Episode 061 - Homily | Saint Joseph And The Courage To Obey Without Answers (March 19, 2026)

Today the church celebrates the feast of Saint Joseph, and there's something striking about Saint Joseph.

He never says a single word in all of Scripture, not one.

And yet few men in history of salvation have spoken more loudly with their lives.

Today's readings give us a key to understanding him.

God makes a promise to David.

I will raise up your heir, I will make his kingdom firm forever.

It's a promise, it's the future, a plan that belongs to God.

And then in the second reading we hear about Abraham.

He believed hoping against hope.

That line is everything.

He believed when there was no reason to believe.

He trusted when the situation made absolutely no sense.

And then we come to Joseph.

Joseph is the man who lives that same faith.

He's told something that humanely speaking is impossible.

Mary is with child, not by him, but by the Holy Spirit.

There's no category for this, no explanation that makes any sense.

The gospel tells us something very simple.

Joseph was a righteous man.

But don't misunderstand that word.

Righteous does not mean safe.

It does not mean comfortable.

It means a man who lives in right relationship with God, a man who trusts God more than he trusts himself.

Joseph had a plan, a quiet plan, a reasonable plan.

He was going to step away.

He wants to protect Mary.

He wants to protect himself to avoid scandal.

And then God interrupts that plan.

He says, Do not be afraid, Joseph, to take Mary into your home.

That's it.

No long explanation, no detailed roadmap, just a command.

And Joseph has a decision to make.

Will I trust what I can see, or will I trust what God is asking of me?

And here's a line that defines his entire life.

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.

No hesitation, no negotiation, no delay.

He just obeys.

And that's why Joseph is so powerful.

Because he teaches us something we desperately need to hear.

Faith is not about having all the answers.

Faith is about trusting God when you don't.

Joseph never sees the full picture.

He doesn't understand everything.

He doesn't get guarantees, but he does the right thing.

And because of that, he becomes the guardian of the Redeemer, the protector of Mary, the man entrusted with the Son of God.

Here's where this becomes very real for us.

Because most people are waiting for clarity before they act.

Oh, maybe if I understand everything, then I'll trust.

Once I it all makes sense, then I'll move, I'll get motivated to do the right thing.

But that's not how God works.

God speaks, and then he invites us to trust.

Some of us right now are in our life where some situations make absolutely no sense.

Decision, a burden, a situation you didn't choose, and you're waiting for certainty.

Joseph would say, you may not get it, but you still can trust because God is faithful.

The same God who made a promise to David, the same God who fulfilled it through Abraham's faith, is the same God working in your life right now.

And when you don't see it, even when you don't see it, St.

Joseph teaches us a very simple but demanding path.

Listen.

Trust.

Act.

That's why prayer is so important.

That's why prayer gives us such clarity.

We do it without needing to control everything.

So today, don't ask for more information.

Ask for the grace to be like Joseph, a man of quiet strength, a man of decisive faith, a man who, when God speaks, moves.

Because in the end, that's what holiness looks like.

Not perfection, not having everything figured out, but a life that says, Lord, I don't understand everything, but I need you.

I love you.

I want to trust you enough to take the next step.

Help me.

Saint Joseph, pray for us.