St. Joseph's feast day is tomorrow.
A few weeks ago, a parishioner gave me a small handmade banner for my birthday. It shows Joseph walking down a road, holding the hand of a young Jesus. Three words: Go to Joseph.
It hangs where I see it every morning now, in our home chapel. And it's become a good daily reminder.
I wrote about what Joseph is teaching me right now - about building in the margins, about leading through presence, about trusting seeds you can't see grow.
The Quiet Dad
In the latest episode of Deacon Life, Deacon Rick Wagner shares his journey through 40+ years in Catholic education, a late-blooming diaconate call, and walking with his wife through a cancer battle.
When asked about his favorite saint, he didn't hesitate: St. Joseph.
"He was the quiet dad doing what he was supposed to be doing and listening to the voice of God. He doesn't say anything - at least that we've ever heard. But we know he was following the will of God and accepting situations he didn't understand."
The quiet dad. What a model - for deacons, for fathers, for anyone trying to lead through presence rather than pronouncement.
This Week's 2 Minute Homily
Fifth Sunday of Lent — USCCB Readings
Jesus gets the message: "The one you love is ill." And He waits two more days.
By the time He arrives, Lazarus has been in the tomb for four days - past the point where Jewish tradition held any hope remained.
Martha meets Him on the road: "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
She was right. He could have been there. He chose not to be.
Day four is exactly where Jesus does His best work.
What I'm Reading & Watching
Disney's "Midnight Magic" — Disney Cruise Line debuted a new ad during the Oscars on Sunday, and it wrecked me. A father and son share a quiet nighttime stroll on a Disney ship - a small ritual traced across decades. Childhood to adulthood to grandparenthood. The theme from Up plays underneath. No waterslides, no character meet-and-greets. Just presence. Just showing up. Just walking together. With our first Disney cruise as a family now 71 days away and coming on the heels of an impromptu day at Walt Disney World with our oldest last week, this one hit different. Read more about it → or Watch it →
"Adoring Jesus Perpetually Is 'Good for Your Soul,' Says 93-Year-Old Adorer" — John Angerer has kept a weekly Holy Hour at his parish in Ohio for 63 years - since 1962. Through the death of his son on a beach, through his wife's carjacking, through her recent passing after 68 years of marriage. "Sometimes I went into Holy Hour with a heavy heart, but God helped me get through it." So much comes from time in Adoration. Read it →
Pope Leo XIV on St. Joseph — In a speech last week, the Pope reflected on Joseph's role as guardian: "Joseph shows us that presence and guardianship are inseparable dimensions. It is not possible to guard without being present, and one is not present without assuming responsibility for the other." That's the model. Read it →
This Week's Catholic Cartoon
A Final Word
"Joseph shows us that presence and guardianship are inseparable dimensions. It is not possible to guard without being present, and one is not present without assuming responsibility for the other."
— Pope Leo XIV, March 12, 2026
Until next Wednesday,
Saint Joseph, pray for us. Saint Michael, defend us in battle.
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Deacon Michael Halbrook serves at St. Elizabeth Parish in the Diocese of Springfield, Illinois. He's a husband, father of four sons, and writes about faith, family, work, and life at DeaconMichael.net.
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