By By Margaret Ogbebor SSMA
Fathers are important element in the family because of the position they occupy. It does not happen by chance; it is a responsibility that is taken up by an individual. They are initiators of the family, which means that they are the foundation on which the family is built. It is the father that decides on which foundation he wants his family to be built on. It could either be solid, rocky or sandy foundation. The foundation of every family matters, without a solid foundation there can be no solid building of a family. It is the work of the father to decide the type of foundation he want for his family. To be a father is not an easy task because it involves a lot of responsibilities. Not every man has what it takes to be called a father. Some men do not want to be called fathers because they are just not prepared. Others want to be called fathers but the opportunity is not given them. It takes a great deal before one could be regarded as a father, which means that one has to have all it takes physically, spiritually, financially, materially, and mentally.
It is an exalted position to be taken up by a person; it is God himself that had made it so. In the book of Genesis chapter 2:15, we see that after God had created everything on the face of the earth, He decided to create man to be the head of all He had made and also to look after them. Since then, man have been given an exalted position by God and no one could compromise it. A woman was later created to be a “help mate” (Gen 2:18), not the “head”.Women are to support and give a helping hand to their husband and not to be in charge of the family. Also in the book of Genesis Chapter 2:7, we see how God created man from the dust. But in the case of a woman he made him (man) fell into a deep sleep (Gen 2 :21) and took a rib from his side to form woman, “this at last is the bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh” said the man (Gen2:23). So we could see that it was God himself that allotted the different responsibilities for men and women. No matter how industrious, how rich or how bold a woman is, all these qualities do not make her the head of the family; she still remains “a help mate”.
God who is all good and all powerful thought it wise when at last he decided to redeem man from the slavery of sin. He sought for and chose a man that was good, virtuous and faithful, a father to the core, a man whose faith never wavered. God decided to choose “Joseph the Carpenter” to be the foster father of our lord and saviour Jesus Christ. Joseph was not a popular person but he was a friend of God who always wanted to do God’s will without questioning. Joseph played a redemptive role in the history of our salvation. His cooperation with God made the path to our salvation very easy. He did not compromise his faith when he was told to take Mary as his wife and that the pregnancy is of the Holy Spirit; “Joseph do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife because what she is carrying is of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). At that moment Joseph accepted without questioning God, his obedience was blind (obeying without questioning) and prompt, this attitude of his made our redemption very fast to accomplish.
As Christians we are told to trust and obey because that is the only way to be happy with Jesus. “Obedience is better than sacrifice” we are told, (1 Samuel 15:22). In obeying, Joseph did not make a single mistake because he allowed God to take control of his entire life. Many a time, we make terrible mistakes in our lives all because we find it difficult to obey and listen to the voice of God. The Holy Spirit does not dwell in a wayward heart, he abides only with those whose hearts are ready to walk according to God’s plan. As the saying goes, “Instead of God to change his purpose or plans he would rather change man”. God’s plan stand forever and no man has the power to change what God decides He wants to do, if the person (instrument) is not cooperating with Him (God), He would look for another person to help carry out His plans. God’s plans are wonderful and perfect (He does not make mistake).Seeing this beautiful instrument (St. Joseph), God decided to use him to achieve his plan of bringing Jesus Christ to the world to redeem us from our sins. St. Joseph became the father of Our Lord Jesus Christ; he was given this singular privilege to play this important role. Looking at his angelic nature and virtues, he is indeed “a father to the core”!
Similarly, St. Joseph possessed a lot of virtues and qualities that are not easy to come by as a father; he was able to protect his family from evil. In the Gospel of Matthew chapter 2 verse 13, we saw how St. Joseph carried the child Jesus and his mother and flew to Egypt even in the dead of the night in order to protect the child from being killed by the evil king (Herod). He did not only protect them from evil, he also provided for their basic needs (Food, shelter and clothing). He was able to protect his family from evil and also nurtured them under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, this is the reason the Catholic Church gave him the title of “The Protector of the Church”, so that he could also protect and nurture the church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
On the 1st of May, every year the church also celebrates him as the patron of workers. There is dignity in labour; St. Joseph realizes this fact and work so hard to practicalize it. He taught his son (Jesus) how to work hard by training him in his own line of business (carpentry). Both of them had the opportunity of spending time together and also setting pace for the working class. Many a time we would discover that parents have no time for their children, they are always engaged doing one thing or the other, no personal contact, some are even left in the hands of the nannies or caregivers. These set of people are only interested in their money and nothing more. Instilling the fear of God in young children has become a thing of the past, unlike St. Joseph who created an avenue of relationship with his son (Jesus) and also taught him the fear God. “The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverb 9: 10).
St. Joseph was a loving father; this could be seen in his relationship with the holy family (Jesus, Mary and Joseph), mentioning Jesus and Mary without including St. Joseph would make the family incomplete, “Glory to Jesus, honour to Mary and Joseph”. He was a faithful husband to the Blessed Virgin Mary till the end of his life.
Looking at the wonderful role played by St. Joseph in the history of our salvation, the Catholic Church in her wisdom has decided to celebrate this great man (St. Joseph) for the redemptive work he has done for our salvation. The celebration began last year December 8th 2020 to end December 8th 2021. It is a year program and it was shared into three categories. The first category is to be celebrated at individual and family level, the second category is to be celebrated at Parish level, institutions and church societies and the third category is to be celebrated at Diocesan level. During this period, we are encouraged to study the life of St. Joseph, his spirituality, virtues and qualities. The Holy See had also granted indulgences for those who would participate fully in this year’s program of St. Joseph. Votive masses are also said every Wednesdays to mark this great celebration, “St. Joseph, pray for us”.
Sr Margret Ogbebor SSMA is a Catholic Nun, working in the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto. She is the Head Teacher of St Martin de Porres Nursery and Primary School Katsina. [email protected]
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