As soon as Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in Egypt in a dream, and said:
“Rise up, take with thee the child and his mother, and return to the land of Israel; for those who sought
the child’s life are dead.”

So he arose, and took the child and his mother with him, and came into the land of Israel. But, when he
heard that Archelaus was king in Judaea in the place of his father Herod, he was afraid to return there;
and so, receiving a warning in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee; where he came to live in
a town called Nazareth, in fulfilment of what was said by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
(Matthew 2;19-23)

After the sorrow of not being allowed to go to Judea, St. Joseph experiences the joy of returning to Nazareth.
His joy increases as the days of Christ's hidden life go by. The home life of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph resembled
that of their neighbors. Time was spent in family life. Sometimes Joseph would contemplate the Child "in the
most pure arms of Mary, the blessed Mother. She held God veiled in flesh, and pressed her lips in sweet kisses
on the flesh of the One who is true God and true man" (Paulinus of Aquilea). And St. Joseph, as F. de
Eximensis so charmingly says, "showed delight and joy in providing for the infant Savior's needs, bathing him,
reverently handling the small limbs of his precious body, changing his clothes, and doing other things that little
children require."

Contemplating Joseph's life in the company of Jesus and Mary, we can make our own the words of a prayer
composed by Pius XII:

St. Joseph, grant that according to your example we keep our eyes fixed on our Mother Mary, your most
sweet spouse, who silently used to do her weaving in a corner of your workshop, with a smile on her
lips. Grant that we not lose sight of Jesus, who busied himself with you at your carpenter's bench. Thus
may we be able to lead a peaceful and holy life on earth, as a prelude to that eternally happy life which
awaits us in Heaven for ever and ever. Amen.