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Pope Francis’s Apostolic Letter On St. Joseph Makes Good Christmas Reading

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The birth of Jesus of Nazareth, which we celebrate every Christmas, was of great significance. For those of us of Christian faith, this is easy to accept. But non-Christians also witness the impact of this celebration. A large portion of the world’s population believes in a Creator who made humans “in his image and likeness.” The fact that he made us all with equal dignity is an important factor in the history of freedom: even kings and rulers did not get special status from the perspective of Creation. In the Catholic tradition and in other Christian traditions, human rights, including the right to own and trade property, are based on how we were created.

Each Christmas since becoming a Forbes contributor, I have written a piece reflecting on an aspect of the Christmas story which can provide a lesson for the free economy and the free society. Since on December 8 Pope Francis released Patris corde, an Apostolic Letter on St. Joseph - a key protagonist of the first Nativity - I will share a few reflections on this document.

Each of the characters in the story of the first Christmas is remembered in a different way, from the Virgin Mary to the Magi from the east. Although Joseph is always present in Nativity scenes, we rarely read reflections on his life during that key moment and beyond. For those who admire Joseph’s life and have considered it closely, Pope Francis’s letter was an early Christmas gift. It was published on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Joseph as patron of the Universal Church. The Pope announced that 2021 will be the “Year of St. Joseph.”

There is not much written about St. Joseph in the Gospels. Pope Francis notes each mention of him, starting with the familiar passage that “after a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, he beheld the birth of the Messiah in a stable, since ‘there was no place for them’ elsewhere (cf. Lk 2:7). He witnessed the adoration of the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:8-20) and the Magi (cf. Mt 2:1-12), who represented respectively the people of Israel and the pagan peoples.”

Those looking to politicize every word that comes from the Vatican will this time be disappointed. Despite today’s victimhood culture, there are no complaints from St. Joseph or an effort to present him as helpless victim. He faced a difficult situation and assumed his responsibility. Pope Francis writes, “Nor should we ever think that believing means finding facile and comforting solutions. The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.”

Joseph and his little family “certainly needed to eat, to find a home and employment. It does not take much imagination to fill in those details. The Holy Family had to face concrete problems like every other family, like so many of our migrant brothers and sisters who, today too, risk their lives to escape misfortune and hunger. In this regard, I consider Saint Joseph the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution and poverty.”

The Pope takes the opportunity to speak of work not only as a source to support the family but also as essential for human dignity, adding that “work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion.”

This apostolic letter does not focus on economics, but the Pope laments, “In our own day, when employment has once more become a burning social issue, and unemployment at times reaches record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity, there is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which Saint Joseph is an exemplary patron.”

It is precisely in countries where the economy is freer, especially in the labor markets, where we tend to see less unemployment. At the same time, when St. Joseph had to find work in Egypt, probably as a carpenter, it is logical to conclude that the fewer regulations and fewer licenses needed for carpentry, the easier it would have been for him to find work. In the table I show the top ten freest economies and how they score on labor freedom, unemployment, ease of doing business. The freer the better. There are only a few exceptions in a couple of areas, such as Switzerland in the Doing Business Index and Estonia in labor freedom.

If we compare the countries where the cities of the Nativity narrative are located, Israel and Egypt (highlighted in yellow at the bottom of the table), we find a much more hospitable environment for workers and business in Israel.

  


Every facet of the life of St. Joseph mentioned in Pope Francis’s apostolic letter shows aspects worthy of emulation and necessary for today's world. Joseph assumed his commitment as a husband and father with total freedom. He was a source of stability in his household. His role as a worker, and the way he intelligently obeyed authority so as not to endanger the future of his family, are also good examples.

Pope Francis rightly concludes that “Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” I say amen. And I go beyond the spiritual realm to the material one as well. All organizations, especially those which I know the best - those that work to promote and establish a free economy - have many “hidden” Josephs who help them to fulfill their mission, just as St. Joseph did for Jesus and Mary. This Christmas I pay special tribute to them and their hidden work.

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