As a Jesuit scholastic, I often find myself reflecting on the lives of the saints, drawing inspiration from their virtues and sacrifices. Among them, St. Joseph stands as an exemplary model—not only for religious life but for all who seek to live in faithful service to God. He is the patron of the Society of Jesus, the silent yet steadfast guardian of Christ, a man whose entire life was marked by obedience, humility, and selfless love. His example resonates deeply with our Ignatian call to magnanimity, discernment, and a life wholly conformed to God’s will.
A Man of Faith and Obedience
St. Joseph’s life is a testament to the power of faith. From the moment he learned that Mary was with child, he faced a test of trust. A lesser man might have walked away, but Joseph, in his righteousness, remained open to God’s will. The Angel’s message in a dream (Matthew 1:20-21) was enough for him to surrender his own plans and accept the divine mystery unfolding before him.
This moment parallels Annotation 5 of the Spiritual Exercises, which reminds us that “it is necessary to enter upon them with great courage and generosity toward our Creator and Lord.” Joseph’s courage was not grandiose or loud but expressed in his quiet and unwavering fidelity. He teaches us that obedience to God is not passive submission but an active, discerning, and trusting response to divine guidance.
A Sojourner and Worker: Living the Vows of Poverty and Chastity
The flight to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15) marks one of the most difficult moments in Joseph’s journey. He is forced to leave behind everything familiar and become a refugee, enduring hardship and uncertainty. This echoes our own call to apostolic mobility as Jesuits, ready to go wherever we are sent, trusting that God’s providence will sustain us. Joseph embodies the vow of poverty—not as mere destitution but as radical trust in God.
Furthermore, Joseph’s chastity was not simply the absence of physical relations but the fullness of a love totally dedicated to God’s mission. He chose to love Mary and Jesus with a self-giving love that sought no possession but only service. In this, he models the Ignatian ideal of indifference, teaching us that true freedom lies in surrendering all to God’s greater glory (Ad Maiorem Dei Gloriam).
A Model of Discernment and Virtues
The Spiritual Exercises guide us toward discernment of spirits, teaching us to distinguish between God’s voice and the deceptions of the enemy. St. Joseph exemplified this gift of discernment—not only in receiving God’s messages through dreams but in his daily life decisions. He acted with prudence, seeking not his own comfort but the well-being of his family. His decision to stay behind in Jerusalem searching for the lost Jesus (Luke 2:41-50) shows his perseverance in seeking God’s will.
Joseph embodies the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit—wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord—which I personally invoke in prayer. He was wise in choosing God’s will, understanding in accepting Mary’s divine motherhood, and courageous in facing uncertainty. His fortitude sustained him through hardships, his knowledge guided him in his craft as a carpenter, his piety shaped his faithfulness to Jewish customs, and his holy fear of the Lord kept him grounded in reverence.
A Man of the Spiritual Exercises
Joseph lived the virtues we strive for in the First and Second Weeks of the Spiritual Exercises. In the First Week, we contemplate our sinfulness and need for God’s grace; Joseph, despite his holiness, never placed himself above divine grace but remained humbly dependent on it. The Second Week calls us to follow Christ more closely; Joseph lived this out literally, raising and protecting Jesus, teaching him the trade of carpentry, and forming his early human experience of faithfulness.
His life is also a reflection of Constitution 288 of the Society of Jesus, which states that “our Society should be ready to labor for the good of souls, indifferent to place, work, or manner of living.” Joseph, though a man of skill and reputation in his community, abandoned status and comfort to embrace the unknown, just as we Jesuits are called to go wherever the need is greatest.
A Father and Patron of Vocations
The Society of Jesus holds St. Joseph in great esteem not only as a protector but as a model for Jesuit formation. He is the father of Christ’s first religious family, exemplifying the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. He was also a silent force in Jesus’ life—content to fade into the background once his mission was fulfilled, much like our own vocation calls us to be “least companions of Jesus.”
His humility and self-effacement call us to embrace our vocation with a spirit of service rather than self-importance. He reminds us that the work of God often happens in hidden, ordinary ways. We pray through his intercession for more vocations—not only to the Jesuits but to all forms of religious and consecrated life. His example encourages us to be men of outstanding virtue, striving to live the magis, the greater call, in all things.
Praying for the Grace of St. Joseph
As we meditate on St. Joseph’s life, we pray for the grace to follow his example. May we embrace obedience as he did, trusting in God’s plan even when it disrupts our own. May we live poverty as he did, finding our security not in material wealth but in God’s providence. May we practice chastity as he did, loving others with a pure and selfless heart.
As Jesuits, we strive to be men of discernment, generosity, and outstanding virtue. In St. Joseph, we find the perfect model of these qualities. May we imitate his quiet strength, his unwavering faith, and his deep love for Christ. Through his intercession, may we grow ever more in our vocation, for the greater glory of God.
“Go to Joseph” (Genesis 41:55). May he guide and intercede for us all. Amen.