”

“That is a great lesson for us all upon this Saint Joseph’s Day. We too should learn to give primacy in our lives to listening to God in prayer before we act and, certainly, before we talk.”

The Solemnity of Saint Joseph is usually celebrated on March 19, but has been transferred to March 20 since the liturgy of the Lenten Sundays take precedence.

Saint Joseph was probably born in Bethlehem and probably died in Nazareth. His important mission in God’s plan of salvation was “to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David from whom, according to the prophets, the Messiah would be born, and to act as his father and guardian” (Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy).

In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared him patron and protector of the universal family of the Church. Pope Saint John XXIII inserted the name of Saint Joseph into the first Eucharistic Prayer – the Roman Canon – in 1962. That work was carried forward to the other three Eucharistic Prayers, initially by Pope Benedict XVI and confirmed by Pope Francis.

Ite ad Joseph! Go to Joseph!

• Additional material courtesy of Catholic Culture https://www.catholicculture.org/