St Joseph could be called the man in the background. His importance at one level is that he provides a link with his ancestor David, thus giving Jesus the lineage back to the establishment of the Royal Kingdom of which Jesus is the heir.
In the story of Jesus’s birth, we have to go to St. Matthew for the story of Joseph’s own Annunciation. (Matthew 1: verses 18 to 25)
Having learned of Mary’s pregnancy, Joseph’s life was in a turmoil.  The law was quite clear that Mary should be punished but Joseph was a compassionate man and he wanted to spare her and her family disgrace.  It was then that an angel visited him in a dream and explained about the work of the Holy Spirit in Mary and about both their parts in the Incarnation. Joseph is central to the Christmas story and it is because of him that they must go the Bethlehem for a census.  There he provides shelter for Mary to give birth to the Saviour of the World.  We next hear about him when Herod seeks to kill Jesus and they take the long journey to Egypt.  Later he is told by an angel to return home and the family settle in Nazareth. After this, the only reference to Joseph is in the incident where the boy Jesus remains in the Temple and his parents have to rush back to search for him. We are told that after this Jesus went back home with his parents to Nazareth where he was obedient to his parents.  Then, Joseph fades completely from the story though there are references to him when the crowd say of Jesus, Isn’t this the Carpenter’s Son?

Reading the Bible there are many people who appear for some particular reason and then disappear from its pages. 
Joseph, however, stands not only as one who completes the picture of the Holy Family but who is also a reminder to all of us that God does not always need us to shine on the centre stage.  God needs people who are faithfully living out a life of prayer and support with compassion, kindness and loving obedience. People who, like Joseph are attentive to God’s will.  He needs people who are content to be in the background and who, by a life of quiet service, allow Jesus to take centre stage in all our lives. 
Too often the Church is preoccupied with itself and can get so bogged down in its own affairs that it fails to proclaim the Lord we are there to serve. Joseph never does that. He always points away from himself and shows us a vision of God in Christ Jesus. That is God’s call to Christians ~ to us.

Heavenly Father,
whose Son grew in wisdom and stature
in the home of Joseph the carpenter of Nazareth
and on the wood of the cross
perfected the work of the world’s salvation:
help us to count the wisdom of the world as foolishness,
and to walk with Joseph in simplicity and trust;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

[Mr G. St Joseph’s Day, 19th March 2026]

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