You may never have thought of this, but you’ll never hear someone say,
“Oh, my favorite quote from St. Joseph is _____.”
And why is that? Because there isn’t a quote to be found! There is no record of anything said by St. Joseph during his lifetime.
St. Joseph is such an important figure in the story of Christ. He was the Defender and Foster Father of Christ giving the Lord that lineage of David to fulfill the prophecy. He was the Most Chaste Spouse of the Mother of God, protecting her virginity and saving her from the consequences of being an unwed mother in a time where that meant death by stoning.
He has quite the legacy and yet, he is in the background, humble, letting Our Lady and Our Lord shine. And not just in Scripture either!
Apparitions of St. Joseph
Knock, Ireland - On August 21st, 1879, St. Joseph appeared with our Lady and St. John the Evangelist. While St. John the Evangelist had his arms raised in a pose of preaching, St. Joseph, hands folded in prayer, had his head bowed towards Our Lady. He never spoke but it’s believed that he was representing his role as Patron of the Universal Church (a title given to him in 1870) in showing reverence to the Mother of God.
To learn more about the Apparition of Our Lady of Knock, visit: https://www.knockshrine.ie/history/
Fatima, Portugal - October 13, 1917 is a day famously remembered for the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. During that miraculous day, St. Joseph was seen to appear with the child Jesus for a full image of the Holy Family together.
St. Joseph’s appearance as part of the Holy Family and bestowing a blessing on the world seems to emphasize his role as father and husband.
In today’s world, there is no greater example for all husbands and fathers. In order to build and lead strong families and societies again we need to pray for our men’s heightened roles. His appearance at Fatima is a sign of hope for the family and the Universal Church.
To learn more about the Apparition of Our Lady of Fatima, visit our page on Our Lady of Fatima Statue for a list of resources.
A Man with Many Different Names
St. Joseph is best known by that name - St. Joseph - or St. Joseph the Worker due to his two Feast Days March 19th & May 1st. However, he has the privilege of going by many honorable names. You can pray the Litany of St. Joseph down below and reflect on those names but we’ll name a few right here:
Terror of Demons
Mirror of Patience
Patron of the Universal Church
Patron of the Adopted
Most Chaste Spouse of the Mother of God
Defender of Christ
Pillar of Families
Protector of Priests
Patron of the Dying
Hope of the Sick
Glory of Home Life
Why St. joseph
When Jesus had God as His Father and Mary as His Mother, He could have had any man be His Foster Father. Why St. Joseph? He wasn’t rich, a prophet, or sinless like Mother Mary.
But he also wasn’t a random choice.
St. Joseph was chosen because he was a faithful Jew. He was devout in his prayer life and gave full and immediate obedience to God. Think about it. Would a lukewarm Jew have believed that his fiance’s unborn child was the Son of God? Would a lukewarm Jew have taken the angel’s warning in his dream as truth instead of dismissing it as “some weird dreams” he had had? No. Jesus chose a man that, despite being an ordinary sinner like us, could raise Him to be a man on fire for the Lord. He knew St. Joseph would be a good example for chastity, work ethic, honoring Mother Mary, patience, self-control, and love of the Lord.
Since Jesus was fully man and fully God, His fatherhood figure must have played a part in making Him the man He was on Earth. In the Garden of Gethsemane, His Divinity kept Him from running away from His death. After all, He loves us and came to die for us. But His humanity still had Him acknowledge the fear of the pain and suffering to come. Who taught Jesus to stick to His commitments even in the face of fear? Who taught Jesus to sacrificially offer up His own wants for love of those around Him? Who taught Jesus to defend His bride, the Church? To be an example when all other men ran away to hide? Good and holy St. Joseph did.
Who is he to you?
So, who is St. Joseph to you? Is he a protector to you as Terror of Demons? Is he a role model of fatherhood? Is he an intercessor for you when you defend the Church? Or is he a stranger? Regardless of where you are in your relationship with St. Joseph, take some time this March 19th and get to know him a little bit better.
You can start below with the Litany of St. Joseph & some other resources for further reading.
Resources
Consecration to Jesus through St. Joseph: An Integrated Look At the Holy Family
44 day preparation for consecration diving deep into the life and meaning of St. Joseph and Our Lady as they relate to our integrated human journey growing closer in union with Jesus Christ.
Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father
Drawing on the wealth of the Church's living tradition, Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, calls on all of us to turn to St. Joseph, entrust ourselves, our Church, and our world to our spiritual father's loving care, and then watch for wonders when the Universal Patron of the Church opens the floodgates of Heaven to pour out graces into our lives today. Definitely a book for our time, Consecration to St. Joseph is dedicated to meeting the challenges of the present moment and restoring order to our Church and our world, all through the potent paternal intercession and care of St. Joseph. This book has everything you need to take your love and devotion to St. Joseph to a whole different level: a thorough program of consecration to St. Joseph; information on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph; and prayers and devotions to St. Joseph. Accessible, motivating, this book will kick off a great movement of consecration to our spiritual father and change the world.
St. Joseph: Patron of the Universal Church by Mark Miravalle
The holy and hidden figure of St. Joseph comes to light in this captivating presentation by Dr. Mark Miravalle. What is the dignity of this great man, and how do we convey the wondrous power of his intercession? Listen now as Dr. Miravalle delves into the fascinating and hidden life of the man whom God chose to "substitute" for Himself when the Word became flesh to dwell among us.
Listen for FREE here at FORMED.org
Joseph of Nazareth: The Story of the Man Closest to Christ
"The first feature film ever on the story of St. Joseph, who was a carpenter, the husband of Mary, and the foster father of Jesus Christ. Scripture tells us that St. Joseph was a ""just man"" and that God gave him the most daunting task ever asked of a man–to be the husband of the woman who would give birth to the Messiah and the father and protector of this Holy Family. He would be the man closest to Christ.
Starring Tobias Moretti in a manly, appealing performance, we are shown the human, noble, and deeply spiritual aspects of Joseph the carpenter, son of David, servant of God, and loving husband of Mary. He is presented as a man of faith who must grapple greatly with the profound mysteries of the miraculous conception, the Virgin Birth, the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the incredible challenges of protecting and raising Jesus amidst the threats on his life from the moment of his birth and beyond.
As Joseph is informed by God's messengers about trusting and following his plan for Christ, the dangerous flight into Egypt to save his child, and finally returning to Nazareth to raise Jesus, this lovely film presents beautiful vignettes of these and other powerful scenes in the life of the young Christ and the Holy Family that are authentic and inspiring. Also stars Stefania Rivi, Franco Interlenghi, and Andrea Prodan."
31 Day Novena to St. Joseph
Compiled & edited by The 101 Foundation's Director, Dr. Rosalie A. Turton. Reflections & Meditations taken from "St. Joseph as Seen by Mystics and Historians". This 31-day Novena is very powerful blessing...many answered prayers and miracles have resulted from doing this devotion to St. Joseph. St. Paul of Mall prophesied that when devotion to St. Joseph becomes widespread throughout the world, then St. Joseph's body will be found incorrupt! This Novena contains elements of St. Joseph's life that very few know much about!