To see and care for those overlooked

St. Joseph teaches us to see and care for the those people overlooked by the world.  Jesus went in search of sinners, the suffering, the hungry, and the poor, while he walked the earth, and he continues to go to the “peripheries” in our lives.  God knows the peripheries of our heart, the peripheries of our soul, the peripheries of our society, our city, our family, all that is the slightly dark part that we do not show, perhaps out of shame.

“Joseph, who is a carpenter from Nazareth and who trusts in God’s plan for his young fiancée and for himself, reminds the Church to keep her eyes on what the world deliberately ignores”. 

St. Joseph reminds each of us to value what others discard. In this sense, he is truly a master of the essential: He reminds us that what truly matters does not attract our attention, but requires patient discernment to be discovered and appreciated,” (Pope Francis, General Audience, Nov. 2021)

Pope Francis has spoken many times about his devotion to the silent saint. In his homily at his inauguration as pope on March 19, 2013, the Solemnity of St. Joseph, he said that a pope “must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked St. Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important.”

In his letter  Patris corde (“With a father’s heart”) published in December 2020, Pope Francis shares the beautiful insight that Joseph, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that He can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. Joseph also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture.

St. Joseph, help us to see and care for those overlooked and to convert our gaze to prefer what the world discards. 

This is a powerful and challenging  ‘call’ for our times!

Let Us Pray

St. Joseph, you who have always trusted God,
and have made your choices guided by his providence,
teach us not to count so much on our own plans but on his plan of love.

You who come from the peripheries,
help us to convert our gaze
and to prefer what the world discards and marginalises.

Comfort those who feel alone,
and support those who work silently to defend life and human dignity.

Amen.