The Power of St. Joseph
One
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.”
Two
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.
Three
Like the Joseph of old, St. Joseph is chaste, meaning he has mastered his passions over the flesh, so that his strength does not succumb so easily to concupiscence. This enabled him to guard the Virgin of Virgins our Mother, along with Jesus our Lord Savior. St. Joseph had the deepest love for Jesus and Mary, a love we cannot fully comprehend because our loves are so tainted by selfishness. We call love things that are not love, things like lust, desire, use, even emotional pleasure. Emotions like desire may accompany love, but love is something much, much more. St. Joseph reveals to us this love in his reactions to trials. When he finds out that Mary is mysteriously pregnant, he doesn’t seek to protect his image by stoning her but plans to send her away quietly out of concern for her. When he’s told by God to fly to Egypt, he does so willingly, without any clue of how he will provide for his wife and child. He trusts because he loves. He loves because he sacrifices himself for the good of others. Good St. Joseph, by your great love of Jesus and Mary, grant, by my devotion to you, this same love, so that I, too, may be strong in the face of trials, and reign in that glorious Kingdom.
Four
St. Joseph was called by St. Theresa of Avila the patron saint of the interior life. He epitomizes the strong silent type. His strength comes from his silence, and his silence speaks volumes about his prayer. He enjoyed his daily tasks, meals, and conversations with God Himself and the Immaculate Conception. You wouldn’t have much to say either if that were your daily morning cup of coffee! The Father uses St. Joseph to reveal His Divine providence, and uses St. Joseph for Divine protection, and Joseph discerns God’s will for Jesus and Mary through dreams and acts wisely. Thus, his deep relationship with God the Father, his cooperation and leadership with God’s plan, and his stamina in the face of a deadly threat coming from evil men all reveal St. Joseph’s interior life.
Five
In Luke’s Gospel we read, “And when the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, they (Joseph and Mary) brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons” (Lk 2: 23-24). Not since the time of the prophet Jeremiah has the Holy Presence of God filled the Temple, until now! By offering Jesus to the Heavenly Father, Joseph and Mary are united in one heart with Jesus: a perfect communion of hearts revealing the perfect unity of love and intimacy with God. The fruit of this perfect union is great happiness! Today, ask the Holy Family to show you how to insert you and those closest to you into their Communion of Hearts to enjoy great happiness!