Mar
19
2022
By Anonymous (not verified)
By Br. Stephen J., MIC
One day in the fall of sophomore year, I was walking between buildings when I had the sudden urge to open my book of Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph. As a student at Northeast Catholic College (now Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts), I lived in the men's dorm - "St. Joe's" - and, like most of that dorm's residents, was a member of the confraternity of St. Joseph, led by the college's president. I had received the prayerbook from him, and carried it everywhere in my backpack, but had never yet opened it outside of confraternity meetings. Suddenly, this day in October seemed a good time to do so. It was the beginning of my vocation, as I will explain later.
A practice that attracted me early in my growing devotion to St. Joseph was the prayers in honor of his Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys. During this season of Lent, it seems appropriate to meditate on the sorrows and joys of St. Joseph, and thus to draw interior strength from this watchful Guardian of the Holy Family for our own spiritual lives.
First Sorrow and First Joy: The Doubt of St. Joseph - the Message of the Angel
In his book Consecration to St. Joseph, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, describes the three possible motives for Joseph's decision to send Mary away, which he calls the Doubt Theory, the Stupefaction Theory, and the Reverence Theory. Needless to say, he prefers the last theory, according to which St. Joseph decided to leave Mary out of reverence for her Spirit-bestowed pregnancy. Though "a just man," he felt unworthy to be close to this mystery any further. God approved this humility by sending His angel to command Joseph in a dream to "take Mary your wife into your home." Joyfully, Joseph obeyed.
Second Sorrow and Second Joy: The Poverty of Jesus' Birth - the Birth of the Savior
Saint Joseph cared for his wife, but, when they arrived in Bethlehem, he could not provide a home for her in which to give birth. This must have troubled him greatly. The census came suddenly, so he hadn't had much time to plan. Further, walking from Galilee with a pregnant wife would put him among the last travelers to Bethlehem. Finally, he didn't know how many descendants of David would descend on David's city. His fatherly role to protect and provide for his family was frustrated by these obstacles. Nevertheless, what joy must have flooded his face upon seeing the infant Savior asleep on the hay!
Third Sorrow and Third Joy: The Circumcision - the Holy Name of Jesus
The Circumcision of Jesus is the first shedding of His Precious Blood. This painful moment foretells to Joseph and Mary their Son's future Passion and Death. But by His suffering He would redeem us. At His first bloodshed, He receives from Joseph the holy name of Jesus, which means "God saves." The angel requested this name for Him "because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). Only to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, was given the task of bestowing the Name that is above every name upon the Son of the Living God (see Phil 2:9, Mt 16:16).
Fourth Sorrow and Fourth Joy: The Prophecy of Simeon - the Effects of the Redemption
Simeon's prophecy to Mary - that "a sword will pierce through [her] soul" (Lk 2:35a) - is first among the Seven Sorrows of Mary. However, Joseph too heard these words. Though speaking of Jesus' Passion, Simeon also implies Joseph's death, since he could not defend Mary from the sword. In his helplessness, Joseph must have been soothed by Simeon's later words: "so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk 2:35b). Indeed, Jesus' Passion and Mary's compassion have revealed the thoughts of many hearts, both for and against His Cross. Those who embrace Jesus' Cross in faith, however, experience His salvation.
Fifth Sorrow and Fifth Joy: The Flight into Egypt - Overthrow of the Idols in Egypt
The journey to Bethlehem was taxing; the flight into Egypt was terrifying. The young Holy Family had to walk across miles of wilderness, braving weather and possibly bandits. When they reached Egypt, as mystics record, idols fell down before the newborn King. This can also be inferred from Isaiah 19:1: "the Lord ... comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence." If Dagon fell before the Ark of the Covenant (see 1 Sam 5:3-4), how many more Egyptian idols must have fallen before Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, carrying her infant Lord?
Sixth Sorrow and Sixth Joy: The Return from Egypt - Life with Jesus and Mary in Nazareth
Although life in Egypt could not have been easy for a family whose coming was associated with the fall of their idols, the return was also difficult. Again, the hardships of traveling through the wilderness on foot were far greater than most people in modern, developed countries can imagine. Furthermore, Joseph feared returning to Bethlehem, since Herod's son Archelaus then ruled the territory. Joseph chose instead to go to the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. Life in Nazareth must have been deeply joyful, since he spent it with Mary, the Immaculate Conception, and Jesus, the King of Kings.
Seventh Sorrow and Seventh Joy: Losing Jesus in Jerusalem - Finding Him in the Temple
This is the last mention of Joseph during his lifetime in the Bible. The Holy Family now traveled to Jerusalem in a caravan, and Jesus, at age 12, moved easily among relatives and friends. When they did not find Him on their return journey, how anxious His parents must have been! Every hour of that three-day search must have seemed an eternity. Upon finding Him in the Temple, their anxiety turned into joy. He was safe! They were perplexed at His teaching so young, but we can imagine that Joseph was proud of Him. Additionally, the elders likely honored Joseph as the Child's father and teacher.
Joseph is honored in the Church with protodulia (honor as the first among the saints), second only to the hyperdulia (the highest degree of reverence) reserved for the Blessed Virgin. Devotion to him has spread throughout the Church in our time, with immeasurable benefit to souls. The great apostle of Eucharistic devotion, St. Peter Julian Eymard, once said, "Devotion to St. Joseph is one of the choicest graces that God can give to a soul, for it is tantamount to revealing the entire treasury of our Lord's graces. When God wishes to raise a soul to greater heights, he unites it to St. Joseph by giving it a strong love for the good saint."
The devotion to St. Joseph that began for me that day in October led me almost immediately to discover consecration to Mary, which stoked my desire and resolve to become holy. That, in turn, led me to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, in which I have happily been under vows for almost five years. Since then, I have met many others who have similarly learned Marian devotion through St. Joseph, or devotion to St. Joseph through Mary.
This Solemnity of St. Joseph, I recommend you ask St. Joseph to guide you in all of your ways, just as he guided the Child Jesus who "was obedient to [him]" and thus "advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man" (Lk. 2:51-2).
One day in the fall of sophomore year, I was walking between buildings when I had the sudden urge to open my book of Favorite Prayers to Saint Joseph. As a student at Northeast Catholic College (now Magdalen College of the Liberal Arts), I lived in the men's dorm - "St. Joe's" - and, like most of that dorm's residents, was a member of the confraternity of St. Joseph, led by the college's president. I had received the prayerbook from him, and carried it everywhere in my backpack, but had never yet opened it outside of confraternity meetings. Suddenly, this day in October seemed a good time to do so. It was the beginning of my vocation, as I will explain later.
A practice that attracted me early in my growing devotion to St. Joseph was the prayers in honor of his Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys. During this season of Lent, it seems appropriate to meditate on the sorrows and joys of St. Joseph, and thus to draw interior strength from this watchful Guardian of the Holy Family for our own spiritual lives.
First Sorrow and First Joy: The Doubt of St. Joseph - the Message of the Angel
In his book Consecration to St. Joseph, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, describes the three possible motives for Joseph's decision to send Mary away, which he calls the Doubt Theory, the Stupefaction Theory, and the Reverence Theory. Needless to say, he prefers the last theory, according to which St. Joseph decided to leave Mary out of reverence for her Spirit-bestowed pregnancy. Though "a just man," he felt unworthy to be close to this mystery any further. God approved this humility by sending His angel to command Joseph in a dream to "take Mary your wife into your home." Joyfully, Joseph obeyed.
Second Sorrow and Second Joy: The Poverty of Jesus' Birth - the Birth of the Savior
Saint Joseph cared for his wife, but, when they arrived in Bethlehem, he could not provide a home for her in which to give birth. This must have troubled him greatly. The census came suddenly, so he hadn't had much time to plan. Further, walking from Galilee with a pregnant wife would put him among the last travelers to Bethlehem. Finally, he didn't know how many descendants of David would descend on David's city. His fatherly role to protect and provide for his family was frustrated by these obstacles. Nevertheless, what joy must have flooded his face upon seeing the infant Savior asleep on the hay!
Third Sorrow and Third Joy: The Circumcision - the Holy Name of Jesus
The Circumcision of Jesus is the first shedding of His Precious Blood. This painful moment foretells to Joseph and Mary their Son's future Passion and Death. But by His suffering He would redeem us. At His first bloodshed, He receives from Joseph the holy name of Jesus, which means "God saves." The angel requested this name for Him "because he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). Only to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, was given the task of bestowing the Name that is above every name upon the Son of the Living God (see Phil 2:9, Mt 16:16).
Fourth Sorrow and Fourth Joy: The Prophecy of Simeon - the Effects of the Redemption
Simeon's prophecy to Mary - that "a sword will pierce through [her] soul" (Lk 2:35a) - is first among the Seven Sorrows of Mary. However, Joseph too heard these words. Though speaking of Jesus' Passion, Simeon also implies Joseph's death, since he could not defend Mary from the sword. In his helplessness, Joseph must have been soothed by Simeon's later words: "so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Lk 2:35b). Indeed, Jesus' Passion and Mary's compassion have revealed the thoughts of many hearts, both for and against His Cross. Those who embrace Jesus' Cross in faith, however, experience His salvation.
Fifth Sorrow and Fifth Joy: The Flight into Egypt - Overthrow of the Idols in Egypt
The journey to Bethlehem was taxing; the flight into Egypt was terrifying. The young Holy Family had to walk across miles of wilderness, braving weather and possibly bandits. When they reached Egypt, as mystics record, idols fell down before the newborn King. This can also be inferred from Isaiah 19:1: "the Lord ... comes to Egypt; and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence." If Dagon fell before the Ark of the Covenant (see 1 Sam 5:3-4), how many more Egyptian idols must have fallen before Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, carrying her infant Lord?
Sixth Sorrow and Sixth Joy: The Return from Egypt - Life with Jesus and Mary in Nazareth
Although life in Egypt could not have been easy for a family whose coming was associated with the fall of their idols, the return was also difficult. Again, the hardships of traveling through the wilderness on foot were far greater than most people in modern, developed countries can imagine. Furthermore, Joseph feared returning to Bethlehem, since Herod's son Archelaus then ruled the territory. Joseph chose instead to go to the small town of Nazareth in Galilee. Life in Nazareth must have been deeply joyful, since he spent it with Mary, the Immaculate Conception, and Jesus, the King of Kings.
Seventh Sorrow and Seventh Joy: Losing Jesus in Jerusalem - Finding Him in the Temple
This is the last mention of Joseph during his lifetime in the Bible. The Holy Family now traveled to Jerusalem in a caravan, and Jesus, at age 12, moved easily among relatives and friends. When they did not find Him on their return journey, how anxious His parents must have been! Every hour of that three-day search must have seemed an eternity. Upon finding Him in the Temple, their anxiety turned into joy. He was safe! They were perplexed at His teaching so young, but we can imagine that Joseph was proud of Him. Additionally, the elders likely honored Joseph as the Child's father and teacher.
Joseph is honored in the Church with protodulia (honor as the first among the saints), second only to the hyperdulia (the highest degree of reverence) reserved for the Blessed Virgin. Devotion to him has spread throughout the Church in our time, with immeasurable benefit to souls. The great apostle of Eucharistic devotion, St. Peter Julian Eymard, once said, "Devotion to St. Joseph is one of the choicest graces that God can give to a soul, for it is tantamount to revealing the entire treasury of our Lord's graces. When God wishes to raise a soul to greater heights, he unites it to St. Joseph by giving it a strong love for the good saint."
The devotion to St. Joseph that began for me that day in October led me almost immediately to discover consecration to Mary, which stoked my desire and resolve to become holy. That, in turn, led me to the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, in which I have happily been under vows for almost five years. Since then, I have met many others who have similarly learned Marian devotion through St. Joseph, or devotion to St. Joseph through Mary.
This Solemnity of St. Joseph, I recommend you ask St. Joseph to guide you in all of your ways, just as he guided the Child Jesus who "was obedient to [him]" and thus "advanced [in] wisdom and age and favor before God and man" (Lk. 2:51-2).
HCJO