7 reasons you should get to know St. Joseph
The feast of St. Joseph, the Husband of Mary is March 19. In recent history,
the Church has grown in her understanding of and devotion to St. Joseph.
What makes him so special? There are many reasons you should get to know
him. Here are just seven:
1. St. Joseph is a great model of obedience and
faith
If you read the Gospel’s you notice that they speak exclusively of
what St. Joseph "did" and not of what he said. But his silence
speaks volumes. Despite the magnitude of the Lord’s demands, he always
responded promptly, never questioning God’s will.
"Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.’ ... When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." (Matt 1:20-21, 24)
"When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.’ Joseph rose and took the child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt." (Matt 2:13-14)
2. Chosen to be the Guardian of Jesus, he is
also our guardian.
Baptized
into Christ, we become adopted children of God, and so can call God "Our
Father." Similarly, Mary is given to us as our own Mother. (See John
19:26-27, Rev 12:17, etc.)
God entrusted St. Joseph to be the legal father and guardian of Jesus
on earth. He had all of the duties of an earthly father, and is even referred
to as Jesus’ father by Mary. Although Jesus knew His Father in heaven,
he was also obedient to Joseph as his presumed father on earth. (cf. Luke
2:49-51)
The Church is One, and the Communion of Saints extends from the Church
on earth to the Saints who have died but are alive with God. Just as St.
Joseph had a special role in teaching and protecting the Divine Child,
he intercedes for the Church in a powerful way today. For this reason,
Pope Leo XIII bestowed on St. Joseph the title "Patron of the Universal
Church."
3. He is a model and guardian of purity.
Teens (and adults) today often have difficulty living the virtue of chastity.
Sometimes, this is because they fail to understand why purity is so important
to life and love. Other times, it is because they find it difficult to
live up to the standards of the Gospel. Early in his life, St. Augustine
prayed, "Lord, make me chaste! But not yet."
St. Joseph was not only entrusted as the foster father of Jesus, but also
as the husband of Mary. As if raising the God-Man weren’t difficult
enough, Joseph was given the responsibility to respect, witness and protect
the purity of the Blessed Virgin, too! No saint is closer to Mary than
St. Joseph, since he was united to her in marriage.
Many young adults today try to justify being sexually active and even
living together before marriage. They might claim that chastity is "out-of-date"
or redefine chastity to mean, "as long as we love each other, it’s
OK." This mentality very often results in broken hearts, broken marriages
and broken lives. In any case, they may think that living out the Church’s
teachings is too difficult to live out. It’s not! If you want to
grow in the virtue of chastity, turn to St. Joseph for help.
Note: The marriage of Joseph and Mary was very unique in the fact that
it was virginal; their union reflects both the vocation to marriage and
the vocation to celibacy. Again, let’s hear what St. Augustine has
to say: "In Christ's parents all the goods of marriage were realized
-- offspring, fidelity, the sacrament: the offspring being the Lord Jesus
Himself; fidelity, since there was no adultery: the sacrament, since there
was no divorce."
4. He is a model for men.
St. Joseph’s faithfulness and mission reveal that he was truly a
man of virtue. Of course, every Christian, male and female, is called
to acquire and live out the virtues -- which are habitual dispositions
to do what is good. (For this reason, Mary is a model of discipleship
for the whole Church.) Yet, just as Mary is also a model of femininity,
Joseph is a model of masculinity.
In order to unquestionably accept God’s will in the face of adversity
and to fulfill his role in the Holy Family, Joseph undoubtedly possessed
faith, hope, love, prudence (wise judgment), justice, fortitude (courage)
and temperence (self-control) in abundance. He lived a life of selfless
service and love that is vehemently opposed to our popular culture’s
concept of masculinity. Think about the popular men’s magazines.
Do they promote self-sacrificial love, respect of women and self-control?
Clearly, they do not. Upon reflection, we see what the world elevates
as "manly" behavior is, in fact, its opposite.
Sadly, pornography is a multi-billion dollar industry. Whether its an
X-rated Web site or a so-called "gentlemen’s club," there
is absolutely nothing masculine about using women for one’s personal
pleasure. Rather than justifying such behavior by saying things like,
"Boys will be boys," young women have a right to demand respect
and hold their male friends to higher standards.
Above all, Joseph lived in service and honor to Jesus, the Man who reveals
man to himself. Young men today too often believe that prayer and religion
is for "girls (and old ladies) only." Yet, the truth is, in
order to engage the adventure of life and to mature beyond mere boyhood,
men must rely not on their own strength, but on the infinite power of
God.
5. He is the "safeguard of families"
As head of the Holy Family, St. Joseph had a great responsibility. He
protected Mary and Jesus from danger, supported them by his labor and
loved them as a faithful husband and father. The Church venerates the
Holy Family as the model for all families.
The well-being of the family is central to the well-being of the Church
and of society. Yet, the statistics on divorce, unwanted pregnancies,
abortion and contraception are staggering. To say that marriage and family
are "under attack" would be a gross understatement. We should
get into the habit of praying to the Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
for all families of the world, including our own.
"The Church has commended to Joseph all of her cares, including those
dangers which threaten the human family." - Pope John Paul II
6. He is the patron of workers.
For St. Joseph, work was an expression of love. He is a witness to the
dignity of human work, especially manual labor, as Jesus worked at his
side before beginning His public ministry. The Church celebrates the feast
of St. Joseph the Worker on May 1. Next time you feel like grumbling about
your own work, try praying the following prayer:
"Glorious Saint Joseph, you are the pattern of all who work. Obtain for me, please, the grace to work conscientiously and to put devotion to duty before my selfish inclinations. Help me to labor in thankfulness and joy, for it is an honor to employ and to develop by my labor the gifts I have received from almighty God. Grant that I may work in orderliness, peace, moderation and patience without shrinking from weariness and difficulties. I offer my fatigue and perplexities as reparation for sin. I shall work, above all, with a pure intention and with detachment from self, having always before my eyes the hour of death and the accounting which I must then render of time ill-spent, of talents unemployed, of good undone, and of empty pride in success, which is so fatal to the work of God. For Jesus through Mary, all in imitation of you, good Saint Joseph. This shall be my motto in life and in death. Amen."
7. He is the patron expectant mothers and the
unborn.
Joseph, obedient to the angel of the Lord, took Mary, who was pregnant
with Savior of the world, into his home. Later, he was commanded by the
angel to guide Mary to safety in Egypt, so as to protect her and the unborn
Christ child in her womb from King Herod, who had commanded the slaughter
of the innocents.
Every day, approximately 4,000 unborn children are killed by abortion
in the United States. Often, it is because a pregnant woman finds herself
scared and alone, with nowhere to turn. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta
said, "I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion,
because it is a war against the child, a direct killing of the innocent
child ... "
We must pray for the conversion of hearts and for the end of abortion,
while striving to be witnesses to a culture of life and offering loving
support to women who feel they have no other "choice" than to
kill their children. St. Joseph, patron of the unborn and expectant mothers,
pray for us!
For more on St. Joseph, click here.
- Alton Pelowski is the
Assistant Editor and Webmaster of FAITH Magazine
FAITHteen Home | About FAITHteen | FAITH Magazine | Sign-up for FAITHteen
[ Premiere
Issue | Issue
#2 | Issue #3
| Issue #4 |
Issue #5 | Issue
#6 ]
[ Issue #7 |
Issue #8 | Issue
#9 | Issue #10
| Issue #11
| Issue #12
| Issue#13 ]