Advent concludes in the profound, prayerful silence of St. Joseph. Here, there are no crowds, no wilderness, no public proclamations. There is only a just man, a quiet “yes” in the middle of the night, and a decision that will change human history. Joseph, faced with a crisis that is beyond his understanding, does two things: he listens in silence, and he obeys in faith. He “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.” 

Through this quiet courage, God’s promise becomes flesh. The deacon’s entire life and ministry are meant to echo that same humble, obedient “yes.” He is a man called to listen to God’s Word, often revealed in the “dreams” of human need, and to respond with immediate, practical action that makes God’s presence tangible. 

Joseph “took Mary into his home.” His first act of obedience was to create a home, a sacred space for the one who carried God. The deacon’s service at the altar is a liturgical echo of this very act. 

Preparing the Gifts: When the deacon prepares the altar, he is, like Joseph, “making a home” for the Lord. This is not a task of mere function, but an act of reverent preparation. 

Minister of the Chalice: The deacon’s most profound “yes” at the altar is his role as the ordinary minister of the Cup. He holds the physical presence of Emmanuel – God-with-us – and serves Him to the people. He is the guardian of the Presence, ensuring it is shared with the faithful. 

The Dismissal: His final command, “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life,” is a charge to the assembly to become what Joseph became: bearers of Christ, making a home for Him in the world. 

St. Oscar Romero, a man of deep diaconal spirituality, said, “We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is God’s work… We are workers, not master builders.”  Joseph was a tekton, a builder or craftsman. He was not a “master builder” of monuments, but a humble worker. The deacon shares in this identity. 

Walking with Families: The deacon is present at the key moments of family life. In Baptism, he welcomes a new child into the “home” of the Church. In marriage preparation, he helps a couple “build” their new home on a foundation of faith. In funeral vigils, he sits in the home of the grieving, offering a quiet presence. 

The ‘Worker’ of the Parish: Like Joseph, the deacon’s work is often hidden. It is the unseen administrative task, the council meeting, the quiet pastoral counseling, or the time  spent organizing the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He is the “worker” who faithfully builds the parish community, brick by brick, act by act. 

The angel’s message came to Joseph in the darkness, in a moment of personal crisis. God’s call is often clearest in the margins, in the places of fear and uncertainty. The deacon is ordained to go to these very places. 

Guardian of the Overlooked: The deacon’s primary “yes” is to the one society has “planned to dismiss quietly.” He is called to be the guardian of the refugee (as Joseph would soon become), the single mother, the man in an addiction crisis, the person facing a terrifying diagnosis. 

Making God Tangible: When the deacon visits the sick, brings Communion to the homebound, or advocates for the poor, he is being Emmanuel. He is making “God-with us” a physical, tangible reality. His service is the incarnation in action. 

Advent ends with the “yes” of Joseph, which welcomes the Lord who is already here. The deacon’s life, like Joseph’s, is a constant invitation: to listen to God in the silence of human need, and to build, through humble service, a home for Emmanuel, so that all the world might see that He is, truly, “God with us.”