Today is one of my all-time favorite feast days, the Feast of St. Joseph. Not only does it fall right in the middle of Lent when we are all facing our weaknesses and failures head on every day, thinking about that brownie we can't have or the TV show we said we wouldn't watch, but it also comes on the wings of expected Spring as we imagine new beginnings, the end of the cold dormant winter, and the possibility of all things new.
So aside from eating a big pasta dinner followed by a super non-Lenten dessert what else might we consider on this beautiful day in our liturgical calendar?
St Joseph, or St Joe as we affectionately refer to him in our house, is the patron saint of fathers, workers, carpenters, and social justice not to mention a handful of countries, the Universal Church, and a happy death. He's the go-to guy for everything and everyone. Now if you're new to this whole patron saint thing, or have never really understood why Catholics pray to saints you may be praying for my soul and the soul of my family right now that we will be delivered from idolatry and superstition and find our way back to Christ. I would never ask anyone to stop praying for me and my family but let me assure you it is not idolatry or superstition; it is one of the greatest blessings of our Catholic faith and as a convert it has always been something I really cherish.
Christ conquered death on the cross, and when he did that he erased all power that death holds on all things, including my ability to commune with those who are dead. We are all one in Christ, one in is His body striving for holiness waiting to be in His presence forever. So why wouldn't I ask those closest to him, the ones already worshiping at His feet, to pray for me?` St Joseph is especially close to him and so we go to him a lot.
Today I am especially aware of St Joseph's example as husband and foster-father of Christ and find myself full of gratitude for his influence on my husband's life (my hero of a husband who spent half of last night up with two crying tonsilless boys even though he had to go to work today and have patience for other people's children). Jesus is of course our primary example, but Joseph gives us a picture of an earthly husband and father striving for holiness, living selflessly for his family.
My husband has had a devotion to St Joseph for years now. He found refuge in his example and prayers most especially when I was very sick and he faced all the normal stress as father and provider along with the helplessness that comes with watching someone you love suffer. I saw St. Joseph transform my already impressive husband into a man more like Christ, full of humility and love and more at peace in all the troubling circumstances of life. Having grown up Protestant and still being new to this whole devotion-to-saints thing, it was the first time I witnessed obvious change in someone based on the devotion and influence of a saint. And why wouldn't hours in prayer and conversation with another change us? I am constantly watchful of who my children hang out with, especially our teenage daughter, always listening to see if their influences are positive and good, because the people we spend time with shape us. What a tremendous gift it is to have recourse to the saints! We can literally spend time with St Joseph. We can ask for guidance and insight from the man who in the face of ridicule and loss of his reputation stood by his betrothed and lived in obedience to God in all things and humbly accepted the vocation of raising the Son of God as his own. Parenting is daunting enough but can you imagine thinking it's God's son you are potentially sending to therapy? I have seen his influence and his example soften my husband, make him even more humble and kind, I have seen it bring peace and quiet to his spirit and I have seen him countless times, like Joseph, accept the vocation God has given him in the face of ridicule and misunderstanding as he meekly walks in obedience and fiercely leads our family to heaven. I watch him work tirelessly on our behalf, no job too small, nothing beneath him and accept that work as a gift from God and a chance to make him more like Christ; Our Lord who also knew the toil of the common man, the callouses of hard labor and the joy of work, a virtue he learned by example alongside his earthly father.
So today I thank God for St Joseph and by extension I thank St. Joseph for his friendship to my husband, for his faithfulness to our family and for his prayers on the behalf of fathers and the fatherless. Each year I pray that we will grow in our devotion to Christ and his Saints and not allow ourselves to get lost in the busyness of life so much that we forget the endless resources of the Faithful. What a beautiful reminder that no matter how we feel we can take comfort in the truth that we are never alone, for not only will Christ never leave us or forsake us but all the saints in heaven are waging war for our souls as well.
St Joseph pray for us!
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