Wednesdays are Dedicated to St. Joseph -Prayer for the Spirit of Work

 

Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who pass their life in labor, 

obtain for me the grace tow work in a spirit of penance to atone for my many sins; 

to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above my own inclinations;

to work with gratitude and joy, considering it an honor to use and develop by my labor the gifts I have received from God; 

to work with order, peace, moderation, and patience, without ever recoiling before weariness or difficulties. 

Help me to work, above all, with purity of intention and with detachment from self, 

having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must render of time lost, talents wasted, good omitted, and vain complacency in success, 

which is so fatal to the work of God. 

All for Jesus, 

all for Mary, all after your example, O Patriarch Joseph! 

This shall be my watchword in life and in death. Amen.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Saint Joseph in Perspective

St. Joseph as a young man

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by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

The Dream of St. Joseph by Anton Raphael Mengs

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To appreciate Saint Joseph properly we need a clear perspective more than historical facts from Holy Scripture and Tradition. In fact we know very little historically about the man who raised Jesus.

The Marriage of Joseph and Mary by Pietro Perugino

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The three critical instances recorded about Joseph's life are his betrothal to Mary, learning that Mary is with child, and the revelation in a dream about Mary's condition. This ordinary worker and righteous Jew was a carpenter building useful things for others and to honor God. These special moments teach us about the transition from the Old Law to the New Law and the hope it brings. They indicate the shift that must take place in our own lives when God asks us to do the extraordinary and unimaginable.

The Holy Family by Juan Simon Guiterrez

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Fascinating insights into the character of Joseph come to us when observe him through various lenses as spouse of Mary, father of Jesus, man of obedience, man of faith, man of hope, man of charity, man of courage, man of poverty, man of purity, man of prayer, man of patience, man of labor, man of virtue, man of the church; shepherd, protector, and guardian. Then we understand better why God chose Joseph to help raise Jesus with Mary. Jesus needed an earthly father who was mature in age and wisdom, and would have the attributes needed to cope with the challenges of parenting the Son of God.

Rest on the Flight into Egypt by Fra Bartolomeo

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Joseph was head of a household that sheltered the most extraordinary persons. His overarching intention was to care for Jesus and Mary because in doing so he was serving God. Every service for them was an expression of love and thanksgiving. God entrusted Joseph with the greatest and most unimaginable gift. And Joseph through his dedicated care returned the gift perfectly. He was the man closest to Christ.

Christ in the House of His Parents by John Everett Millais

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For us to observe Joseph as he raised Jesus is a lesson about the basic elements of our Catholic faith and presents a model of Christ-like living. This is Joseph in proper perspective.

The Death of Saint Joseph by Francisco Goya

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My Sweet Saint Joseph!

Words cannot describe how I feel about Saint Joseph, the chaste husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary!

Over the years, I have come to rely on him for everything.  Upon rising in the early morning I immediately greet the Blessed Mother with a good morning, followed by Jesus, Saint Joseph and all angels and saints.

There is a statue of Saint Joseph in the parking lot area of the church.  Upon arriving, I quickly acknowledge him and tell him I love him.  Then upon entering the church and spending a few quiet minutes with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament, I make the Way of the Cross.  I then pause in front of St. Joseph the Worker's statue to give him a long litany of petitions.  I ask him to intercede for:

- the men in may family named after him
- the dying
- the homeless
- the unemployed
- husbands
- my entire family's new home and their existing homes protection
- helping me to imitate his silence and all his virtues
- protection of the Church and the persecuted Christians
- my marriage

I also share with him my frustrations at failing to conquer my faults.

I think of him constantly, asking for his intercession as much as I "bother" the blessed mother. I know they don't mind.  I think that perhaps they like to help me...me, the most flawed, selfish, ill-tempered, impatient, easily annoyed of all of God's creatures.

I don't think I have a right to ask for heavenly assistance that often, and very rarely do I ask for help for myself (except for that of improving myself and getting rid of the flaws that plague me and keep me from becoming holy).  But I do trust in God.  I do trust that the angels and saints are here to help us.  I especially trust that the Holy Family..Jesus, Mary and Joseph, will not fail to come to my assistance, no matter how many times I ask for their help and assistance.  I know this because they love me as they do all their other children.  They know we are not perfect but will help us reach perfection if we only ask and rely on them.  I especially believe that of St. Joseph, ever silent and righteous.  He was the perfect father and family man.

St. Joseph, dear foster father of Jesus,

beloved earthly husband of our Lady,

pray for all families, especially the fathers, the head of their families, 

to trust in God, to follow your example in loving, protecting, caring and providing for their families.

Mahalo Saint Joseph!

How can one honor a saint such as Saint Joseph!

He was a kind man.
He was a holy man.
He was a quiet man.
He was a righteous man.
He was a good husband...the best actually!
He was a good father.
He was a good protector.
He was a hard worker.
He was a loving provider.
He was a good role model.
He listened when God spoke to him.
He was humble.
He was silent.
He kept his thoughts to himself and God.
He did God's will.
He never complained.

When he died he was mourned deeply by his holy little family.

When he went to Heaven, Holy Mother Church raised him to be:

the protector of the universal church;

He is the:

the patron saint of the dying;
the patron saint of fathers;
the patron saint of those who want to sell their homes or buy a home;
the patron saint of workers;
the patron saint of all Josephs, Joes, Joeys, Joses, Guiseppes,
the patron saint of carpenters;

So, how can I thank St. Joseph for all the help and comfort he has given me over the years.  I often go to him, daily in fact, because I know he will help those I entrust to his care.

He is a self-less saint, like most saints are yet there is something special about St. Joseph.  He was a favorite among some saints, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Damien are two that come to mind.

I cannot imagine going through the day without invoking the aid of St. Joseph!

So, today on his feast day, I simply want to say.  "I love you Saint Joseph".  "Thank you St. Joseph."

Picture source

O, my beloved St. Joseph,

adopt me as thy child,

take care of my salvation,

watch over me day and night,

preserve me from the occasion of sin,

obtain for me purity of soul and body!

Through thy intercession with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament,

and a sweet tender love for Mary, my Mother.

St. Joseph, 

be with me living, 

be with me dying and obtain for me a favorable

judgment from Jesus,

my merciful Savior.

Amen.

Prayer source: Our Lady of the Rosary Library

St. Joseph the Worker

Dear Patron of God's Church
you are honored by her as the Worker,
the humble carpenter of Nazareth.
According to St. Teresa of Avila,
you are universal in your intercessions.

Inspire workers of all kinds
to walk ever in your footsteps as faithful servants
coupling charity with justice
and becoming true followers of Jesus.

Amen.

New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book

Feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

Saints Peter and Paul Church, Honolulu

Happy Feast Day of our most loving, dearest and most silent of saints!  The following is a meditation on the death of St. Joseph which is fitting for this day.

The Death of St. Joseph

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Death of St. Joseph -

True Sense of Values

Tradition

1. Joseph, his face bathed in sweat, smiling feebly at Jesus and Mary.

2.  The grace, my Jesus, to live by the sens of values I will have on my deathbed.

"As Jesus grew near to His thirtieth year, St. Joseph become very sick.  Mary did everything she could to make him feel comfortable.  She prepared a soft mat on which he could lie.  She cooked the light brothers that he could keep in his stomach.  And for hours she sat down beside him, whether he was awake or asleep.  She smiled and talked when he wanted to talk; and when he was weary, she was silent.  Jesus, too, took time out from His work to keep him company.  He helped Joseph recite some of the Psalms he love so much.  And when the end came, Jesus and Mary were both at his side, comforting, praying.  In the Heart of Joseph there was nothing but peace.  His work was ended now.  He smiled his appreciation to Jesus and Mary.  With a willing heart he closed his eyes and surrendered his soul to God.

Dear St. Joseph, no wonder Our Holy Mother Church has named you the patron of a  happy death!  You died in the arms of Jesus and Mary, surrounded by their loving care and affection.  And you died with your work accomplished!  Doing His Will had been hard at times, the reasons for it so often difficult to see. But you did His Will.  And what peace it gave you at death!

Dear St. Joseph, how clearly we see life when we are about to leave it!  At that time all riches and honors seem empty.  Sin and neglect loom up as the horrible things they really are.  And faithfulness to duty, struggle against temptations, the effort to do God's Will - what shining jewels, what true values are they!  If only I could live my life in the light of the vision at the time of you death!  This was how you lived, St. Joseph!  Pray for me.  Help me to picture my deathbed each day, and then live by that sense of values all day long - a man of good will.

Source:  My Meditation on the Gospel by the Confraternity of the Precious Blood.

Saint Joseph, Patron of the universal Church

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St. Joseph the Worker

The following is from today's Magnificat's Meditation of the Day:

"...What is crucially important here is the sanctification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state, and one which can be promoted according to a model accessible to all people: 'Saint Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies; ...he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things - it is enough to have the common, simple, and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic." - Blessed John Paul II.

History of St. Joseph's Altar

Thank you Mary Jane for sharing the photo source. Be sure to click here to see all of them. Mary Jane also shared this article on St. Joseph's Altar. Mahalo to both of you!

Sicily, the largest and most populous of the Mediterranean Islands, is
located just across the Strait of Messina from the Italian mainland. Be-
cause of its location in the north central Mediterranean Sea, it has often
been used as a "stepping stone" to and from the European continent.
Invaders, at various times, the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans,
the Arabs, the Normans, and Spanish have ruled Sicily. It was under
the Arabs in the ninth century that agriculture and commerce flour-
ished. By cultivating mountainous land, grapes, olives, and oranges
became the main crops and chief exports. The Arabs were driven out
by the Normans and so on, but the crops continued to be the chief
resource.

It was in the nineteenth century that Sicily discovered a new source of
trade, the United States. New Orleans was one of the chief ports of call
for Sicilian merchants, coming on a regular basis to trade their farm
products for American cotton. With this trade came numbers of Sicilian
businessmen, and thus a small Sicilian community came into being.
There were nine hundred fifteen Italians in New Orleans in the 1850
U.S. Census, more than any other U.S. city including New York at that
time.

When the great emigration from Sicily began in 1880, New Orleans
became the main destination for many Sicilians. In 1910 almost 40%
of the population of Louisiana was of Italian descent and more than
90% of these Italians were from Sicily. These new Americans brought
with them many of their old beliefs and customs. One of these was their
devotion to St. Joseph and the custom of the St. Joseph Altar.

The exact date of the origin and the circumstances of the St. Joseph
Altar is not known, but it is believed to be in the sixteenth century in
one of the small western farm communities located south of Palermo.
Whatever the origin, it reached its popularity in Sicily in the eighteenth
and nineteenth centuries with entire villages taking part. It is believed
that when a great famine occured, the people prayed to St. Joseph
and, in gratitude for their survival, staged a celebration in his honor.

The legend of "The Invited Ones" dominated the ceremony. In this leg-
end the Holy Family, played by three memebers of the village, are denied
food and drink at two locations; then at the third they are invited in to
eat and drink. Legend has it that at this third location food and drink
never runs out, no matter how much is consumed. At the end of the
ceremony, the food was distributed to the villages.

When the first St. Joseph Altar in New Orleans was held is uncertain,
but it was probably just before World War I and was celebrated in a
private home. Altars became popular in the years that followed, taking
place in private homes given for reasons ranging from a family member's
recovery from illness to help in a financial venture. In later years the
altars have become less and less private and more and more public
functions sponsored and given by church, ethnic, and social organiza-
tions. Among these is the St. Joseph Women's Club of St. Joseph
Church in Gretna, Louisiana, who put on one of the largest altars in
the Metropolitan New Orleans area.

~~~Taken from the St. Joseph's Women's Club
Altar Cookbook, Gretna, Louisiana

Feast of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

St. Joseph statue - St. Joseph's Church, Molokai

A very blessed Feast of St. Joseph to all the Josephs especially those in my family and our beloved Pope Benedict (Joseph Ratzinger).

Prayer to St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church

O Most powerful patriarch, St. Joseph,
patron of that universal Church,
which has always invoked thee in anxieties and tribulations;
from the lofty seat of thy glory,
lovingly regard the Catholic world.
Let it move thy paternal heart to see the mystical spouse of Christ
and His vicar weakened by sorrow and persecuted by powerful enemies.
We beseech thee,
by the most bitter suffering thou didst experience on earth,
to wipe away in mercy the tears of the revered pontiff,
to defend and liberate him,
and to intercede with the Giver of peace and charity,
that every hostile power being overcome
and every error being destroyed,
the whole Church may serve the God of all blessings in perfect liberty.
Amen.

ON THE HOLY MARRIAGE OF ST. JOSEPH AND MARY:

"Our Lady, in giving him her hand, gave him also her whole heart. Never did a wife love her husband so tenderly, so ardently, nor revere him more profoundly. Mary and Joseph says St. Bernardin of Siena, were but one heart and soul; they were two in one same mind, one same affection, and each of them was the other's second self, because Our Lady and he were, so to speak, only one person. The heart of Mary with that of Joseph, and the heart of Joseph with that of Mary, who ever could imagine a union so intimate, a grace so great!"

ST. JOSEPH, SAVIOR OF THE SAVIOR:

"...St. Joseph, ... had the honour of preserving the Divine Infant from the fury of Herod..."

ST. JOSEPH, VIRGIN:

"In the first place, he was a virgin, so much that his virginal purity yielded in brilliancy and merit to that of the Queen of Virgins alone. What supreme graces he must have received to preserve this angelical virtue in an age which despised virginity, and to guard this delicate lily without the slightest taint or stain on its brilliant whiteness! According to the Holy Fathers , he that preserves intact the treasure of virginity ranks highter than the angels. To what a degree of holiness must not St. Joseph have attained, who was the first to preserve it in the state of marriage, and preserved it with such fidelity!"

SPOUSE OF MARY:

"...According to St. John Damascene the dignity of Spouse of Mary is one so elevated that no human eloquence can express it. Neither is it possible worthily to celebrate the greatness of St. Joseph without understanding that of his holy Spouse, who is the Queen of the Saints and the Angels, and the Mother of God. Who, then is the form a true idea of the dignity of St. Joseph*, as also of the graces he holds in the consequence of that dignity..."

""St. Bernardin of Siena says that the virginal marriage of Mary and Joseph was only contracted on earth after having been decided in heaven, and that these two spouses were perfectly worthy one of the other. Mary surpassed all men and Angels in the sovereign plenitude of her graces; therefore it was necessary that, after her, Joseph should be the most holy human being that existed, that had ever existed, or that should ever exist upon earth..."

"...Now, there never were two hearts, two souls more united than those of Mary and Joseph; nor could this faithful Virgin ever remain satisfied with rendering half service to God. Therefore she used every endeavour that her other half, St. Joseph, should be supremely exalted in all sorts of perfections. To use St. Gregory's own words, she intensely desired that her spouse should be perfect in order that no part of herself should remain imperfect..."

*According to the ancient law, whoever espouses a queen becomes king by the fact of his marriage... notwithstanding...the Church has consecrated the custom of addressing this invocation principally to Jesus Christ."

Excerpts from The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph by Pere Binet, published by Tan Books

The Virtual St. Joseph's Altar Opens on Ash Wednesday

Evann's  Annual St. Joseph's Altar can be found here

THIRTY DAYS PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH - For the Intentions of Rick Santorum

The following was shared by Mary Jane.

I debated whether or not to make it public that I would be praying this novena for Mr. Santorum's intentions. We are now engaged in a battle of good vs. evil. Catholics...Christians and all people of good will must rely on those weapons that will make good victorious over evil and that weapon is prayer.

A friend of Mr. Santorum has told me he is quite well and in very joyful spirits. This friend has asked that "everyone, Catholic and non-Catholic, pray for religious freedom in America."

I would ask that Catholics join in praying a novena for Rick Santorum as he seeks to ensure freedom in America for people of all faith or no faith. Although, he has not specifically asked for us to pray for him, there have been many occasions during his campaign that he has asked for prayer publicly and formally and that tonight a friend of his is asking you to "please get Catholics to storm heaven for him."

I'd also ask that you keep all those on the Santorum team and who are advocating for him, in your prayers!

There are many saints who can intercede for you for this intention, of course, I would recommend St. Joseph for many reasons, the main one being he was THE model of a father and Mr. Santorum has shown himself to be a very devoted father. We need this type of leadership in our country... one who puts the family in a place of importance.

If you prefer, please consider the intercession of St. Sebastian, St. Joan of Arc, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Thomas More, St. Thomas Aquinas, but most especially our Blessed Mother.

Thank you and God bless.

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow.
Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection. Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.
I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.
I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the Holy Virgin, nor a house where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.
I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.
I ask it by the painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.
I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan, you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother to Egypt.
I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.
I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country.
I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows. I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His mother for three days.
I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus.
I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.
I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary.
I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.
I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you have with her in the presence of God. O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (Here name your petitions or think of them.)
Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of:
JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
"A blameless life,
St. Joseph,
may we lead,
by your kind patronage
from danger freed."

June 7 St. Joseph apparition in France -prayer - Prayer For those in Need of Employment

From Mary Jane D.

On June 7, 1660, at about one o’clock in the afternoon, a young shepherd from Cotignac, 22 year-old Gaspard Ricard, was watching his flock of sheep on the eastern slopes of Mount Bessillon. The heat was oppressive and Gaspard was thirsty. Suddenly, he saw “a man at his side” who pointed to a rock, saying: “I am Joseph; lift this rock and you can drink.” Gaspard had his doubts because the rock looked heavy. The apparition repeated his instructions. The shepherd obeyed, moving the rock without difficulty, and found a source.

to read more about the apparition and the shrine in France:

click here

Short Novena prayer (translated from French)



Hail Joseph, you know that divine grace

has filled the Savior

who rested in your arms

and grew up under your eyes.

You are blessed among all people

and Jesus, the Divine Child

of your virginal bride is blessed.

Saint Joseph, foster father to the Son of God,

pray for us in our family concerns,

health and work,

until our last days and

deign to help us in the hour of our death. AMEN

(mention your intentions)

please remember the unemployed

and those who are seeking employment

ST. JOSEPH IN FOCUS Husband of Mary and Guardian of Jesus

St. Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

How much do we know about and appreciate the man who was the husband of the Mother of Jesus and the guardian of our Redeemer? How do we honor him? St. Joseph is often overlooked. Scripture says little of him. We seem to give him scant attention.

Yet devotion to St. Joseph has deep roots in Christian tradition.
Joseph is often the overlooked member of the Holy Family. Do you remember as children when we wrote “J.M.J.” at the top of our papers in Catholic school? We did that to remind ourselves to have the intention that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph had in life as we did our own work. We pictured the members of the Holy Family side by side.

Husband of Mary

Remember that Mary and Joseph are a couple. And Jesus is their child. They belong together. When separated, their significance in God’s plan of salvation is clouded, because their importance lies in their relationship to each other. While honoring the perpetual virginity of Mary, we cannot disregard Joseph’s privilege and happiness of being Mary’s husband. In past centuries many works of art depicted Joseph as an old man. Most likely this was done to disallow any threat to Mary’s virginity. This tended to undervalue the loving relationship of Mary and Joseph as husband and wife. Despite the tendencies of her times, St. Teresa of Avila always insisted that Joseph was a young man when he married Mary. The Divine Liturgy reinforces this positive approach regarding Joseph: “With a husband’s love he cherished Mary, the Virgin Mother of God.”

Foster Father of Jesus

Since Joseph is the husband of Mary, he is also father to Jesus. We know that he was not the physical father of Jesus. But in the gospel account about Jesus being lost in the temple, Luke has Mary saying to Jesus: “Son, your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.” And the Divine Liturgy testifies: “With fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ your son, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

If one might think that Joseph’s fatherhood was not quite real or effective because he did not physically procreate Jesus, let that person speak with adoptive parents, especially those who have conceived a child of their own and adopted others. They will let you know how real Joseph’s fatherhood is.

Head of the Holy Family

Joseph played a very important role as Jesus “grew in wisdom, age, and grace before God and men.” In the Jewish tradition children were, until the age of five or so, in the special care and tutelage of their mothers. But beyond that age children came under the special guidance of their fathers. Joseph by duty and privilege was the rabbi of the Holy Family to teach Jesus the Jewish faith and practices. Joseph led his family in the worship of God in their home at Nazareth.

At meal times both Mary and Jesus looked to Joseph at the head of the table to offer the prayer of blessing. Each year when the great evening of the Passover was celebrated, the youngster Jesus played his role and addressed the ritual question to Joseph: Father, why is this night different from every other night? Then he listened with his Mother to Joseph’s narration of the glorious events of the Exodus and the explanation of the meaning of the paschal lamb. Later Jesus would hear John the Baptizer proclaim him, the Son of Joseph and Mary, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.


When Jesus was of age, Joseph introduced him to synagogue worship. Jesus was faithful to the synagogue rituals throughout his life. Joseph also taught Jesus the skills of a carpenter. Through the practice of this trade Jesus supported himself and his Mother after Joseph’s death.

Jesus’ human experience of fatherhood was drawn from his relationship with Joseph, his own earthly father. When Jesus said, “What father would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf or a poisonous snake when he asks for a fish,” surely he had in mind how kind and gentle Joseph was to him as he was growing.

When Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, Joseph must have been the model of that loving father. As Jesus described how the father hugged and kissed the son who had been lost, perhaps he was recalling how Joseph hugged and kissed him after he had been lost in the temple for three days.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, he began with the same loving title with which he had addressed Joseph all his life, abba.
His deep affection for Joseph is evident in the circumstances of the gospel. Joseph made a profound impression on Jesus.

Death of St. Joseph

St. Joseph’s relation to us

Has Joseph made an impression on us? How do we think of St. Joseph, honor him, and pray to him? Do we appreciate the special place he has in Christian spirituality and in our own heritage? Let us revere wholeheartedly the husband of Mary, the foster father of Jesus, the patron of the universal Church. After all, he is the man who is closest to Christ.

Feast of St. Joseph

Saint Joseph with Child by Giovan Battista Piazzetta

Picture source

Today we celebrate the feast day of one of my favorite saints, St. Joseph.  Some of us have finished the 30 day novena today.  Each day of that novena we were reminded of how much we rely on St. Joseph to help and just how much he suffered during his life on earth.  He is the patron saint of fathers, workers, the universal church, the dying, the homeless, etc.  Not one word St. Joseph uttered was ever recorded in the New Testament yet his silent actions speak louder than words would ever do.    The 30 day novena is truly a beautiful way to recall this saintly foster father of Jesus.   I just love him!!

Picture source.

There is a well-known saint who took St. Joseph as her mentor and advocate.  That saint was St. Teresa of Avila.  The following excerpt is from her autobiography.

Dream of St. Joseph 

Picture source

"...I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father and lord delivered me both from the trouble and also from other and greater troubles concerning my honour and the loss of my soul, and that he gave me greater blessings that I could ask of him.  I did not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of him which he has failed to grant.  I am astonished at the great favours which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul.  To other saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succour us in some of our necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succours us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being called His father, he could command Him) jut so in Heaven He still does all that he asks.  This has also been the experience of other persons who I have advised to commend themselves to him; and even today there are many who have great devotion to him through having newly experienced this truth.

Picture source

I used to try to keep his fest with the greatest possible solemnity; but, though my intentions were good, I would observe it with more vanity than spirituality, for I always wanted things to be done very meticulously and well.  I had this unfortunate characteristic that, if the Lord gave me grace to do anything good, the way I did it was full of imperfections and extremely faulty. I was very assiduous and skillful in wrongdoing and in my meticulousness and vanity. May the Lord forgive me.  I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to this glorious saint, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God.  I have never known anyone to be truly devoted to him and render him particular services who did not notably advance in virtue, for he gives very real help to souls who commend themselves to him.  For some years now, I think, I have made some requests of him every year on his festival and I have always had it granted.  If my petition is in any way ill directed, he directs it aright for my greater good.

Picture source

If I were a person writing with authority, I would gladly describe, at greater length and in the minutest detail, the favours which this glorious saint has granted to me and to others.  But in order not to do more than I have been commanded I shall have to write about many things briefly, much more so than I should wish, and at unnecessarily great length about others:  in short, I must act like one who has little discretion in all that is good.  I only beg, for the love of God, that anyone who does not believe me will put what I say to the test, and he will see by experience what great advantages come from his commending themselves to this glorious patriarch and having devotion to him.  Those who practise prayer should have a special affection for him always.  I do not know ho anyone can think of the Queen of the Angels during the time that she suffered so much with the Child Jesus, without giving thanks to saint Joseph for the way he helped them.  If anyone cannot find a master to teach him how to pray, let him take this glorious saint as his master and he will not go astray.  May the Lord grant that I have not erred in venturing to speak of him; for though I make public acknowledgment of my devotion to him, in serving and imitating him I have always failed.  He was true to his own nature when he cured my paralysis and gave me the power to rise and walk; and I am following my own nature in using this favour so ill....

"The Dead San Guiseppe" by Guiseppe Maria Crespi

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Chapter VI The Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila: The Life of Teresa of Jesus, Translated and Edited with an introduction by E. Allison Peers, Image Books

30 day novena to St. Joseph (feast March 19) & St. Joseph's Altar

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Thank you Mary Jane for sharing this!

Start on Thursday, Feb. 17 to end on March 18 or
start Novena on Friday, February 18 to end on March 19, Solemnity of St. Joseph.

Please make this novena for Holy Mother Church, families and the protection of the sanctity of marriage and life, the homeless, the unemployed and/or those who are dying.

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In honor of the years he spent with Jesus and Mary.

[For Any Special Intention]

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen, then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a place where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world's Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by the loveliness and power that sacred, Name
Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His Holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother into Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress, when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul, when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and Hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary's glorious Assumption, and through that endless happiness you share with her in the presence of God.

O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. [Here name your petitions or think of them.]

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of

JESUS, MARY and JOSEPH

"A blameless life, St. Joseph, may we lead,
by your patronage from danger freed."
This prayer may be said during any 30 days of the year.

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NOTE: Evann has a reminder on the February 19th opening of her virtual St. Joseph's Altar. You can read about it here.

Feast of St. Joseph the Worker

Excerpts from Fr. Paul's homily this morning.

The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker* was proclaimed by St. Pius XII in 1955. Father believes it was the Holy Father's way of reassuring Catholic workers on a day the communist commemorated May Day.

*He assured his audience and the working people of the world: “You have beside you a shepherd, a defender and a father” in Saint Joseph, the carpenter whom God in His providence chose to be the virginal father of Jesus and the head of the Holy Family. He is silent but has excellent hearing, and his intercession is very powerful over the Heart of the Saviour.

Work should not be viewed as a punishment. Adam and Eve worked in paradise before their disobedience and ultimate expulsion. Instead, work should be viewed as a privilege. In prisons the bad prisoners are held in their cells or in isolation. The good prisoners are permitted to work.

Dear Patron of God's Church,
you are honored by her as the Worker,
the humble carpenter of Nazareth.
According to St. Teresa of Avila,
you are universal in your intercessions.

Inspire workers of all kinds
to walk ever in your footsteps as faithful servants
coupling charity with justice
and becoming true followers of Jesus.

- New Saint Joseph People's Prayer Book, Catholic Book Publishing

So, What Age Was St. Joseph?

The Russian Orthodox tradition according to my friend Mimi, is that St. Joseph was an old man when Jesus was born.  I am not exactly sure the Roman Catholic tradition is as St. Joseph is depicted both as young and old in Catholic art.

There is an interesting article over at The Pious Sodality of Church Ladies discussing the issue of St. Joseph's age.

..."Padre Pio reportedly insisted the St. Joseph was even younger - perhaps only 18 when espoused to Our Lady..."

What do you think?

APPRECIATING SAINT JOSEPH

The following message is from Brother John:

A blessed feast of St. Joseph on March 19!

This is a solemnity, a feast of the highest rank, to honor the husband of Mary and the guardian of our Redeemer. In addition to being the Patron of the Universal Church and of several countries, he is the second principal patron of the Society of Mary (Marianists), my religious family.

More in the attached article.

Brother John

J.M.J.


APPRECIATING SAINT JOSEPH

by Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.
Reprinted with permission


When asked by a questioner about the dignity of St. Joseph in Christian tradition, the late Father Francis L. Filas, S.J., the USA’s leading authority on the subject in his time, responded simply, “Like wife, like husband.” The man closest to Jesus and Mary rightly deserves all honor and praise.

St. Joseph rarely enjoys great press. Usually he is forgotten, or at least left standing obscurely in the background. His self-effacement seems to have influenced the scant attention given him by many Church teachers.

In a hymn honoring the Holy Eucharist, St. Thomas Aquinas describes the inadequacy of human language to express full appreciation of the Blessed Sacrament. St. Bernard and other great devotees of Mary voiced the same idea regarding our Blessed Mother. We may say the same about St. Joseph, the husband of Mary and the virgin father of Jesus.

Such appreciation unfolds slowly after much study and reflection. It does not become evident at once in a single glance. Even today many Catholics are inclined to think that St. Joseph is a wonderful saint, but he was not the real father of Jesus, so we honor him as protector of Mary. With that passing comment, such persons promptly overlook St. Joseph and relegate him to the background.



Knowing about him

Actually this opinion was the common outlook in the first thirteen centuries of Christianity. Church history shows that St. Joseph was the victim of benign neglect in the lives of our early saints, and fathers and doctors of the Church. St. Augustine and some other thinkers wrote of St.

Joseph, but his mention is sparse. The tide turned slowly in the next five hundred years and we find simple beginnings of a solid devotion to St. Joseph.

The theology of his vocation, dignity, holiness, and intercession began to flower only in medieval times; and the seventeenth century was the golden age. The enthusiasm of St. Teresa of Avila for St. Joseph was remarkable, vividly expressed in her writings, and perpetuated in the twelve new convents given his name.

The ground swell of attention began with the popes of the late nineteenth century. All the popes of modern times, from Pope Pius IX until our present Holy Father, have issued substantial teaching about Joseph on their official documents. Since 1870 the Church officially gave impetus to this new trend when Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph Patron of the Universal Church. The next pope, Leo XIII, set St. Joseph before us with a rank and place best described in his encyclical about Joseph, Quamquam Pluries, 1889: “There can be no doubt that, more than any other person, he approached that super eminent dignity by which the Mother of God was raised far above all created natures.”

Understanding him

Such an exalted understanding and appreciation of St. Joseph’s dignity do not blossom all at once. Sustained study and meditation on his twofold vocation are required. The extremes of too much or too little must be sedulously avoided. A typical reaction often encountered is that the Gospel says Joseph was a just man. What more can be said?

Plenty! In 1989 Pope John Paul II offered us a masterful explanation and reflection of the unique vocation of St. Joseph in God’s plan of salvation with Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer). This inspirational pastoral letter marking the centenary of Leo XIII’s landmark encyclical treats the person and mission of St. Joseph in the life of Christ and of the

Church. It recalls what makes him special, not only for us personally, but for the universal Church.

Some muse that Joseph’s role is not treated in any detail in Holy Scripture. But neither is the vocation of Mary. However, what little is said is highly significant. Theologians have reasoned to many of the functions and privileges granted Mary. The same process is followed in regard to Joseph. Once the divinity of Jesus and the divine virginal motherhood of Mary were firmly established in Catholic doctrine and in popular understanding, Joseph began to emerge without concern that his unique position as virgin father of Jesus and virginal husband of Mary would be misunderstood.

Honoring him

The evolution of devotion to St. Joseph is in reality another facet of devotion to Mary. Probing more deeply Joseph’s mission leads us to knowing more deeply the greatness of Mary. St. Joseph’s position in relation to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, stems from his position with regard to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer. The parallel holds true also for Mary and Jesus. The better we know Mary, the better we know her Son, from whom she derives all her dignity and whom she reflects so faithfully. Pope Benedict XV clearly expressed this idea: “By St. Joseph we are led directly to Mary, and by Mary to the fountain of all holiness, Jesus Christ, who sanctified the domestic virtues by his obedience to St. Joseph and Mary.”

Acknowledging his greatness

Absolutely certain is the fact that God did not choose any unworthy man to be the husband of Mary, who was to be the Virgin Mother of God. Even if St. Joseph had been merely Mary’s protector and not her husband, he would still have occupied a position far surpassing that of any other human being. But Joseph is her husband, related to the Mother of God in a marriage that was not less genuine because it was virginal. God brought the marriage into existence for the express purpose of serving the Incarnation, so that the

Son of God might be received and reared within that holy conjugal union. Since, in all creation God could find none more worthy than Mary to be the Mother of Jesus, God could find none worthier than Joseph to be the husband of Mary, and to be related to Jesus by the spiritual ties of a true fatherhood.

In the words of Leo XIII, “If God gave Joseph as a spouse to the Virgin, He assuredly gave him not only as a companion in life, a witness of her virginity, and the guardian of her honor, but also as a sharer in her exalted dignity by reason of the conjugal tie itself.”

On Calvary when Jesus entrusted Mary to St. John’s care for the rest of her earthly life, it was a sign of divine predilection. And we marveled at John’s holiness. Yet, what must have been the divine predilection when Joseph was chosen to be Mary’s husband for the many years of the Hidden Life; to be one of the few persons entrusted with the secret of the Incarnation; to be the only man to receive the primacy of Mary’s affections for humans, and to return that love? Mary would not have been perfect in her wifely vocation if she loved any creature more than her husband. And for Joseph the converse was true.

The similarity of holiness between Mary and Joseph must, of course, be kept in balance. Mary’s relationship to Jesus was far superior to Joseph’s. But Pope Leo XIII reminded us that after Mary no one was of greater dignity than Joseph; none possessed greater holiness than Joseph.

Head of the Holy Family

How shall we understand that Joseph is all that he is because of Mary? This means Joseph was given his fatherly responsibility for Jesus because of his virginal marriage with Mary. Through this marriage Joseph was not a mere fosterer, nor was he an adoptive father of Jesus. He was much more than that. Jesus was given to Mary not simply because she was a single maiden, but because she was the virginal and true wife of St. Joseph. Jesus

was given to the family of St. Joseph, and that was accomplished only through Mary. Even though St. Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus, he was given the spiritual ties of fatherhood over a Son who was his own because he was the Son of Mary.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph comprise the Holy Family, the basic unit of God’s strategy for the Incarnation and Redemption. They belong together in the history of salvation. The three are inseparable, and should always be seen and understood together theologically, pastorally, and in church art. Their special identities in God’s plan are interrelated. To see them separately is regrettable and misleading.

Let’s not overlook St. Joseph. What St. Joseph did for Jesus and Mary, he will do for us personally and for the universal Church.

In this third millennium of Christianity, Jesus and Mary will bring us closer to Joseph as we realize more clearly and deeply the mission of the Holy Family in salvation history. Veneration of St. Joseph will increase in proportion to the intensity of our devotion to Jesus and Mary.

Like wife, like husband.

The Virtual Saint Joseph Altar is Now Open

Evann has recently reopened the Virtual Saint Joseph Altar. Click HERE

Visit the Altar and make your virtual offerings, add deceased loved ones to the prayer list, there is even a place for special prayer requests. There’s lot more to keep you busy: prayers, history, recipes, photos, special links, and more. Stop by the blog, and don’t miss the mini 3d Virtual St. Joseph’s Altar craft.

St. Joseph and the Holy Souls in Purgatory

Why should we be dedicated to St. Joseph?

St. Joseph is the Foster Father of our Judge and Savior. His power is dreaded by the devil. His death is the most singularly privileged and happiest death ever recorded as he died in the Presence and care of Jesus and Mary.

St. Joseph will obtain for us that same privilege at our passage from this life to eternity.

We are called to pray for a happy death and for the dying. Blessed Louis Guanella said, “There is a need of living well, but there is even more need of dying well. A good death is everything.”...

Read the rest here

H/T Sue Cifelli