Saint Joseph Emerges: A Personal Account

 "How precious you are to God, O peerless Joseph, for to you he confided his three great treasures: the virginity of Mary, the person of his only-begotten Son, and the secret of all his mystery." ~Fr. Jacqes-Benigne Bossuet

I am so excited to celebrate Christmas this year after having completed my consecration to St. Joseph in this year that has been dedicated to him because I am more aware of the crucial part he played in our redemption history and in the Christmas story.  But more importantly, I just know him better as my spiritual father, the head of the Holy Family.  With Jesus as my brother (I call myself His little sister), Mary as my mother, and Joseph as my father, I can enter into the Christmas story with a great sense of familiarity and yet wonder.  Until you read the Consecration to St. Joseph, I can't expect you to fully understand how wonderful this will be.

When I was in 3rd or 4th grade, I remember coming home from Catholic school (or religious-ed, can't remember which), sitting on my bed, and thinking Joseph was such a terrible character in the story because he wanted to divorce Mary.  For whatever reason (I have no clue what put this image into my head) I thought Joseph was not to be trusted and that he was a selfish, begrudging man.  I later realized that wasn't the case at all.  I was just so young that when I heard he wanted to divorce Mary, I knew that was a bad thing and wanted nothing more to do with him.  Oh, silly young Sarah.  I didn't hold that misconception for long though.  My mom helped me understand St. Joseph wasn't like that at all.

Still, I had a lot of learning about St. Joseph to do.  For years he stayed quiet, just like he did in his earthly life, not revealing anything about himself or his son to me.  He was contented to remain the silent character in the nativity scene at Christmas guarding the precious Child.  As I grew, I learned he was the patron of the Universal Church, a happy death, and a guardian of purity.  Still, I never felt the need to especially invoke him.  I would include him in my prayers with Jesus and Mary, but almost as a formality.  I have a holy card of him on the front of my prayer journal but I'm pretty sure I only used it because it had an image of the child Jesus, to whom I'm so devoted.  

So you can tell, I just wasn't very devoted to St. Joseph.  He was there, and he was good, but not special to me.

Finally, in the spring of this year, St. Joseph was ready to begin his ministry in my life.  When I was telling a fellow parishioner about my new relationship and how good my beau was, she excitedly exclaimed in her thick New York accent, "It sounds like you may have found your very own St. Joseph!"  Hmm... I had never thought about looking for all the virtues of St. Joseph in my partner but this was a very good idea.  I began to pray just a little bit for St. Joseph to make my boyfriend after his own heart.  Still, I only offered this as a quick intention and moved on.

In June, I went to visit friends in Texas, and their parish is called after a title of St. Joseph.  At the end of the trip, we walked through a giant antique mall.  There were many beautiful Catholic items and I was blessed to get a few.  I picked out two antique holy cards, one of which, depicted St. Joseph and a person clothed in a scapular.  I knew I wanted to invoke St. Joseph more over my relationship and life so I immediately knew I wanted to get this holy card.  I thought it would be perfect to picture myself as the soul on the card.

Our Guide to Heaven: Good Saint Joseph, thou who reignest in heaven
 by your intercession obtain, that, I too may enter there.

You would have thought that with this dear image, I would have begun to entrust myself and my relationship to St. Joseph especially but I still wasn't committed.  St. Joseph was emerging as a more personal figure in my life but he hadn't quite come into clear view yet.  He was waiting to reveal himself and lend his aid until I really needed it.

After my relationship ended, I was crushed and prayed like I never had before.  I threw myself into many devotions including novenas to St. Anne, St. Therese, and for the Nativity of Mary, just to name a few.  Well, when a local parish announced they were doing the Consecration to St. Joseph with weekly meetings, I was definitely interested.  A little hesitant at first but the book came with rave reviews from friends so I decided to try it out and drop out if it got too modern or anything.  

Whoa.  I never put it down.  I easily finished all the reading.  Sure I may have skipped a day here or there, but I made sure to make it up the following day because the reading was just that good.  The Consecration to St. Joseph book by Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC taught me so much about our spiritual father and his virtues.  I can't begin to go into all that here.  We'd be here for another month. 😅  Anyway, I just want to say, I'm so very glad I completed the consecration because I have found in St. Joseph an exemplary man to follow to our dear Jesus.  After I lost the earthly man I thought would accompany me to the Bethlehem crib, St. Joseph came alongside me at just the perfect time and introduced himself as a loving father and strong support.  I still do not love him or trust him as much as I should, but I do find myself asking for his intercession more now and I'm so very glad of that.

St. Joseph practiced all the virtues to such a great degree that he was privileged to raise the Son of God on earth.  Remember, St. Joseph was just a regular man conceived in original sin so he is the most inspiring of the Saints.  He practiced heroic chastity, humility, and perseverance.  I want to take him as my model and guide.  

St. Joseph is a wonderful model of silence too.  Not just contemplative silence, but silence when we don't understand or when something is hard.  Not a word of his is recorded in scripture but he promptly obeys when God asks something of him.  I definitely could use the help of St. Joseph to hold my tongue and do things cheerfully when asked.

One other very impressive note about St. Joseph is that he must be worthy of our attention and honor because God Himself was obedient unto him.  Jesus loved and obeyed St. Joseph just as He would His Heavenly Father.  If Jesus can do it, so should we!  So let us love St. Joseph taking our lead from Jesus Himself!

I am very very excited to dive into this Advent and Christmas season under not only the patronage of our holy mother Mary but also under the fatherly mantle of St. Joseph.  I absolutely cannot wait to contemplate his tender loving care when I set up the manger scene and think on the Christmas story.  And I pray that this newfound devotion will continue to grow and that St. Joseph will guide me in the new year and for the rest of my life.  I highly encourage you to read "Consecration to St. Joseph" so you can get to know this exemplary man that God chose to be the guardian of His most precious Son.

"Be in good spirits under the fatherly mantle of St. Joseph, a place of safest refuge in trials and tribulations." ~St. Joseph Marello

 Finally, here is my favorite prayer to St. Joseph which I discovered at my friends' parish in Texas but didn't memorize until nearly a year later when we started attending my current parish.  They recite this prayer every Sunday before Mass so that's how I committed it to memory. 😊

To Thee, O Blessed Joseph | Ad te beáte Ioseph

(This prayer was prescribed by Pope Leo XIII for the month of October, to be recited after the Holy Rosary.)

TO THEE, O blessed Joseph, do we have recourse in our tribulation, and, having implored the help of
thy thrice-holy Spouse, we confidently invoke thy patronage also.

By that charity wherewith thou wast united to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and by that fatherly affection with which thou didst embrace the Child Jesus, we beseech thee and we humbly pray, that thou wouldst look graciously upon the inheritance which Jesus Christ hath purchased by His Blood, and assist us in our needs by thy power and strength.

Most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen people of Jesus Christ; keep far from us, most loving father, all blight of error and corruption: mercifully assist us from Heaven, most mighty defender, in this our conflict with the powers of darkness; and, even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the supreme peril of His life, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; keep us one and all under thy continual protection, that we may be supported by thine example and thine assistance, may be enabled to lead a holy life, die a happy death and come at last to the possession of everlasting blessedness in Heaven. Amen.
(Pre-1968 Indulgence of 3 years)