St. Joseph’s feast day is on March 19th, but any
day is a good day to learn about and reflect on St. Joseph. As Fr. Donald
Calloway writes in the introduction of his latest book, St. Joseph Gems (Marian Press), St. Joseph “is our spiritual
father! As such, he desires to lead us to Jesus, Mary, the Church, and growth
in virtue.”
I’ve always heard from tradition that St. Joseph was an
older man, possibly a widower with other children, who died while Jesus was
still a young man. This book quotes several prominent Churchmen who describe
St. Joseph as a younger man in the prime of life, perhaps just a few years older
than the teenage Mary. They also have him being a virgin like Mary. While
Scripture is silent on this matter, what is definitely true is that St. Joseph
was a righteous, just man who played a major role in Jesus’ life.
“Along with his virginal bride, the first to bring the
Messiah to the nations, St. Joseph is the second greatest human person in
history because he, too, shared in the role of bringing Jesus to souls.” In
addition, because he listened to the message of the angel and took Mary and
Jesus to Egypt to save the young child from being killed by King Herod, “St.
Joseph is the only human person who has been given the title of ‘savior of the
Savior.’”
St. Joseph Gems is
set up as a daily devotional. Each day of the year features a quote about St.
Joseph from a saint, blessed, or pope, as well as an invocation to the saint of
the day to pray for us. Each month begins with a beautiful painted image of St.
Joseph. The book concludes with the Litany to St. Joseph.
While I do ask St. Joseph for help in certain circumstances,
as a woman I tend to focus on Mary as a confidante and role model. However, as
St. Peter Julian Eymard states in the quote for May 31st, “Devotion
to St. Joseph is something very precious for Christian mothers because St.
Joseph is patron of Christian families.”
St. Joseph Gems
offers much spiritual food for thought. It is a wonderful choice for anyone
seeking to increase their devotion to St. Joseph.
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