I'll admit it upfront: when it comes to writing about the great St. Joseph, I'm an amateur. Numerous great writers have composed books and articles describing the most important, key role, the foster-father of our Savior played in salvation history...
Nevertheless, I will give my, admittedly, unworthy take on the man chosen by God -- from all eternity -- to be the protector of His divine Son, Christ our Lord.
As you can see, the reason for the title of my article: Why All Believers Should Honor The "Silent" Saint: St. Joseph..., is because the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, who came to earth to save and set us free from sin and death, needed a man to take care of Him -- in His human nature, that is.
Christ didn't have to come to earth and be incarnated through a Woman, but He wanted to elevate the dignity of His creation: man and woman, and by doing so, He sanctified the human body as temples of the Holy Ghost.
Mary -- the Blessed Virgin Mary -- was also chosen from all eternity to be the Mother of Christ, yet she had to be married in order to fulfill the moral law and the nuptial traditions enshrined from the beginning of creation history, with Adam and Eve being the first husband and wife, and our first parents...
The role of St. Joseph cannot be overstated: as the head of the household of the Holy Family, he was tasked with the sacred duties of being the protector, defender, provider, and teacher, not only of Mary, his wife, but also of the Christ-child.
Jesus, in His human nature, needed someone to teach and guide Him as He grew in grace and knowledge, to prepare Him for His holy ministry.
The Scriptures say little about our great St. Joseph, however, it was he who gave the holy name of Jesus to his foster-child; it was he who was referred to when the Jews and Gentiles asked who our Lord's (earthly) father was: the Son of the carpenter; the Son of Joseph... St. Joseph is also called a "just man"; (St. Matthew 1;19, King James Version).
It was St. Joseph who cradled the Christ-child in his arms; it was St. Joseph who taught the boy, then the Man, Christ, how to use carpenter's tools; it was St. Joseph who loved and honored Mary, his wife; it was St. Joseph who, when directed by an Angel, covertly took the Holy Family to Egypt to escape the deadly King Herod; it was St. Joseph who died a most holy death: in the arms of his beloved Son and Blessed wife...
It was -- and is -- St. Joseph who is the protector of our Lord's holy Church; it is St. Joseph who is the model of manhood and fatherhood; it is St. Joseph that the demons fear more than anyone, other than our Lord Himself, or the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Pray to St. Joseph for strength and honor, on this his feast day, March 19, 2021, and always!
Viva Cristo Rey! Bl. Fr. Miguel Pro, pray for us...
Gene DeLalla
Beautiful article, Gene. We honor Saint Joseph as the protector of Holy Mother Church, Our Lord Jesus as a child and Our Blessed Lady. He is also the patron of the Diocese of Manchester, NH and of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Eleonore Villarrubia
ReplyDeleteMany thanks, Eleonore!! God bless...
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