St Joseph     March 19th

           According to the Gospels accounts Joseph was a carpenter, a descendant of King David. We are also told that he was a "just" man, a law-abiding man. The just man was one that was at-one with God and, thereby, was completely open to God and to God's wishes. Joseph was chosen by God to be the trustworthy guardian of Jesus, the son of God. This he carried out with complete fidelity.
          Tradition has often presented Joseph as an old man but we do know that the Rabbis of that time taught that men should marry between the ages of thirteen and nineteen. Joseph, being a just man, would have been of that age when he was proposing to Mary.
          Joseph was embarrassed by Mary's pregnancy and so thought about rejecting her. However, when an angel revealed to him about the origin of Mary's child, he gladly accepted the situation.
          After the return from Egypt, Joseph goes to Nazareth where he lived the life of the village carpenter.

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