My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Last January 16, 2015, during his five-day Apostolic Visit in our country,
Pope Francis went to the SM Mall of Asia Arena to meet and encounter
Filipino families. During his message, he mentioned an important
figure, which is now a very famous image, that inspires the family, and
that is no other than Saint Joseph. The famous image portrays this man
sleeping. The Pope said: "I would like to tell you something very
personal. I like St. Joseph very much. He is a strong man of silence. On
my desk I have a statue of St. Joseph sleeping. While sleeping he looks
after the Church. Yes, he can do it! We know that. When I have a problem
or a difficulty, I write it on a piece of paper and I put it under his statute
so he can dream about
On this Third Day of our Christmas Novena Masses, the Gospel tells us
how Saint Joseph responds to the will of God the Father. At first, he
wanted to divorce the Blessed Virgin Mary quietly because he knew that
she was with child, and that he doesn't want them both to receive
sanction from the Jewish law regarding adultery, and that is stoning.
However, God intervenes his intentions when an angel appeared to him
in a dream, and told him that the child Mary will bear will be the long-
awaited Messiah of the people. At this, Joseph waking up did what the
Lord wanted. He married Mary, and took care of her, assisting her on
their journey to Bethlehem. When Christ was born, he took care of them
both, being the guardian of the Holy Family.
My dear brothers and sisters, if we look at the Gospels regarding Saint
Joseph, particularly Saints Matthew and Luke, we wouldn't find any
quotation from this man. However, this doesn't mean that he was shy to
speak. The two Evangelists want to point out his golden silence, on how
he choose to obey God's will and take care of Jesus Christ and Mama
Mary, and he fulfilled his mission. That is why Saint Anthony of Padua
tells us: "Actions speak louder than words." As we journey down this
Advent road, let us entrust ourselves to God, asking him to help us
fulfill our purpose and mission in life, just like what Saint Joseph did.
1. Like Joseph, we need to trust in God, listen to Him, and be faithful
in our obedience, Like Joseph and Mary, we are called to be
faithful, to trust in God as we do His will.
2. Let us talk to Him and listen to Him speaking through the Bible.
3. Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary, the humblest of the humble,
the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God’s
goodness and mercy, welcoming Jesus into our hearts and lives not
only at Christmas but all year long.