Jesus Christ is the perfect Man, but his adoptive father, Joseph, was the one who inserted Him into the offices and dynamics of this world. Without a doubt, Christ was born with all his potential, but God the Father arranged for Joseph to be chosen to teach the Baby Jesus what it means to be a man. Masculinity is learned, passed from generation to generation, in which the boy or young man has to make an effort, fight to be virtuous. Therefore, Saint Joseph will be our model and inspiring source of the nine virtues of man that please the heart of God.
There are virtues of man that please the heart of God
1- Chaste
Saint Joseph is known, in Church tradition, as a model of chastity. This virtue gives man self-control and, therefore, inner freedom. The man of God needs to exercise purity to learn not to be carried away by his impulses, and thus be able to choose great choices.
2 – Honored
The way they refer to Jesus, “the carpenter’s son” (cf. Mt 13:55), gives us the idea that his father’s profession would be Joseph’s reference in the city where they lived. Hence, we can also assume that it was easy to find them in Nazareth, their workshop and their home, as they did not need to avoid anyone. José had a good name, he honored his deadlines and his word. Man, after God’s heart, is honorable. If he promises, he delivers. If he made a mistake, he admits it. His name and his reputation are like the signature of his person as a whole, his word is always honest.
3 – Worker
The same quote – “the carpenter’s son” (cf. Mt 13:55) – can designate a person who is known for his craft; Therefore, he is a great professional. José was a talented worker. Males have a natural inclination to also have an existential meaning at work. The impression that his profession is an extension of himself.
Often, in works of art – sculptures and paintings – we see a woman posing (standing still and exposing her beauty), and men are almost always in a position of movement, doing something. We cannot imagine a man without work.
4 – Fighter
Look at the effort in the first years of Baby Jesus’ life to preserve the life of the Son of God and His Mother Mary. José renounced everything he already had to preserve his. The man of God is a fighter. The Lord invites His prophets, in Holy Scripture, and constantly puts them in struggle against a public enemy, against spiritual forces; He teaches them to fight for their family, for their people and for the cause of the Kingdom of God.
5 – Faithful
Without a doubt, the fact that Mary, while engaged to Saint Joseph, became pregnant was a great test for him. Pope Francis said in this regard: “A test similar to that of Abraham’s sacrifice”, because, in both cases, God “found the faith he was looking for and opened a path of love and happiness” (12/22/2013). A man must be faithful, first, to God, then to his wife and . Temptations pass, fidelity makes a man strong in spirit. May he be faithful to the end!
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6 – Gentleman
It’s hard not to imagine José as a gentleman. But some facts can make us assume this a little more concretely. For example, when Jesus, at the age of twelve, gets lost in the temple, he is the one who questions Him in front of the male magistrates, in a society that did not count women and children. Why didn’t Joseph do it? Perhaps, because the Mother participated more intensely in Christ’s ministry, and Joseph understood this.
The man of God is a gentleman, because he associates his strength and propensity to have an attitude with sensitivity and perception. He is always attentive and kind, even in the midst of a crisis, and not just when he wants to win over a woman.
7 – Magnanimous
“Joseph, who was a good man, did not want to defame her, and decided to reject her secretly” (Mt 1:19). This verse demonstrates the essence of the heart of Mary’s husband. Upon learning about his fiancée, Joseph, at first, must have imagined that she had betrayed him, and Jewish law condemned a woman who did so to death. However, even though he felt wronged, the intention of this man of God reveals his willingness to guarantee the life of the person he loved and an innocent child, and for him this would mean giving up his carpentry (his livelihood), his home (the “ married” took care of building and furnishing the future home), his good name, his reputation in the city and, who knows, thus compromising his future.
Magnanimity is kindness of heart, but it is beyond that, it is indulgence with nobility. It is to sympathize with others, even in their guts. It is being faithful, giving forgiveness, assuming the misery of others and doing good even when we receive harm. It’s having love to offer even when the other person doesn’t deserve it. The magnanimous man is a giant internally, he gives of himself not only what he has – his talents, material and spiritual gifts –, but he gives himself completely, even his own life if necessary.
Imagine Mary, knowing from her husband that he intended to renounce everything in his life because of his love for her! Imagine the look of love she gave him! What a beautiful proof of love Joseph gave Mary!
I would like to make an observation here: in my youth, I met boys who had money, a car, were “good looking” and very popular with girls. However, from people of my generation, I realize that the women who are really happy today are those who married men who, since then, have shown themselves to have a good heart. Every woman deserves to have a good man by her side; deep down, that’s what they expect. The man with a magnanimous heart is a sign and a reflection of God on this earth.
8 – Servant
Saint Joseph chose to be a servant, first of all, of God. Through the dreams he had (and dreams are commonplace things), he understood that the Lord’s orders were there, and that it was necessary to fulfill them. José did not question whether this was the result of his emotion caused by the events that were happening. In everything Joseph was obedient to God.
He was also his family’s servant. He says it: “but Jewish culture places the man as head of his family” (cf. Eph 5:23). Jesus’ earthly father made his authority a service to his own. He did not usurp his position to obtain rights and favors from his family members. On the contrary, he sacrificed himself, renounced himself in favor of his wife and son.
A man after God’s own heart understands that any and all authority in this world must be seen as a responsibility to love and edify those under his care, whether family, subordinates at work or the Lord’s people. Above all, however, is God’s will.
9 – Fair
All of the above virtues can be seen as offshoots of the latter. The Word defines Joseph as righteous (cf. Mt 1:19). The biblical meaning of this word refers to the one who fulfills and practices the Law, both in legal terms – the person who is suitable in relation to their civil obligations –, but also the Law of the Lord. Joseph was irreproachable when it came to fulfilling religious precepts and rites, but he did them out of an ardent love for the Lord, and not out of prestige among men.
Man needs to be enchanted by the Word and the eternal Law of the Most High, because if he gives to God what belongs to God, it will not be a burden for him to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar. To be righteous is to be holy. The man who pleases God constantly seeks holiness.
Let us ask for the intercession of Saint Joseph, as the world is increasingly in need of men who have the courage to give their lives to God, let themselves be led by Him and, in this way, bring a little of the joy of heaven to live here on this earth.