Reflections on St. Joseph
Not much is known of Joseph.
He was husband, father,
provider…every day.
He had dreams.
They weren’t always clear and easy,
but they were his.
Eventually they changed his
mind and heart.
He lived out his dreams.
He was a just man, someone
you could count on.
Displaced, a common worker,
no name but carpenter, this Joseph.
Yet one wonders how each person,
each place was neighbour to him:
for the child he called SON
treated none as stranger.
Perhaps the mark of greatness is not
the accomplishing of great moments,
great movements, great works.
Perhaps the mark of greatness
is facing life as it comes,
being content with the daily,
what we call ordinary.
Joseph was that kind of man,
a man with a common touch, a saint.
Quiet, living on the verge of mystery,
he was left with dreams
and the work of his hands.
Madeleva Williams, CSJ
St. Joseph’s Health System “Prayers and Reflections”