The Power of St. Joseph

Of all men in the entirety of the existence of the world, the Lord God chose St. Joseph to be his human father on earth. St. Joseph existed eternally in the mind of the Heavenly Father, patterned after Him in every human way, planned with every grace to accomplish his great mission to be Jesus’ human father when the fullness of time came. The name Joseph means in Hebrew, “Yahweh give an increase.” St. Joseph is the very recipient of this increase due to his relationship with his foster son.

Born in Bethlehem, which means ‘House of Bread,’ we see him foreshadowed by the Patriarch Joseph in the Old Testament.  Joseph the Patriarch stored grain for bread by being able to hear God in dreams and discern the sign of the times. He wisely prepared for what was coming. “There was famine in the land,” we read in Genesis 42:54, “but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread; and Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, ‘Go to Joseph, what he says, you do.”

St. Joseph provides for us the Bread of Heaven, having fled to Egypt after being warned in a dream to preserve this bread, which is our Lord Jesus, who gives us His flesh to eat. By going to St. Joseph, we have access to grace upon grace. St. Joseph, God established His plan of salvation for the world to come through Jesus, and His Holy Family, and through you, to all of us. Open up for us your storehouse of grace so that we can come to you this Lent. And whatever you say, we will do! Intercede for us.