Pope Francis reflected on St. Joseph as a man of prayer and a deep spiritual life, at the general audience of January 26. This led him to consider the struggles of parents who face problems with their children.
Joseph prayed, worked, and loved — three beautiful things for parents: to pray, to work, and to love — and because of this he always received what he needed to face life's trials. Let us entrust ourselves to him and to his intercession.
Joseph knew how to listen to God
Pope Francis considered how St. Joseph was able to discern the voice of God from within the many other voices that we have within us.
The Holy Father reflected on each of Joseph's four dreams recounted in the Gospels, explaining that, "In the Bible, as in the cultures of ancient peoples, dreams were considered a means by which God revealed himself. The dream symbolises the spiritual life of each of us."
Dream 1: for situations without a solution
In the first of Joseph's dreams, God resolves the "problem" of Mary's pregnancy, telling Joseph to take her as his wife. The Pope reflected that these situations that seem to have no solution are opportunities for prayer:
Dream 2: in danger
Joseph's second dream took him away from Herod and his murderous rampage. The Holy Father said that when we turn to God in danger, we can find Joseph's courage:
Dreams 3 and 4: in fear
The third and fourth of Joseph's dreams come as he awaits the sign that he can return to his homeland. The Gospel recounts that Jesus' father on earth experienced fear: But on the return journey, “when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there.” The Pope said that fear is part of life, but we should let God guide us through it.
Always there
The reflection on Joseph's dreams led the Pope to consider the suffering of parents mentioned above. He reminisced about his experience in Argentina, seeing mothers waiting to see their children in jail:
Prayer has to be linked to love, or it isn't prayer
Finally, the Pope reiterated a point he has made often about prayer: that it must be plugged into reality, into the concrete needs of life.
