Calm, young, warm, prudent, faithful, bold, authentic. If we had to choose a few words to describe St. Joseph, some of them would be these ones. He was a father who “shone” quietly, by simply being present. He cared for our Lady through many periods of uncertainty, always striving to give her and the Child Jesus the best he had, and above the best of himself: aside from the material things he made or bought for the family through his work, he gave them his time, affection, honour, and attention. He gave them his life.

In his unassuming wisdom, St. Joseph discovered that the greatest joy comes from giving yourself. He lived a full and happy life, even when he had to make sacrifices. He put every gift he received from God at the service of his mission. That’s worth celebrating, don’t you think?

There are many ways to go through life. As you read this article, you might find yourself thinking of people you know who don’t tend to make a fuss or worry about taking credit for things, who don’t need to be the centre of attention or have everyone know about all their achievements. Paradoxically, those people almost always make a mark. They show up when you need them, and they’re hard to forget. Was St. Joseph that kind of person? We never hear him speak in the Gospels, no words are directly attributed to him, and he doesn’t perform any visible miracles. His importance comes from his faithfulness. He discovered the joy of putting others’ needs before his own preferences, whims, or inclinations, as we said before. He was a good son, father, brother, and friend. He was Jesus’ teacher in many ways, even as he knew he would never be superior to the Son.

Today, we can access almost any information and most products with a click. We like getting quick answers to our questions. We appreciate immediacy, certainty, and efficiency, and we often avoid the kind of solitude where the parts of ourselves we like least might come into sharper focus. It has always been a challenge not to get anxious or frustrated when things are certainty, but the fast pace of life might make it even more of a challenge for young people today. S. Joseph shows us that the greatest security we can have is to follow God’s plans for each of us, because that is where we find the peace that comes from trusting the One who made you and knows you through and through.

St. Joseph must have had moment of self-doubt when he set out on his adventure. He was probably afraid of some of the dangers and unknowns, but he never questioned the fact that he wasn’t alone on his journey. And he found his greatest strength in that chosen trust. He discovered the deepest reason for his existence: the freedom found in self-giving. A wholehearted gift of self that encompassed both his desires and his decisions. Do you ever feel afraid when there’s no instruction manual, when you’re not sure which way to turn? Do you tend to avoid the things that feel uncomfortable, or that push you out of your comfort zone?

St. Joseph dreamed big. His life was great because he let God into his dreams. He let go of his plans when he needed to so that God could guide his steps.

Crucially, by quieting the noise around him, he made space in his heart to listen, and found answers to many of his questions. He embarked on the most worthwhile venture of his life: choosing to love wholeheartedly. He was there with Jesus in the workshop, at his first steps, at all his “firsts.” He wasn’t perfect, but his fragility was no barrier to dreaming big. He learned to see his own vulnerability not as a limitation, but an opportunity to practice one of his defining characteristics: trust. He had the uncalculating obedience of someone who knows they are in good hands... Actually, in the best hands: the hands of a Father who looks after us, who doesn’t allow anything to happen without his knowledge, who smiles every time we turn back to him, and who knows that everything works for good, even when our own eyes can’t quite see it.

St. Joseph was, and still is, an example. He’s the Patron of the Church: quiet, compelling, courageous, hardworking. A few minutes in his company would be enough to sense you were with someone with a great, magnanimous heart. St. Josemaría used to call him his “father and lord” and invoked him before and after his times of prayer. St. Joseph was a model of many things, including one that matters a great deal: deep interior life. We can ask him to help us grow in prayer and to find the meaning of our existence in our work and our mission each day. He found meaning in his daily life and tried to live that love afresh with each passing day.

Looking down on us now from heaven, with his attentive and understanding gaze, he probably thinks we’re making too much of him and would rather stay in the background. That’s fine. He’ll be glad to hear that we understand that his greatness lay not in what he did, but in what he allowed God to do with his life. By placing his life at the service of his mission, he found happiness, he brought happiness to others, and he made God’s light shine.