Saint Joseph, the Silent Man: The Theology of Joseph’s Silence

Saint Joseph, the silent man: the profound theology of Saint Joseph’s silence in the Gospels.

Saint Joseph, the silent man: introduction

Saint Joseph, the silent man is one of the most expressive titles of Josephine spirituality. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph does not utter a single word: he is the man of silence. But the silence of Saint Joseph, the silent man, is not empty; it is a silence of faith, of obedience, of prayer. It is a word deeper than many words.

I. Saint Joseph, the silent man, in the Gospels

Matthew and Luke present to us Saint Joseph, the silent man: he receives the angel’s message in dreams (Mt 1:20-24; 2:13-15; 2:19-22), obeys immediately, and leads the Holy Family, but never speaks. This literary choice of the evangelists is not accidental. Saint Joseph, the silent man, is a figure of the righteous man of the Old Testament, a contemplative of the Word.

II. The silence of Saint Joseph as obedience

The silence of Saint Joseph, the silent man, is first and foremost obedience. On receiving the angel’s command, “he does as the angel commands him” (Mt 1:24). He does not answer, does not negotiate, does not justify himself. He complies. Saint Joseph, the silent man, teaches that true Christian obedience is more a matter of deeds than of words.

III. Saint Joseph, the silent man, and the custody of the Word

Saint Joseph, the silent man, is the guardian of the Incarnate Word. The liturgy calls him “foster father of Jesus” and “spouse of the Virgin Mary.” Guarding the Word requires interior silence. Saint Joseph, the silent man, is a model for all those in the Church who are called to guard Christ in their own lives.

IV. Saint Joseph, the silent man, in the Magisterium

The modern Magisterium has increasingly esteemed the figure of Saint Joseph, the silent man. Leo XIII in Quamquam Pluries, Paul VI, John Paul II in Redemptoris Custos, Benedict XVI, and Francis in Patris Corde meditated on Joseph’s silence as a message for the Church. Saint Joseph, the silent man, is particularly relevant today.

V. The spirituality of Saint Joseph, the silent man

Living the spirituality of Saint Joseph, the silent man, means cultivating interior silence, listening to the Word, discreet obedience, and the custody of the family and of the good entrusted to us. Saint Joseph, the silent man, is patron of the universal Church and, above all, of the interior life. The reader can explore this further in Patris Corde by Francis.

Deepen your studies: explore the Mariology portal, Marian Theology, and the spirituality of the Holy Family at Locus Mariologicus.