NGUYEN: Silence speaks volumes

Silence is golden! Which biblical figure does this ancient proverb best describe? Who does not speak a single recorded word in all of Scripture and whose devotion remained relatively understated in the early Church until the 19th century? Who did Pope Pius IX in 1870 declare the Patron of the Universal Church? Obviously, it is St. Joseph, the just man, the greatest saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary.

When Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant, he was deeply troubled, yet he chose silence instead of seeking to justify himself or expose her to shame. Consequently, Joseph’s patient silence helped bring about our salvation — the Savior was born. 

However, the path was not easy for Joseph; he must have endured many sleepless nights, tossing and turning over Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, to the point that he resolved to dismiss her quietly. Imagine if it were you — feeling betrayed. How would you feel? How would you handle the situation? 

I would suggest, “Go to St. Joseph in prayer.” St. Joseph never fails those who turn to him. I can testify to this.

In Jesus’ time, marriage took place in three stages, according to Jewish custom: engagement, betrothal and finally marriage. The time between each stage often lasted a year. Mary and Joseph were in the second stage — the betrothal (Mt 1:18) — during which they were already legally husband and wife, awaiting the day they would live together as a family.

During this period, the husband would prepare a home to receive his wife. Imagine how painful and devastating it must have been for Joseph to discover that Mary was with child, and that child was not his.

Yet Joseph showed no resentment. Rather, as Pope Francis writes, “In him, we never see frustration, but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust.”

God does not make mistakes; He knows what He is doing. In fact, Jesus’ conception during their betrothal was providential. It clearly affirms that Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father. Once the angel appeared to him, Joseph obeyed without hesitation. He took Mary into his home and became the foster father of Jesus. In the eyes of others, Jesus was the son of Mary and Joseph, protecting Mary from public disgrace. In God’s eyes, Joseph is most chaste and just (Litany of St. Joseph).

Joseph was entrusted with the greatest treasure: Mary and Jesus and the Mystery of Salvation. He humbly kept silent throughout his life. He faithfully and perfectly safeguarded them, so that God’s plan of salvation was fulfilled. God did not err in choosing St. Joseph to be the protector and guardian of Mary and Jesus.

Dear St. Joseph, you endured so much in silence. Yet, it was in great silence that you were able to hear God through the angel’s messages. Although the messages came in your dreams, you discerned them as God’s Will quickly and, with obedience, acted upon them with total trust. 

Help us, O St. Joseph, as we are halfway through our Lenten journey, to be attentive and to listen to God’s voice. Help us to cherish silence during this Lenten season and to read the Word of God, as encouraged in the Lenten message of Pope Leo XIV, so that we may remain calm, prudent and merciful in all that we do.

St. Joseph, pray for us! 

Holy Family, pray for us!

Sister Maria Goretti Thuy Nguyen, OP, is an associate director with the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis.