Mary, Wife of Joseph

Today we begin the month of May! It is certainly appropriate that this month that is dedicated to Our Lady begins with a Feast Day for Saint Joseph!

The more popular Solemnity of Joseph, Husband of Mary is on March 19th. Today celebrates the same man, but under a different title: Joseph the Worker. Pius XII established this liturgical commemoration in 1955 to elevate and celebrate the dignity of the worker. What better example for such a task than Saint Joseph: a man described in Scripture as “a righteous man”, who had the unique task of caring and providing for both the Blessed Mother, and our savior.

The Gospel of Matthew introduces Saint Joseph to us with the following:

“Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. 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. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her” (Matthew 1:18-20).

The text goes on to tell us: “when Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home” (Matthew 1:24). It doesn’t sound like he wasted any time!! The angel said “take her into your home” and so he took her into his home! I would likely jump quickly at the command of God coming from an archangel too! It’s noteworthy I think that we see the same language in John’s Gospel when Jesus is dying on the Cross. He commends Mary to the care of the beloved disciple. There too it says, “from that hour he took her into his home” (John 19:27).

The Blessed Mother is of paramount importance to God. In his wisdom he had already preserved Mary from the stain of Original Sin by her being the Immaculate Conception. Now he would care for her earthly needs as well through the fidelity of Saint Joseph, by making certain that she who was the first tabernacle was cared for from the moment she said yes. Then when all had been accomplished at the Cross, through the fidelity of Saint John he again made certain that she was still cared for until the moment when she would be assumed into heaven. If Almighty God holds her in such high regard we should too!

Neither Joseph or John wasted anytime in taking her into their home. As soon as the message was conveyed, they opened the doors of their home to her. We should do the same! We should take her into our homes and give her access to every locked door, and every darkened corner of every room. The home of our heart can be as messy as a physical house: there are areas that are messy, things that are broken, and old junk laying around that has to be gotten rid of. Let her in...allow her to clean what needs to be cleaned. Allow her to heal what is broken. Let her get at all that clutter in order to get rid of the "junk" that needs to be gotten rid of: the pain, the resentments, and the grudges. We would be wise to take her into the home of our hearts so that our lives can be directed clearly and unmistakably toward Jesus and his kingdom!

May this month of May be precisely the time that we all commit to this task! Today is May 1st, so from this very moment, let’s take her into our homes: each and every one of us! She was of paramount importance to God, she should likewise be of paramount importance to all of us! Mary, Queen of the May, pray for us!