ST. JOSEPH By Sister Clara Schroeder, CSJP
Joseph was a descendant of King David. We know this from the genealogy of Jesus found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 1, verse 17. Because Joseph was of the House and family of King David, he had to go Bethlehem, the city of David, with Mary, his wife, to be enrolled in the first census of that time. It was there in Bethlehem that Jesus was born. This can be found in Luke’s Gospel, chapter 2, verses 1 to 7. Joseph, a carpenter by trade, would have a role in history that would be unlike anything that anyone could have imagined. Let’s spend a few moments now with Joseph who is the patron of a happy death, a model of fatherhood and a protector of families. Joseph, when you were a boy, did you ever imagine the role in history you would play? When you fell in love with Mary, could you ever have possibly imagined her role in history? What was it like for you when you held the tiny baby, Son of God, in your arms on that first Christmas night? When you looked into the eyes of baby Je