Honoring Saint Joseph

March is the Month of St. Joseph in our Universal Church. Since his March 19^th Feast Day falls on Sunday, the Solemnity Mass for St. Joseph will be celebrated on Monday, March, 20^th at 9:00 am at St. Mary

Mom always said that my dad was a lot like St. Joseph. Indeed, my father was incredibly faith-filled and loved his family more than anything, which would seem very St. Joseph-like. But to be honest, I never really thought much about St. Joseph...., the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ….until recently. My sister, Susie, organized a Consecration to St. Joseph prayer group at her parish in Ohio to coincide with this weekend’s March 19^th feast day of the saint. Since she had gifted me the consecration book, * I decided to join this 33-day devotion in order to develop a deeper appreciation and relationship with him.

Although there are no quotes from St. Joseph in the Bible, there are many things we can learn about him based on scripture and tradition.  St. Joseph was the man, chosen by God, to raise His Incarnate Son, Jesus Christ.  God honored Joseph’s integrity by trusting him with His most precious gift. St. Joseph was guardian, husband, and father of the Holy Family, and we learn in the Gospel of Matthew that he was a righteous man. He obeyed God when the angel told him to take Mary as his wife (Mt 1:24), and he heeded the angel’s warning and fled to Egypt to protect Jesus from King Herod’s murderous decree. It was with great courage and sacrifice that St. Joseph left his home to live in a new country (Mt 2:13-18). Truly St. Joseph was attentive to God’s will, and with great love, humbly served, protected and provided for Jesus and Mary.

Joseph dedicated himself to Jesus’ upbringing, and Jesus likewise loved, obeyed, and learned from his earthly father. Joseph taught Jesus his carpentry trade and would have also modeled his hard work ethic, his patience, and his deep faith and obedience to God. The last time Joseph is mentioned in the Gospels is when Jesus, at age 12, was found teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, after Joseph and Mary thought he was lost (Luke 2:41-52).  It is felt that St. Joseph died in the arms of his beloved wife and son at a time prior to Jesus beginning his public ministry.

Although St. Joseph was often “behind the scenes,’’ it was through the union of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary that our Savior began his work of salvation. We continue to need St. Joseph in our lives today because, as our spiritual father, he wants to help us on our faith-filled path to one day meet his son in heaven. By entrusting ourselves to his paternal care and striving to imitate his virtue and holiness, St. Joseph will hear our prayers and offer us his loving intercession. Often called the “Terror of Demons” and the “Protector of the Holy Church,” St. Joseph can guard and support us, and the Church, in times of trouble. And, just like he cared for the Holy Family, we can call on St. Joseph to protect marriages and families, and also ask his intercession for a happy death.
I was only 3 days into my consecration readings when I felt St. Joseph’s intercession. I noticed that the setting of my wedding ring, which had been on my hand for 26 years, was missing. While my husband took apart the kitchen and bathroom sinks, I searched the house and tackled the garbage, piece by piece. When I went to church later that day, I prayed and reminded St. Joseph that he is the saint of marriage and family and that my ring represented that sacred bond. Low and behold, shortly after returning home from Mass, I found the diamond on a shelf  I had already checked!

I’m so glad to have this new appreciation for St. Joseph. I firmly believe that we need to bring St. Joseph onto the battlefield of our lives by praying regularly for his intercession. He has the power to increase the presence of God in our life and take us to greater heights in our spiritual journey. St. Joseph is my new ‘go-to’ saint!

Linda Olsen, Rectory Receptionist

*Consecration to St. Joseph, The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,
by Rev. Donald Calloway