If you want to know St. Joseph’s obedience, look at how he rose at night at the angel’s voice and, giving no care to hunger, hardships, or cold, went to Egypt where he led a hard life until the next command of God.
— St. Joseph Sebastian Pelzcar
Obedience is a misunderstood virtue. Many people are of the opinion that obedience to authority limits their freedom, requiring them to hand over their rights to others. This is not the case. In fact, obedience to laws is a part of everyday human life. A road sign, for example, doesn’t take away a person’s freedom. Road signs and other legitimate laws are designed to give people true freedom and happiness. You are able to disobey stop signs while driving, but obedience to the stop sign is what allows you and others to reach your destinations in safety.
๏ปฟNatural law and divine law are not inhibitors to freedom. In God’s plan, the purpose of these laws is to help us reach our ultimate destination: heaven. Those who fail to obey reason and the divine dictates will end up psychologically, anthropologically, and spiritually frustrated, and run the risk of never reaching heaven.
SAINT JOSEPH IS A MODEL OF OBEDIENCE. Obedience requires trust. Lack of trust on the part of our first parents (Adam and Eve) is what caused all mankind to fall into sin. In the Garden of Eden, our first parents were tricked into disobeying God by the serpent. The devil instilled in their minds doubts regarding God’s trustworthiness. “Did God really say you would die?” (Gen 3:1). Our new parents, Mary and St. Joseph, trusted God and were willing to suffer for their obedience to God. Mary and Joseph were certain that God had their best interests in mind.
Why was St. Matthew so keen to note Joseph’s trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust?
— Pope Benedict XVI
SAINT JOSEPH WILL INCREASE THE VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE IN YOU. You are probably familiar with the heavenly visions given to St. Faustina containing the Divine Mercy message and devotion. Did you know that St. Faustina also had visions of St. Joseph? Saint Faustina loved St. Joseph very much and frequently turned to him for his powerful intercession, asking him to help her do the will of God and be faithful to her mission of spreading devotion to God’s mercy. With the help of St. Joseph, St. Faustina was able to complete her mission and be obedient to her superiors, even when they sent her for a psychological evaluation!
The virtue of obedience is not only for nuns and priests, though. Everyone needs to be obedient to both natural and divine law. Obeying the 10 Commandments, the teachings of the Catholic Church, attending Mass faithfully on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation, and going to Confession when you fall into sin are all ways of showing that you trust and obey God.
Everyone needs to trust God and obey the natural law as well.
The person who defends marriage as an institution between one man and one woman is obeying the natural law. Protecting children in the womb by voting for candidates who are uncompromisingly prolife is also a sign of being obedient to the natural law. Resisting the nonsense of gender ideology is another way of obeying the natural law. If you are mocked, ridiculed, and made to suffer for your trust and obedience to divine and natural law, you are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven.
Joseph, in obedience to the Holy Spirit, found in the Holy Spirit the source of love.
— St. John Paul II
Read “Sleeping St. Joseph”
Pray the Litany of St. Joseph
“Used with permission of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Stockbridge, MA USA.”
