Joseph, in all of this, does not utter a word, but he believes, hopes and loves. He does not express himself with “idle words”, but with concrete deeds. He belongs to the lineage of those who, according to the apostle James, “put the Word into practice” (cf. James 1:22), translating it into deeds, flesh, life. Joseph trusts in God and obeys: “His inner watchfulness for God … leads quite spontaneously to obedience” (Benedict XVI, The Infancy Narratives, Milan-Vatican City 2012, 57).

Sisters, brothers, let us, too, ask the Lord for the grace to listen more than we speak, the grace to dream God’s dreams and to welcome responsibly the Christ who, from the moment of our baptism, lives and grows in our life.  Pope Francis

For most of us, we speak more than listen, especially to God. We fail to realize that God has given us two ears and only one mouth for a purpose. There are times God speaks loudly and clearly, directly and forcefully. But more often than not, God speaks in the silence of a whisper and in our inner stillness. As ones who want instant results, it is hard for us to enter into the quite and just wait upon the Lord. It is a challenge that comes with patient practice and endurance. It is a grace that God desires to give to those who are open to it. Ask for that grace and then wait upon the Lord.