Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary - The King of Humility

So today is a very special day here. Does anyone know why?

It's especially significant because this is St. Joseph’s Villa. That makes today the patronal feast day of this chapel. In other words, this is the most important feast of the year for this place.

In many cultures—like Mexico, for instance—a town’s patronal feast is a massive celebration. It’s often the biggest event of the year, with processions, fireworks, and a third of the town’s annual budget spent on that one day. They take it very seriously. The same is true in Europe.

I was once in Ireland where traditionally Catholic churches were always built facing east. But I noticed that in a particular town, two churches were facing in slightly different directions. Why? Because each was built to face the sunrise on its patronal feast day. Not just east by compass, but liturgical east—the direction the sun rose on the specific day the church was dedicated. That’s how important patronal feasts are: churches were literally oriented around them.

So it’s fitting that we celebrate this feast day of St. Joseph here at St. Joseph’s Villa.

Now, what can we say about St. Joseph?

In many ways, he’s a mysterious figure. He never says a word in the Gospels. Not one line of dialogue is attributed to him. He is silent—and that can make him feel difficult to understand. But silence doesn’t mean insignificance.

St. Joseph was far more important than we might initially think. He wasn’t just a carpenter from a backwater village. He was also the rightful King of Israel.

Yes—St. Joseph was a direct descendant of King David. He should have been sitting on David’s throne in Jerusalem. But that throne had been usurped by the Herodians—political impostors. Because of this, Joseph’s family had been persecuted and driven north, far from Jerusalem, to live in hiding. A known descendant of David was dangerous—a threat to those in power.

And so Jesus’ adoptive father, Joseph, was the true heir to David’s throne.

Now in our culture, adoption sometimes carries the idea of being “almost” a child. But in Jewish culture, adoption was more binding, more deliberate, more legally and emotionally certain. Your biological son might be your son—or might not. But your adopted son is your son by choice. In fact, in many cases, adopted sons held stronger legal standing.

So Jesus, as the adopted son of Joseph, was fully the heir of David’s royal line.

But that’s not all. Jesus was also, through Mary, biologically descended from the priestly line—from Levi and Aaron. Mary’s cousin Elizabeth was from a high priestly family, and her husband Zechariah was a priest serving in the Temple. That means Mary, and therefore Jesus by blood, descended from the priestly tribes.

So Jesus is—amazingly—100% priest by blood, and 100% king by adoption. This is no accident. God, in His providence, arranged for the true King of Israel to also be the true High Priest.

But all of this depends on St. Joseph. Joseph is the one who adopts, who protects, who obeys.

That’s what defines him: obedience.

And that’s how he teaches his son. When God speaks to Joseph—through an angel, in dreams—Joseph doesn’t argue. He doesn’t delay. He acts.

When God says, Take Mary as your wife, he takes Mary. When God says, Go to Egypt, he goes. When God says, Return to Israel, he returns.

He doesn’t speak. He listens. He obeys. And he does.

That’s how he rules as a father. That’s how he rules as a king. And that’s how he teaches Jesus to rule.

Because the only way a king can justly command obedience is if he himself is obedient. A king who is proud, who abuses his power, who disregards God’s will—that is not a true king. But Joseph rules with humility, silence, and trust. He is the king of a very small kingdom—his household—and he rules it well.

That’s a powerful example for all of us.

We live in a time where talk is everywhere. We talk about ourselves constantly. We build profiles. We share opinions. We self-promote.

But St. Joseph says nothing. He simply does what God asks.

And that is a model for us: Less talk. More obedience. Less self-promotion. More faithfulness.

So on this feast day, let’s not just honor St. Joseph with words. Let’s imitate him.

Let’s ask for the grace to act—quietly, humbly, faithfully—according to God’s will. Let’s be people of action, not just words. Let’s become people of obedience, like Joseph—who, though silent, speaks volumes through the way he lives.