Jesus and Mary are usually the centre of attention at the school Nativity play, but Iain Duncan Smith says society – and the church – would do well to pay more attention to Joseph. Writing in the Daily Mail last week, the Tory MP said Joseph was the ‘forgotten hero’ of the story of Christ’s birth. The example set by Joseph in standing by Mary and Jesus offered, he said, a ‘very clear message for our own time’ in which generations of young people are growing up without fathers. Mr Duncan Smith said society seemed to have forgotten the important role played by fathers, from providing shelter and placing food on the table, to nurturing and supporting their children. ‘It’s about providing the best male role model that a man can have,’ he said. Mr Duncan Smith pointed to the link between fatherlessness and family breakdown, high levels of truancy, anti-social behaviour, youth crime, street gangs and teenage pregnancy.
Pray: for all fathers to recognise their responsibility to be a good role model for their sons. (Pr.1:8)