May 1: St. Joseph / San José

On March 19, the Church celebrates the first of two feastdays of St. Joseph. That first one commemorates his life and his role as “the husband of Mary.” In 1955, an additional feastday was declared by Pope Pius XII and it is celebrated today, May 1st, as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. This date is also International Workers’ Day and is believed to reflect St. Joseph as the patron saint of workers.

Symbols associated with St. Joseph include the carpenter’s square (or other tools) and a lily. The carpenter’s square not only symbolizes Joseph’s trade, but also his willingness to live in the truth. The lily represents purity and his celibate marriage to the Virgin Mary.

In Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde, he wrote, “In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the ‘earthly shadow’ of the heavenly Father. He watched over Him and protected Him, never leaving Him to go His own way. We can think of Moses’ words to Israel: ‘In the wilderness … you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you traveled’ (Deuteronomy 1, 31).”

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Pope Francis also had a statue of a sleeping St. Joseph in his private quarters, a reminder of St. Joseph as the weary traveler fleeing with his family to Egypt. The Holy Father placed notes of special intercession on pieces of paper under the statue, asking him to intercede to God for special needs.

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Hoy, 1 de mayo, celebramos a San José obrero. Recordamos que, en el Evangelio de San Mateo, en uno de los momentos que Jesús regresa a su pueblo, a Nazaret, y habla en la sinagoga, se pone de relieve el estupor de sus conciudadanos por su sabiduría, y la pregunta que se plantean: “¿No es el hijo del carpintero?” Jesús entra en nuestra historia, viene en medio de nosotros, naciendo de María por obra de Dios, pero con la presencia de San José, el padre legal que lo protege y le enseña también su trabajo. 

Jesús nace y vive en una familia, en la Sagrada Familia, aprendiendo de San José el oficio de carpintero, en el taller de Nazaret, compartiendo con él el trabajo, la fatiga, la satisfacción, y también las dificultades de cada día. Esto nos remite a la dignidad y a la importancia del trabajo.

Sí, San José tuvo momentos difíciles, pero nunca perdió la confianza y supo superarlos, en la certeza de que Dios no nos abandona. Pidamos a San José (y a la Virgen María) que nos enseñen a ser fieles a nuestros compromisos cotidianos, a vivir nuestra fe en las acciones de cada día, y a dejar más espacio al Señor Jesús en nuestra vida, a detenernos para contemplar su rostro.