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2026-March-16 – 7 pm (Novena)
St. Joseph Novena Reflection: Faith
Seen in Obedience
“Seeing
is believing.”
We use that expression often. It suggests that we accept something as true only
when we see with our own eyes. If we witness something ourselves, then we trust
it. If we cannot see it, we hesitate.
In
the sports world there is a famous moment that captures this instinct. During
the 1980 Winter Olympics, when the United States hockey team defeated the
heavily favored Soviet team, the announcer Al Michaels looked at the final
scoreboard as the game ended and shouted, “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”
The scoreboard showed it clearly: USA 4, USSR 3. Seeing was believing.
John
Henry Newman once wrote something similar. He said that we recognize objects
immediately when we see them, but not necessarily when we only touch them. If
my eyes are closed and someone places a rectangular piece of paper in my hand,
I cannot immediately tell what it is. It might be a $20 dollar bill cash, which
would be good news. Or it might be a parking ticket, which would be bad news. I
cannot know until I open my eyes and see.
Newman
uses this simple observation to describe faith. The Gospel, he says, gives us a
kind of spiritual sight. It enlightens “the eyes of our mind” so that we
can recognize God and understand what we are called to do.
But
there is still a question: how do we know that our faith is real?
Newman
answers with a line from the First Letter of John:
“Hereby we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments.”
In
other words, the test of faith is obedience.
This
is where St. Joseph becomes such a powerful example for us during this novena.
Joseph’s
life was guided by moments when God showed him what to do, often in ways that
required great trust. When he discovered that Mary was with child, he received
a message in a dream: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your
home.” Joseph obeyed.
Later
another dream came: “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to
Egypt.” Again Joseph obeyed.
Then
another message told him to return. And yet another warned him to avoid danger
and go instead to Nazareth.
Joseph
did not always know the whole plan. But he acted when God showed him what to
do. His faith was not only something he believed interiorly; it was something
that appeared in his actions.
Newman
would say that Joseph’s soul was known by its fruits.
The
same is true for us. We sometimes wonder whether our faith is genuine. We might
examine our feelings and ask ourselves whether we are spiritual enough. But
Newman warns us not to become trapped in endless self-examination. Feelings can
deceive us. Instead, he says, we should look at our actions.
Do
we pray?
Do we forgive others?
Do we try to serve God faithfully in our daily duties?
A
consistent pattern of obedience says more about our faith than any passing
feeling.
Let
me give a simple example from just yesterday.
Before
the St. Patrick’s Day Mass, with the bagpipers, visiting dignitaries, and the
mayor present, I happened to be walking outside the church and noticed a
cardboard box sitting near the steps. It looked like a delivery box, but it had
no label. I had no idea what was inside.
I
picked it up and brought it inside. A few people offered to help, which of
course I refused—perhaps not the best decision. But the real problem was that I
could not tell what to do with it until I opened it.
When
we finally opened the box, we discovered that it contained programs for the St.
Patrick’s Day parade. Once we saw what was inside, everything became clear. The
programs could be distributed to the people gathered for the Mass.
Seeing
made things clear.
But
in the life of faith we often do not have that kind of certainty. We act before
we see the full picture.
That
is why novenas exist.
The
first novena actually appears in the Gospel. After the Ascension, the apostles
waited in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit. Those nine days between
Ascension and Pentecost became the model for the novenas that Christians pray
today.
The
apostles had seen the risen Christ. Yet they still did not know exactly what
would happen next. They gathered in prayer, asking God for light and guidance.
When
we pray a novena to St. Joseph, we do something similar. We bring our
intentions to God. We ask for clarity, for direction, for help. We ask, in a
sense, for the eyes of faith to be opened.
Sometimes
we even ask God for a sign, or at least some indication that we are moving in
the right direction. That is a very human prayer.
Recently
I experienced something like that after the death of a friend. When someone
dies, one of the practical questions is whom to inform. Who already knows? Who
should hear the news from you?
I
decided to call a friend and his wife to tell them about the death. I hesitated
for a moment, because there had been some distance between them and that
family. I wondered whether I should say anything at all. But I realized that if
I didn’t tell them, they might never hear the news.
So
I made the call. And to my surprise, they came to the wake. What followed was a
warm reunion between them and the family—something that might not have happened
otherwise.
In
a small way, it was a reminder that obedience sometimes produces fruits we
cannot foresee.
Still,
Newman reminds us that we cannot evaluate our lives by looking at isolated
actions. If someone is patient, perhaps it is simply because he is naturally
calm. If someone works hard, perhaps he is motivated by ambition. If someone
attends church regularly, perhaps it is only habit.
But
when obedience appears consistently across many areas of life—prayer, charity,
honesty, humility, forgiveness—then it begins to reveal something deeper. It
becomes evidence that faith is truly alive.
Newman
concludes with a beautiful image. True spiritual-mindedness, he says, is like the
soul itself. We cannot see it directly. But we know it by its operations. The
soul is known by what it does.
And
that brings us back to St. Joseph.
Joseph
spoke very few recorded words in Scripture. In fact, the Gospels preserve none
of his words at all. Yet the Church honors him as a great saint.
Why?
Because
his faith was visible in his actions.
He
protected Mary.
He guarded the child Jesus.
He obeyed God without hesitation.
His
life revealed his faith.
As
we continue this novena, we ask St. Joseph to help us live that same kind of
faith: a faith that does not depend only on what we can see, but a faith that
shows itself in daily obedience to God.
May
St. Joseph teach us to trust God’s guidance, even when the path ahead is not
completely clear.
And
may our lives, like his, bear the fruits that reveal a living faith.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
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