Pope Francis has urged priests to look to St Joseph as someone with an ordinary life who accomplished extraordinary things in the eyes of God.
His message for the 2021 World Day of Vocations on 25 April, titled Saint Joseph: The Dream of Vocation was released today, on St Joseph’s Day, as part of the lead-up to a day where the Church honours and prays for those with a vocation to the priesthood or consecrated life.
Pope Francis has previously announced that 2021 will be a special year dedicated to St Joseph as patron of the universal Church, and of workers, fathers, expectant mothers and the unborn.
Speaking of his special interest and affection for the husband of Mary, Pope Francis said: “Saint Joseph is an extraordinary figure, yet at the same time one so close to our own human experience.
“He did not do astonishing things, he had no unique charisms, nor did he appear special in the eyes of those who met him. He was not famous or even noteworthy: the Gospels do not report even a single word of his.
“Still, through his ordinary life, he accomplished something extraordinary in the eyes of God.”
The Pope described the particular relevance of St Joseph for those discerning vocations, and in a time of disease: “God looks on the heart (cf. 1 Sam 16:7), and in Saint Joseph he recognised the heart of a father, able to give and generate life in the midst of daily routines.
“Vocations have this same goal: to beget and renew lives every day. The Lord desires to shape the hearts of fathers and mothers: hearts that are open, capable of great initiatives, generous in self-giving, compassionate in comforting anxieties and steadfast in strengthening hopes.
“The priesthood and the consecrated life greatly need these qualities nowadays, in times marked by fragility but also by the sufferings due to the pandemic, which has spawned uncertainties and fears about the future and the very meaning of life.”
St Joseph, the Pope suggested, is a saint of especial significance to all of us facing an ever-changing world: “Joseph welcomed life’s frequent and often unexpected journeys: from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census, then to Egypt and again to Nazareth, and every year to Jerusalem.
“Each time he was willing to face new circumstances without complaining, ever ready to give a hand to help resolve situations. We could say that this was the outstretched hand of our heavenly Father reaching out to his Son on earth. Joseph cannot fail to be a model for all vocations, called to be the ever-active hands of the Father, outstretched to his children.”
Pope Francis also drew a strong parallel between the calling of a priest and the universal calling of all Christians: “Together with God’s call, which makes our greatest dreams come true, and our response, which is made up of generous service and attentive care, there is a third characteristic of Saint Joseph’s daily life and our Christian vocation, namely fidelity…He knew that success in life is built on constant fidelity to important decisions…For a vocation – like life itself – matures only through daily fidelity.”
The Pope’s message was echoed by the Bishop of Nottingham as Catholics across the UK celebrate the feast of St Joseph. Speaking in a homily livestreamed from his chapel at Bishop’s House, Bishop Patrick McKinney addressed himself particular to the young people of his diocese: “Do you have dreams? I hope you do have dreams about what you would like to do as you grow up. Perhaps be a scientist and discover great vaccines to protect people; or be the third-ever woman Prime Minister of the UK, or be a teacher, and help young people to learn and grow in their ideas, or be a priest or nun, or whatever it is that you dream of becoming. Many of you probably do have dreams of what you’d like to do with your life.”
He continued: “Dreams like that are good. Never dismiss dreams because, as you see what happened in St Joseph’s life, God can make use of dreams to help guide us as to what he may wish for us to do with our lives. In and through our dreams it can become clearer how Christ may be calling us to follow him as his disciples.”
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