It is no coincidence that Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, a model for those called to care for others. Just as a father does for his children. But do we really know Saint Joseph? In what sense is he the father of Jesus? Let us allow Jesus’ father to take us by the hand and discover his profile, what makes him a constant example of love and devotion, a true source of inspiration for all parents.

Joseph’s vocation and mission

In the four Gospels, Jesus is called “the son of Joseph” (Lk 4:22; Jn 6:42; cf. Mt 13:55 and Mk 6:3). The evangelist Matthew specifies that Joseph assumed his legal fatherhood by giving the Child the name revealed by the angel (Mt 1:21). This is extremely important because, in Jewish society, anyone without a father and therefore without a name had no right to speak in public and was excluded from social life. The legal father is the true father. Without Joseph’s fatherhood, Jesus would not have been able to proclaim the Gospel and carry out his mission. 
Thus, “Saint Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood” (Redemptoris Custos, no. 8).

“Fathers are not born; they become fathers”

We all know that bringing a child into the world is not enough to say that one is also a father or mother, as the Holy Father reminds us: “Fathers are not born; they become fathers. And they do not become fathers simply by bringing a child into the world, but by responsibly caring for that child. Whenever someone assumes responsibility for the life of another, in a certain sense they exercise fatherhood toward that person” (Patris corde, 7). To be fathers, the physical act of generating life is not enough; something much deeper and more demanding is needed: the humility of service and selfless love for life. Joseph shows us that this is possible and that the bond of fatherhood uniting him to Jesus is not secondary, not a substitute, but one of the highest forms of love. 
Joseph thus teaches us that fatherhood belongs to the order of gift, to that selfless love that transcends blood ties and creates new ones.

Joseph loves with a father’s heart

Joseph is the “father” of Jesus, although that Child was not begotten by him, but is the Son of the God in whom he believes and who asks him to trust in Him. Therefore, Saint Joseph’s fatherhood is authentic and complete, and for this very reason he assumes socially all the responsibilities of care, nurturing, affirmation of identity, and belonging.
As Pope Francis says, Joseph loves Jesus “with a father’s heart” (Patris corde). A father’s heart shaped by obedience to God. Joseph, in fact, is always seeking God’s will, even when he does not fully understand the paths through which that will unfolds. He completely surrenders himself to God’s will, believing in the impossible. This allows Joseph to be continually guided by God, who three times tells him what to do (Mt 1:20; 2:13, 19). 
Who among us, on the basis of a dream, would be willing, three times over, to revolutionize their life and set out toward the unknown?
Joseph does so, relying on total surrender into the Father’s arms. He is the man who does not speak but acts; he is a man of action who, without asking questions, sets out… 
Saint Joseph is all the more a father the more he entrusts himself to God’s plan.

Read also: Saint Joseph: an authentic man of God

A constant example of love and devotion in everyday life

Joseph is not a superhero, but a real, ordinary man, far from the spotlight, who suddenly has the responsibility of raising, protecting, and educating not just any child, but Jesus, the Son of God. 
And yet, through his ordinary life, he accomplishes something extraordinary. Every day, with humility, courage, and the strength of small daily gestures, he places Jesus and Mary at the center of his life. Thus, through his discreet example, silent witness, work, and joyful service, he contributes to Jesus’ human and spiritual growth, helping him mature as a man and experience, in the reality of everyday family life, the love and faithfulness of “his Father.” “To be fathers means introducing children to the experience of life, to reality. Not holding them back, imprisoning them, or possessing them, but making them capable of choices, freedom, and departure” (Patris corde, no. 7). 
This is what Joseph did more than two thousand years ago, and this is what we parents should also do today, for the good of our children.

The secret of Saint Joseph 

Saint Joseph was an excellent father because he always sought to live in intimate union with God’s will. This means that Saint Joseph was a man of deep prayer, because only a person of deep prayer could accept in his life such a lofty mission as being the guardian of the Child Jesus and his mother.
Every father must first and foremost be a teacher of prayer and Christian life. Even today, children can learn from their fathers what love for prayer means. By observing and listening to their father’s teachings, children can learn to live an authentic life of faith. 

Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face was struck from an early age by watching the way her father prayed and participated in Holy Mass. In Saint Thérèse’s life, the image of her father was the closest concrete image representing God’s fatherhood to her in a living way. Thérèse was able to experience God’s mercy and spiritual childhood thanks to the wonderful mediation she received through her father. 
Saint Joseph represents a model to imitate and, at the same time, a “friend” to whom we can turn, a confidant capable of bringing us closer to the truest image of God’s fatherhood.

Getting to know Saint Joseph