The Trusting Joseph
St Joseph’s faith and trust were strong. His entire life is proof of this. With St Joseph, there were never any ifs and buts or whys, no doubts, even though much was incomprehensible to his human mind. Trust supported him. His whole being, his humility and poverty moved him to surrender unconditionally to GOD’s Providence. With-out questioning, he spontaneously carried out what was asked of him, although he knew the dangers and obstacles. Let us think here of the flight to Egypt.
Through his behaviour, he always em-
bodied a sense of security that ban-
ished all fear and uncertainty from peo-ple’s hearts. He always strove to carry out his tasks conscientiously and in accordance with GOD’s will. He also always felt GOD’s blessing on his efforts. Joseph was so inspired by this certainty that he never found himself doubting GOD.
The more miserable and weaker we see ourselves or feel, the more GOD will stand behind us like a protective wall. This is what St Joseph experienced – he had a wall that supported, protected and sustained him. The closer we are to GOD, the more we become aware of our weakness. GOD would like us to experience and know that He wants our heart. This is what St Joseph experienced throughout his life. GOD took his poor heart into His hands and left no fibre of it untouched. GOD lived in his heart with His whole being. Joseph was at the mercy of this divine will and was His instrument. Joseph could also say: „It is not I who live, but CHRIST who lives in me.“ This is the strong trust … more