Father Tullio Locatelli, superior general of the Congregation of the Josephites, founded in Turin in 1873 by Saint Leonardo Murialdo, presents us with Saint Joseph’s obedience in an article taken from his book Saint Joseph. Guardian of Jesus.  Through his words, we can once again rediscover that the humble and silent craftsman of Nazareth is always a precious companion on our journey and a sure guide in our own time, for those who wish to live their human and Christian adventure to the fullest.

Young Joseph is left speechless; his gaze comes to rest on the womb of Mary, his betrothed, who has revealed a secret to him. An angel appeared to her, the young woman confides, and in the name of God asked her to be the mother of the incarnate Word, the Messiah; she said yes and is now pregnant. Joseph is bewildered by this news; he has not lost his trust in Mary and immediately believes her words, because he knows her too well to think she is a liar and, besides, she certainly would not have been capable of inventing such an extraordinary event. Thus she, Mary, his betrothed, has been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah awaited by all.

But now a doubt arises in him. No, the doubt does not concern Mary; it concerns Joseph himself. He asks himself many questions as he returns home after that encounter; once home, he continues to question himself while, in his habitual manner, putting his tools back in their place; he already foresees that it will be rather difficult to sleep that night, because it will be dominated by one question. He wonders what he, Joseph, should do now. Before, everything had been clear in the dream he shared with Mary: take his betrothed into his home, start a family, continue his work to provide what was necessary for the family’s livelihood, and be a good parent to his children. Nothing different from so many other situations, but the love he bore Mary and the love with which he felt she returned it made everything extraordinary.
Would that future, thought out and dreamed of so many times, always shared with Mary, no longer exist? How could he be the husband of the Mother of God? What could he, Joseph, do for the Messiah? He decides to send Mary away secretly, not to take her into his home, and not to solemnize the marriage definitively; the women at the fountain in the small village would certainly gossip for a while, but then life would resume its ordinary, peaceful course as always in Nazareth.
And Mary? The Lord who chose her would certainly protect her.

With this thought, Joseph falls asleep. 
And in the morning he gets up with the decision in his heart to take Mary into his home as his wife.
An angel of God spoke to him in his sleep, and Joseph chose to obey that command. Together with Mary, he will obey God, who asks the two spouses to place their dreams, their love, and their desire to be parents at the service of God’s plan. Joseph is certain that by obeying God he will not give up Mary and will be the father of the Messiah, according to a plan that, little by little over the years, he will come to know more deeply and make his own, together with Mary, his wife and the mother of the Messiah.
That day is a feast in Nazareth for the two newlyweds who begin their life together. But while people may think that the love of that couple arises from their loving hearts, surely no one can imagine that what now unites them is the “yes” offered to God so that he may fulfill his plan of salvation. The two spouses are happy: by obeying God, they have fulfilled their dream.

You may also be interested in:
– Saint Joseph’s “yeses”
– Year of Saint Joseph: how to obtain the plenary indulgence
– Pope Francis: devotion to Saint Joseph