The strong man of God

...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. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. (Mt 1:128-24)

Today's Gospel tells us about the faith and courage of St. Joseph, the almost-forgotten saint of Christmas. He is such a model for us, a model of trust, of obedience, of humilty, of self-forgetfulness. St. Bernard writes about him:

You were of the house of David and truly the son of David...Like another David, you were a man according to God's own heart, to whom he enrusted his most precious secret; to whom, as to David, he made manifest the uncertain and hidden things of his wisdom, and to whom he revealed a mystery hidden from the great ones of the world. To you it was given to behold him whom many kings and prophets had desired to see and had not seen, to hear and had not heard. And not only were you allowed to behold him and listen to his words, but you were able to bear him in your arms, guide his steps, embrace and caress him, feed and protect him."

In these remaining days of Advent, dear St. Joseph pray for us.