Serra Club Vocations Essay

St. Joseph provides example of saying yes to God in ‘trying times’

By Will Morse (Special to The Criterion)

Joseph said yes to Jesus. The circumstances he was under at the time were quite interesting. He said yes to being the mortal father of Jesus, but this also required Mary to say yes. Joseph was brave enough to say yes to God and to Mary, and this is what we can apply to our faith lives.

We may not know what path saying yes to God could lead us to, but we can be brave enough to trust what he has planned for us. Joseph models this exquisitely. He may not have known what he was getting himself into, but he was still brave.

He was strong for Jesus and Mary. He was the original father and leader to Jesus, and we can model this with our children and people who look up to us.

Every day, we are given choices. Some of these choices are simply yes or no. Some of these choices may be much more complex than that. If we say yes, there may be many things that come along with that. This concept applies to Joseph saying yes.

His choice seemed simple, but he had many strings attached to it. He did the right thing by saying yes, and he is lucky enough to spend eternity in heaven. This is what we all strive for. This is why saying yes to challenges and cries for help may lead us to heaven. Especially in these trying times, there is no better time to say yes than now.

We may have to wear masks and social distance, but saying yes in these times can be beneficial in so many ways. People need help from others in these times. Saying yes will not only help them, but can be so spiritually rewarding. Saying yes can help us achieve our goal of eternity in heaven, just like Joseph.

There was no better year to be named the Year of St. Joseph than 2021. We may not know what is going to happen, but if we keep saying yes to God then we will all get through this together.

Joseph inspires me and should inspire all of us to keep going forward to keep saying yes. This will get better, and we should all look to him for inspiration when we want to say no to life. The pandemic may not last forever, but eternal life and happiness with God will.

I would like to end my reflection with a short prayer:

Dear God, help us in these trying times. Help us persevere through the storm and to say yes to you when you are offered before us. Oh St. Joseph, whose protection is so great, so strong, so prompt before the throne of God, I place in you all of my interests and desires. Help us say yes. St. Joseph, pray for us. Our Lady, the Blessed Mother, pray for us.

In your name we pray, Amen.
 

(Will and his parents, John and Tara Morse, are members of St. Barnabas Parish in Indianapolis. He recently completed the 11th grade at Roncalli High School in Indianapolis and is the 11th-grade division winner in the Indianapolis Serra Club’s 2021 John D. Kelley Vocations Essay Contest.) †