Want to know what mature masculinity looks like, look to St Joseph

By Klysha Best

Joseph was special and extraordinary. Preaching the homily at Holy Mass for the Solemnity of St Joseph March 19 at the Cathedral of Immaculate Conception, Archbishop Charles Jason Gordon recounted that in 2019, he received the book Consecration to St Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Fr Donald Calloway MIC. Although he found it intriguing, he initially set it aside.

However, in February of the following year, he felt compelled to undertake the consecration to St Joseph.

During the evenings of his consecration, he would often say to St Joseph, “If you want, you can come, you know. You’ve come to many people all over the world, but I don’t know if you’ve ever come to Trinidad and Tobago. Come to me, and I will make a place for you.”

The Archbishop acknowledged the lockdown of churches due to Covid, but felt he had received a special grace during that time to lead the Church, not just in Port of Spain but throughout the Caribbean. “I knew I had a very special grace; I felt it,” said Archbishop Gordon. “And I know that special grace came because Joseph prepared me before Covid started, when I didn’t see it coming. Through this time of consecration with him, I received extraordinary grace that helped me minister effectively during the Covid crisis, giving hope in a difficult time. That was the grace of St Joseph in my life.”

Reflecting on his ordination 34 years ago, March 19, alongside Msgr Esau Joseph, the Archbishop noted that it was then he first became aware of St Joseph’s significance.

The following year, 2021, he proposed to the National Catholic Men’s Ministry the idea of a consecration to St Joseph, which they embraced and organised. During that time, a lady approached him in the [Archbishop’s House] chapel after Mass, offering a statue of St Joseph.

The Archbishop recounted that the same year, for his anniversary—which coincided with the consecration—an artist painted a beautiful image of St Joseph that appeared on the cover of a book he authoured about the saint.

At the end of the Mass, the men from the national Men’s Ministry gifted him a vestment adorned with an image of St Joseph. “He came four times, in four different ways.”

He pointed out that while Mary was born without original sin, Joseph was not.

The Archbishop noted that there isn’t a single reported line of Joseph’s speech in the Bible. “But we have quite a bit about him in about 19 or 20 verses,” he remarked.

One key verse describes him as “a man of honour, and wanting to spare her public disgrace, he chose to divorce Mary quietly.” Instead, he chose to act with honour and mercy. “And that is why I love Joseph,” he said. “If you want to know what mature masculinity looks like, look to Joseph.”

Another translation describes Joseph as a “righteous man,” qualities that the Archbishop said are commendable in any person. “On one hand, we know Joseph was a man steeped in the law of God; on the other, he was also steeped in the mercy of God,” Archbishop Gordon noted.

He cautioned against extreme interpretations of the law, whether rigid or overly lax. “In St Joseph, we see a man who embodies both the law and mercy, which signifies spiritual maturity.”

The Archbishop articulated a prayer for men to emulate Joseph’s qualities: “That we would be rooted deeply in the mind and heart of God while also being merciful, willing to spare others from the harshness of publicity and blame.”

He encouraged those without father figures in their lives to seek St Joseph as their foster father, capable of guiding them into manhood. “He was good enough to be the father of Jesus Christ; he’s good enough to be your father too.”

He further articulated that Joseph heard God’s calling on two significant occasions and did not hesitate or debate God’s intentions. “Are you man enough to do that? Are you woman enough to do that?” he challenged the congregation.

St Joseph is considered the patron of the universal Church because he protected Christ during crucial moments of His life, and now he continues to protect the Church, the body of Christ, Archbishop Gordon explained.

Finally, he expressed his favourite title for Joseph, ‘Terror of demons’: “St Joseph is the one you call when you need help,” he stressed. “When demons see him, they are terrified.”

He encouraged those present to invoke St Joseph’s protection from evil, just as he protected Jesus from threats throughout His life.