March 19—Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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Pope Francis has proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph.” This is in honor of the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. This provides “a wonderful opportunity to increase our love for St. Joseph and knowledge, ‘to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal.’” It also offers many resources, catechetical material, and prayers/devotions to assist us in our celebration of the special year at https://www.usccb.org/saint-joseph.

One of those resources is his Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde, which means, “With a father’s heart.” He writes: “With a father’s heart: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as ‘the son of Joseph.’” He further writes, “I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our human experience. … My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how ‘our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. … How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all.’ Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.” Take some time this Lent to read more.  St. Joseph, pray for us.

*https://www.usccb.org/saint-joseph

March 19—St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

Ite ad Joseph.  “Go to Joseph!”  But why?  We have Mary, who intercedes continually on our behalf.  We have Jesus, of course, who listens to our prayers and knows our needs before we do.  We go to Joseph because he was the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus.  He took care of and protected both of them.  He took Mary into his home after he had discovered that she was pregnant with Jesus, protecting her from being stoned to death for adultery.  He took her and the unborn Son of God to Bethlehem and found a place to stay, even though he was desperately poor.  He rescued them from Herod’s sword by fleeing to Egypt.  He raised Jesus as his son, taught him the trade of carpentry, and showed him what it meant to be a righteous man, for that is what he is called in the Gospel of Matthew (1:19).  He never said a word in any gospel, but he did what God called him to do.

Ite ad Joseph.  “Go to Joseph!”  Joseph is the patron of the Universal Church, which is the Bride of Christ.  As a husband and father, Joseph modeled for the young Jesus the meaning of spousal love in his celibate love of his wife, the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Joseph was the first “Abba” that Jesus knew as a child.  Joseph pointed Jesus to his true Father in heaven.  Joseph points us to our Father as well.  Those of us who are fathers and/or husbands, we need to model true love for our wives and point our families to our Father.  We need to “Go to Joseph!”