The Catholic Church across Yorkshire's historic West Riding since 1878.

The Catholic Church across Yorkshire's historic West Riding since 1878.

“…the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.” (Matthew 1:20-21, 24)

On this great Solemnity, we hear the account of the angel of the Lord appearing to St Joseph to instruct and reassure him of the decision he should make and the path he should follow in taking Mary as his wife. This was the first of four direct communications Joseph received as to God’s plans for his life. In these four dreams his vocation was communicated by God’s angelic messenger.

I can only imagine the number of questions St Joseph had as he wakened from this dream – maybe what could it possibly mean that [the child Jesus] is the one who is to save his people from their sins? Supposing that to be true, how can I, a humble carpenter, contribute anything to raising such a child and caring for his mother? Am I mistaken? What will everybody say and think if I do not divorce Mary, or if I do? What are they already saying? Can I just forget about this strange dream?

Whatever questions he asked himself we can take heart in his response “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.” It is clear from this decisive and proactive response that he recognised this unusual encounter was God communicating His will to him, via a messenger. I am sure St Joseph must have still been afraid and had questions, but he responded with courage and generosity. He gave up his own decision in order to pursue the path he had been invited to take by God.

We can recognise ourselves and our vocational discernment in this passage. We often do not receive such direct and unambiguous communications as St Joseph did for his discernment of the course his life should take, but nevertheless we are all called by name and can be certain that God will communicate the plans He has for us.

As we begin to hear God calling us and inviting us, we desire to respond, we desire to say yes, yet we have a swirl of questions that are seemingly unanswerable. Let us follow the example of St Joseph. We will not have all the answers, we will not know every single detail of our vocation, we often will not understand why we have been chosen for a particular path, or feel our skills, talents and experiences are sufficient but let it be enough for us that God has called us by name and has a particular plan for us, and to do as we are told. Let us trust that God will give us the courage to fulfil and undertake everything he asks of us. Let us resolve to take one small step of action towards where we think we may be being called. Let us hear the angelic greeting “Do not be afraid.”

Pope Francis teaches us that “Even through Joseph’s fears, God’s will, his history and his plan were at work. Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.” (Patris corde, 2)

My dear brothers and sisters, whether you have already chosen and accepted your vocation, or whether you are still seeking God’s plans for your life, let us place our vocations under the protection of St Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church. In this Year of St Joseph let us ask him to intercede for us for guidance in hearing and accepting our vocations, and to respond courageously.

Who knows where our vocations will lead us? After all, in accepting his vocation, St Joseph received the joy of living intimately in a loving relationship with Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Holy Mother, Mary.

St Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church, Pray for us.