Daily Meditation for March 19, 2026

Today is the Feast of St. Joseph, well known as “a just man” who lived in accordance with God’s plan and will throughout his life. How did he come to live in this manner? For those who are familiar with the Rule of St. Benedict will find the answer by looking at the first word of the Rule: Listen! Long before St. Benedict penned that word to open the Rule, St. Joseph had lived and modeled that way of life centuries earlier. For St. Joseph, what better time to be a listener than in the dark and quiet of night for God to reveal His plan in a dream to a man open to following the message received. Witness to his active listening is recorded in the scripture that in three instances of a dream, St. Joseph followed through in what God asked of him. St. Joseph, help me to be a better listener.

By Philip Zimmer, OSB