St. Joseph has two feast days on the liturgical calendar.
The first
is March 19—Joseph, the Husband of Mary.
The second is May 1—Joseph, the
Worker.
“Saint Joseph is a man of great spirit. He is great in
faith, not because he speaks his own words, but above all because he
listens to the words of the Living God. He listens in silence. And his
heart ceaselessly perseveres in the readiness to accept the Truth
contained in the word of the Living God,” Pope John Paul II had once
said.
There is very little about the life of Joseph in Scripture
but still, we know that he was the chaste husband of Mary, the foster
father of Jesus, a carpenter and a man who was not wealthy.
We also
know that he came from the royal lineage of King David.
We can see
from his actions in scripture that Joseph was a compassionate man, and
obedient to the will of God. He also loved Mary and Jesus and wanted to
protect and provide for them.
Since Joseph does not appear in
Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians
believe Joseph had probably died before Jesus entered public ministry.
Joseph is the patron of many things, including the universal Church, fathers, the dying and social justice.