Homily on the Feast of St. Joseph:  The Power of Silence, Mt; 1:16.18-21.24a

 Praise be to Jesus Christ 

In a quiet interior village lived a man, well-known for his wisdom and patience.  People from different localities used to come to him with various issues to get possible solutions and the solution that he gave was acceptable to many. However, whenever people approached him with their issues, he would fall into deep silence for a moment, and sometimes even ask them to return the following day, before speaking or giving a possible solution. Some criticised him saying that he was very slow to respond; however, later they came to know that his silence was not because of any confusion but because he was taking time for a deep reflection.  Hence, his words were always full of wisdom, and his conclusions were mostly correct.

Today, we celebrate the feast of a great saint of silence, St. Joseph.  As we know, he was a man who was always silent in the Bible, yet his silence was filled with wisdom and understanding. The Gospel of Matthew states that when Joseph came to know that Mary was pregnant, Joseph did not act immediately; he did not discuss with anyone nor did he ask for clarification from Mary, nor did he speak any words of anger or suspicion. In its place, he kept silent and reflected deeply about the different possibility of what had happened. It is in those moments of silence and calmness, God spoke to him through an angel and gave him the direction he was in needed of.  Just think, if Joseph had reacted promptly with emotions, he might have made the wrong conclusion and decision. On the other hand, since he remained silent and maintained calmness, he could finally discern the plan of God behind the incident and act according to the will of God.

Silence is a powerful gift and a weapon. Majority of the issues in our families, parishes and communities come because many of us fail to keep silence at the right moment. When we happened to hear something negative about ourselves, our spouse, or our friends and family, we immediately react.  Very often, we speak without thinking, and later, we regret over our words. How many relationships have been broken, how many hearts have been wounded, how many families have been separated, simply because people fail to keep silence or fail to reflect before reacting.

Our beloved saint, Teresa of Calcutta, once said, “If we need to find God, seek him in silence and solitude, because He cannot be found in noise and restlessness.” Hence, if we want to know the will of God, we also need to pause and reflect.  Our father St. Joseph found God’s will in silence and deep reflection. He did not need to argue or defend himself. His silence was not weakness, but it was louder than any noise.  And in that silence he listened to God’s voice.

We have many examples in the Bible of those who practiced holy silence. Moses, for example, remained silent before the burning bush and heard God’s call. Mary, our Blessed Mother, “pondered everything in her heart.”  Jesus, our Lord, gave us the best example; when he was falsely accused, remained silent before His accusers. Silence allowed them to act prudently rather than emotionally.

Nonetheless, we need to remember that, silence is not just about keeping our mouths shut. Rather, it is about keeping our hearts open. It is about listening and reflecting deeply before reacting.  We can generally notice two types of silence: negative and positive. Negative silence is that when we refuse to communicate because of pride, anger, or fear. On the other hand positive silence is when we pause to reflect, to pray in order to discern the will of God, and to understand to how to act wisely. This is the silence that St. Joseph practiced.

What silence are we practicing in our lives, if  we practice silence at all?  In our daily lives, like St. Joseph, let us try to practice positive silence and when we hear something negative, let us not react promptly. Instead, let us take a moment to reflect and pray.  It will give us an opportunity to listen to God before we speak or act. Thus, our words will be filled with wisdom, and our actions will bring peace to everyone. This is what St. Joseph did.

Today, as we honour and celebrate the feast of  St. Joseph, let us ask him to teach every one of  us the power of silence; a silence that is not empty but full of wisdom and understanding,  a silence that does not destroy but builds , a silence that listens to God and responds with love.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus Christ, help us to remain in silence at the moment of difficulty and confusion and discern your will and help us to carry out your will in our daily lives. Amen.

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God Bless