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St. Joseph - Guardian of Christ's Presence
Recently I have been reading The Mystery of Joseph by Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, OP. So far the book has been fantastic; the first part was a tough read, but it's worth it. The book is packed full of great insights into the kind of man that Joseph must have been. Anyway, on page 75 (Chapter 2 of Part 2) when Fr. Philippe is writing about Joseph the spouse of Mary he says: "In this total gift of himself to the child Jesus, Joseph is indeed the "guardian" - Redemptoris custos, "called to watch over the Redeemer" - as he is the guardian of Mary's virginity, hiding her not only from the eyes of men but even those of the devil"Joseph, as a "just man" (Matthew 1:19) followed God's will to shield Mary so that she could be God's alone. In Matthew 1:20 the angel tells Joseph in a dream: "do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." God asks Joseph to give up his ability to have children (in the typical sense) and a wife (in the typical sense) so that he can have both in the supernatural sense. Joseph gives up his own will, to have a 'normal' family and allows himself to be totally aligned with the Father's will "he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him" (Matt. 1:24). And, as always, God blesses sacrifice with generosity. Jesus and Mary will be the child and wife of Joseph in the greatest, most sublime, and most extraordinary manner.
OK, back to my original thought when I read this quote. Joseph is needed by God so that he can guard Mary's virginity. By Joseph's taking of Mary into his home, he hides the profound mystery of the Incarnation from the prying eyes of the world and the devil. The world and the devil never suspected Mary's giving birth to a child because she had a husband in Joseph. Through his sacrifice of total submission to the Father's will, St. Joseph protects the presence of Christ inside of Mary. So also, we should pray to St. Joseph to protect the presence of Christ inside of us.
St. Joseph, chaste guardian of the Virgin and diligent protector of Christ - Pray for Us
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