St. Joseph
Guardian of the Son, Mirror of the Father
-A day late, I know. Busy day yesterday-
“When Joseph awoke from his sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife” — Matthew 1:24
In the grand story of redemption, few men are so present and yet so quiet as Joseph of Nazareth. Not words of his are recorded in the Gospels, yet his actions speak volumes. In a world that often forgets the strength of quiet righteousness, St. Joseph stands as a burning lantern, illuminating the beauty of fatherhood, not through power or platform, but through faithfulness, obedience, and love.
On Father’s Day, the Church might do well to pause at the carpenter’s door, listening to the sounds of a saw on cedar, a boy’s laughter in the courtyard, and the deep echo of a father’s prayer. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, this is clear from Scripture. But in a way deeply spiritual and theologically profound, he was father to Christ in the flesh. This mystery, this entrusted fatherhood, is worthy of meditation, not only for its implications on our doctrine of the Incarnation, but for what it reveals about divine trust in human fatherhood.
St. Matthew introduces Joseph simply and powerfully.
“And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly” — Matthew 1:19
The Greek word for "righteous" here, dikaios, is more than moral uprightness; it denotes one who conforms to the will and law of God. Joseph is not merely good-hearted, he is a man of justice tempered with mercy, obedience shaped by love. Before he knew the child Mary carried was of the Holy Spirit, he chose the path of quiet dignity, protecting her from shame.
And yet when the angel of the Lord appears in a dream, Joseph does not hesitate:
“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” — Matthew 1:20
Joseph’s response is not verbal argument or delay. He rises and obeys. The Church Fathers often highlight this moment as the pivot of the Incarnation’s hidden life, a silent 'yes' that echoes Mary’s own fiat.
In his 2020 apostolic letter Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis called attention to how Joseph’s fatherhood reflects “the tenderness of God.” While not an Anglican source, this insight resonates with classical Christian theology; that Joseph's role is not honorary, but real, a sacramental participation in the Fatherhood of God.
Anglican divine Jeremy Taylor once wrote:
“The foster-father of our Lord was chosen not because of might or majesty, but for that humility which made room for God to dwell under his roof.” (Holy Living)
To hold the Christ-child in trembling arms, to teach Him the Shema, to teach Him to walk, to search anxiously for Him in the temple, these were not illusions of fatherhood. They were its very substance. Joseph did not merely act like a father. He was a father.
While the Church has always exalted Mary as Theotokos (God-bearer), it also held early respect for Joseph, especially in his paternal function.
Origen, writing in the 3rd century, called Joseph “the witness to the virginity of Mary, the doer of the divine command, the guardian of our Lord.” He argues that Joseph’s guardianship is essential to the protection and rearing of Christ:
“It was necessary for Jesus to have a guardian on earth, to fulfill the law and live among men, and Joseph was that most wise and faithful steward.” (Homilies on Luke)
St. John Chrysostom affirms Joseph’s active participation in the mystery of redemption:
“God did not send His Son to be born in a palace. Instead, He chose a just man, poor in the eyes of the world, but rich in virtue, to raise the King of Kings.” (Homily on Matthew 5)
Here we see the Father’s wisdom: entrusting the Eternal Son not to Herod, nor to Caesar, but to a carpenter; honest, faithful, silent, strong.
The Anglican tradition, shaped by patristic theology and reverent Scriptural reflection, has long honored the household of Nazareth, even if it is less effusive than Roman Catholic devotion.
The Book of Common Prayer (1662) assigns Joseph no separate feast in its calendar, but contemporary Anglican lectionaries (the ACNA 2019 BCP) now include March 19: The Feast of St. Joseph, recognizing his essential role.
E.B. Pusey, one of the fathers of the Oxford Movement, writes:
“If the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, He dwelt not in a vacuum, but in a home. And in that home was a man to whom God entrusted His own Son—not as a passive custodian, but as a father after His own heart.” (Parochial Sermons, 1855)
This vision of fatherhood, as responsibility, as virtue in the quiet spaces, as a mirror of God’s own providence, underlines Anglican sacramentality. Fathers, in their vocation, participate in divine fatherhood. Joseph is thus both model and mediator.
The life of Joseph teaches us what fatherhood is, particularly when spiritualized through the Incarnation.
Though Jesus is begotten of the Father and born of the Virgin, Joseph’s fatherhood is no less real in God's plan. Fatherhood is not reducible to genetics; it is a call to love, protect, and nurture. Many men are biological fathers but do not father. Joseph was not a biological father but he did so fully.
Joseph’s entire fatherhood rests on obedience to God’s call, first in accepting Mary, then in fleeing to Egypt, and finally in returning to Nazareth. In each moment, Joseph chooses obedience over comfort, responsibility over passivity.
“By faith Joseph, being warned by God in a dream, left for Egypt…” — Matthew 2:14
Joseph disappears from the narrative before Christ’s public ministry. Tradition suggests he died before Jesus began preaching. But this absence, too, is a kind of witness: Joseph’s life was poured out to raise a Son who would be poured out for the world.
Joseph was responsible for teaching Jesus the Law, the prayers of Israel, the skills of the trade, the rhythms of life. That the Son of God submitted to instruction from a man is a staggering thought, and a deep honor for every father called to teach his children the way of the Lord.
“He continued in subjection to them…” — Luke 2:51
Joseph led his family in worship, obedience, and trust. He is a model for every father who desires to be a priest within his household.
In some ways, Joseph stands as a mirror of God the Father, though dimly, like all earthly types. He provides a home for the Son. He defends him. He prepares him. This image is more than poetic; it is theological.
St. Augustine wrote:
“Joseph was more than a guardian; he was made to resemble the fatherhood of God Himself, to give the Son what He chose not to take from heaven.” (Sermon 51)
And indeed, the trust God placed in Joseph is staggering. The Son learned to call God Abba only after learning to call Joseph abba.
What, then, does St. Joseph offer on Father's Day?
He offers a rebuke to a world that sees fatherhood as optional or incidental. He offers hope to every stepfather, adoptive father, spiritual father, any man called to the high task of forming children in love. He reminds every father that their vocation is not about achievement but presence. Not about noise, but faithfulness. Not about legacy, but love.
On this Father’s Day, we might turn to Joseph and pray,
"O St. Joseph, guardian of the Redeemer,
quiet carpenter of Nazareth,
pray for all fathers—
that they may imitate your trust,
your labor, your mercy,
and your unwavering yes to the will of God."
Joseph left no writings, performed no miracles, and ruled no city. And yet the Word of God grew in his care. The light of the world was guarded by his strong hands.
In an age of noise and self-promotion, his is the holiness of silence. In a world of broken homes, his is the witness of a faithful father. In the great family of God, Joseph’s role may have been hidden, but it was never small.
As the Scriptures remind us:
“Well done, good and faithful servant... Enter into the joy of your master.” — Matthew 25:21
On this Father’s Day, let us remember him and strive, like him, to father as the Father.