Solemnity of St. Joseph 2021

19 March 2021

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, a man who acts, chooses, risks, doubts, suffers, but in silence.

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Mt 1, 24) From that moment on Joseph becomes the guardian of the most precious things that God has and he does it always “discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. […] By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own”. (Homily of Pope Francis, 19 March 2013)

Joseph is a humble man who does not get lost behind words, but takes reality on his shoulders with courageous meekness.

In the following episode, we can see how María Antonia París was very devoted to Saint Joseph and how she tells us about the intervention of this Saint in the foundation of the House of Carcagente.

“The masons were working on the foundation of this house and for fifteen days they did not pay their wages and the commission came saying that the work had to be stopped […] they knocked on the lathe, and M. Pilar, the lathe operator, went. After saying hello and asking who was, they only answered politely in the voice of a serious gentleman: “Please be so kind as to give this sack to M. María Antonia de San Pedro. You will be served, wait a moment. […] They cut the thread and saw with astonishment that it was full of gold coins. Agustín went out to see who the man was and found no one, nor did the lay porter who was doing her work very close to the porter’s lodge, when asked if she had seen anyone touching it, replied that she had not, and no one could give a reason for this, and only M. Antonia said that it was San Joseph. And the work was followed to the great admiration of all who could not be avoided that it became known […] (Positio, p. 162).

During these days, the text “María Antonia París, friend and companion in the journey” is being distributed.