Why Is St. Joseph a Saint?

St. Joseph faithfully followed God’s plan for his life, including not divorcing his wife, Mary, when he found out that she was unexpectedly pregnant. He was going to divorce her quietly, not willing to expose her to the law. Many Catholic exegetes argue that Joseph was understandably troubled by Mary’s pregnancy until an angel reassured him in a dream (Matt. 1:18ff.). Others, like Dr. Michael Barber, argue that Joseph was humble, understanding the supernatural nature of Mary’s pregnancy and not believing himself worthy to serve as Jesus’ adoptive father until the angel reassured him.

In any event, St. Joseph said yes to God, and the rest is salvation history, so to speak. Not to be flippant, but when your wife is the Immaculate Conception and your Son is the Incarnate Word, that bodes well for your sanctity, because saints tend to beget other saints. Of course, we need to give proper due to St. Joseph himself, because he cooperated with God’s grace (cf. CCC 1996), including guiding Mary and Jesus to Jesus’ birthplace, Bethlehem, and then to and from Egypt when Jesus’ life was threatened by Herod (Heb. 2:1-23).

For more on St. Joseph, take a look at Pope St. John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos.