Silent Saint Joseph, Patron of Preachers

Here’s something Saint Francis probably never said: “Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” Take only a passing glance at Francis’ life, and you will see that he used lots of words to preach the Gospel. So too did Jesus Christ, the preacher par excellence.

To be a preacher, one must speak. This simple observation affects me directly. As a member of the Dominican Order, founded to preach for the salvation of souls, I should speak of God often. But this fact puts me in a difficult position, for one reason: our Province’s patron is Saint Joseph, whom we celebrate today. In Sacred Scripture, there is not a single word attributed to Joseph. He is completely silent. How can this saint be the patron for preachers of the word?

Quiet though he may be, Joseph is a fitting patron for preachers. An effective preacher must first receive God before approaching the pulpit, and Joseph shows preachers how to receive God. He did this in three ways: by being docile to God’s will, by choosing God over comfort, and by seeking God relentlessly.

Joseph shows his docility to God’s will in the way he received the unexpected news of Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph crafted a merciful response to this situation: leaving Mary quietly. But God told Joseph that he was to take Mary his wife “into his home” (Matt 1:20). Joseph obeyed (Matt 1:24). Joseph may have spent lots of time coming up with a plan for responding to these difficult circumstances. None of that mattered. The Lord offered a different plan, and Joseph accepted it immediately. In working for the salvation of souls, every good preacher will do his best to make an effective plan. But he must also be ready to drop his own work for God’s work. In his docility, Joseph shows preachers how to properly order their hearts under God.

Joseph chose God over his own comfort. Consider his flight to Egypt: “The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you.’” (Matt 2:13). Again, Joseph obeyed (Matt 2:14). Think of all of the comforts Joseph could have chosen. Sleep. A later departure. A leisurely stroll to Egypt. Staying home altogether. A man after God’s own heart, Joseph would not be swayed by enticing comforts. However good they may be, Joseph decided against these lesser goods to receive a greater good: the will of God. Any preacher must be willing to put aside comforts when they conflict with God’s will. Not settling for mediocre pleasures, Joseph’s life encourages preachers to become magnanimous men who never deviate from the will of the Lord.

Finally, Joseph was relentless in seeking God. Take the finding in the temple. Mary voiced her concern to Jesus who had been missing: “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety” (Luke 2:48). Mary notes her husband’s perseverance: Joseph, the head of the Holy Family, made seeking Jesus his ultimate priority. He searched tirelessly for him for three full days (Luke 2:46). Likewise, the preacher must strive to be in the presence of his beloved, putting aside everything else so that he may receive God in the depths of his heart. Joseph is an excellent model for the preacher, who must be uncompromising in seeking after the Lord.

No words in Scripture are attributed to Joseph, so it’s difficult to call him a preacher. But he’s a fitting patron of preachers. In his silence, Joseph received the grace of God and let that gift permeate the inmost parts of his being. If a preacher is to give God at the pulpit, he must first receive God into his soul. Joseph let God in. He took the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was pregnant with the God-Man, into his home (see Luke 1:24). May every preacher imitate Joseph by welcoming God into the dwelling place of his soul.

Silent Saint Joseph, patron of preachers, pray for us!

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