SW News: Pope Francis has urged priests to imbibe the lessons of fatherhood from St Joseph by being a pastor who seeks only the good of the sheep. The Holy Father was speaking to a delegation from the Belgian Pontifical College on the occasion of its 175th anniversary on March 18.

The Pope reflected on the Guardian of Jesus, who is also the patron of the institution, as a role model for pastors. He said, “It will do you good to place yourselves and your vocations under his mantle and to learn from him the art of fatherhood, which you will soon be called to exercise in communities and in the areas and ministerial services that will be entrusted to you.”

The Pontiff said St Joseph is a welcoming father who puts aside his personal plans to welcome and love Mary and Jesus and thus becoming a master of spiritual life and discernment. He reminded them that a priest who arrives in a new parish should love the community freely.

Pope Francis then went on to refer to St Joseph as a guardian father who silently trusted in the plans of God, becoming the good servant who only desired the good and wellness of people in his care.

The foster father of Jesus is also a father who dreams, said the Pontiff, adding that he was not like one with his head in the clouds oblivious of reality. Instead, St Joseph knew how to look beyond what he saw and recognise the plan of the almighty. He became an instrument for the realisation of God’s plan by guarding the Child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, said the Pope.