Reflection - Few Words

By Steve Hall

https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/031922.cfm
2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Today’s readings are for the feast of St Joseph, the spouse of Mary and the foster father of Jesus. What do you say about someone about whom so little is known. We do, of course have a few bits of information, though in today’s world we might legitimately think of them more as bytes. 

He was of the tribe of Judah. He was a descendant of King David. He was a skilled laborer — probably a carpenter. He was a righteous man as is attested by the Scriptures. At some point he married Mary, who would become the mother of Jesus. 

We can also presume certain things about him. He was probably a holy man since God chose him to be the spouse of his Son’s mother. He seems to have been a man of few words. He probably had a beard as that was customary among men in his culture at the time. 
From this point we could move on to a wide range of speculative considerations about thoughts and feelings. But they would be just that— speculation. 

Maybe his very simplicity is all that is necessary to know of him. 

He heard the word of God and kept it. He received the word of God and followed it. That’s really all we know and all we need to know. I pray that I may do the same.