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     There is not a lot about St. Joseph in the New Testament, but what we do have is important about Jesus!  Human devotional imagination has filled in the gaps about Joseph, himself.  With regard to Jesus, Joseph establishes the connection with King David and the promise of God to David about an everlasting kingdom.  The gospels of Luke and Matthew make it clear that Joseph was a descendant of David.  .The gospels show him to be a just and caring (and courageous) man who went ahead with the planned marriage to Mary, despite his misgivings.  He is also a man who believed that God spoke to him in dreams (like the patriarch, Joseph, in the Book of Genesis).  Those are impressive credentials which the gospels record because early Christians were concerned about Jesus' background.  The claim of "illegitimacy" was lurking in some of the early attacks against Jesus.

     Human devotional imagination has had a powerful role to play in St. Joseph's legacy, however.  The enormous Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada, is the result of the humble devotion of a Holy Cross brother, St. Andre Besette, CSC.  The Little Sisters of the Poor, who operate wonderful nursing homes, keep a statue of St. Joseph prominently displayed in their houses.  Whenever they desperately need something, they write it on a slip of paper and stick the slip under the statue.  The stories about this are worth looking up and reading!  And, of course, many Catholics are aware of the custom of burying a statuette of St. Joseph in a piece of real estate one wants to sell.

     The gospel portrait, however, gives us more than enough to recognize a good man when we see one.  We can be grateful for his caring and courageous actions on behalf of Jesus.  We can try to do the same.  AMEN