Ahh, the relief of a liturgical feast day amidst the long Lenten journey!

Like stumbling upon a stream of water while wandering in the desert, reaching the Solemnity of St. Joseph during Lent is a great celebration in our house. My husband and I jettison our Lenten fasts, indulge in sweet treats, enjoy a glass of wine (when I’m not pregnant), and lean into the gift of a feast day amidst a season of fasting. Yet, sometimes, what I most associate with this date is sensory indulgence, which I imagine is not the best way to honor the man we celebrate. Given what we know about Joseph from Scripture and Tradition, humble and virtuous seem to more accurately describe his essence than indulgent.

I love the simple statement from today’s Gospel that Joseph was “unwilling to expose [Mary] to shame.” From what we can presume about Joseph’s understanding of Mary’s situation—found with child while betrothed to him—he would have been in the right to expose her to shame. Yet, Joseph is not that type of man. Just because societal customs would have deemed such exposure just, he prefers to go about it in another way. He is willing to swallow his pride, potentially tarnish his own reputation, and quietly rectify the situation in order to protect this young woman.

How often do we fail to act like Joseph? Do we gossip or embellish because we’re in a crowd that deems such actions commonplace? Do we subtly put down a member of our lab group in front of our PI, even if what we shared about the person is true? Do we care so much about asserting our own righteousness that we fail to see the invitation to die to our pride in order to extend an olive branch to someone else, even if it’s not “deserved?”

We know the saints by their heroic virtue. Joseph’s unwillingness to expose Mary to shame is a powerful example of his life of humble, yet heroic virtue that was not flashy or celebratory, but rather quiet and good.

Will you join me in celebrating his feast day today by doing something quiet and good for someone else? And, after, perhaps we can enjoy a sweet indulgence, too.