St. Joseph’s silent witness and example

If St. Joseph had a country song, it would be “When You Say Nothing at All,” by Keith Whitley and famously performed by Alison Krauss. Not a word of St. Joseph is recorded in Scripture. We only read of how God speaks to him and how he responds. St. John Paul II praises St. Joseph, in “Redemptoris Custos,” for his ready response to the Lord, which characterizes “Joseph’s Way.” Pope Benedict praises Joseph’s silence because it shows he is “steeped in contemplation of the mystery of God.” In all this, St. Joseph is a silent witness, not only to the mystery of the Incarnation and salvation, but to the Christian life. St. Joseph says it best when he says nothing at all.

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