Solemnity of St. Joseph: March 19

St. Joseph.  We all know him as the foster father of Jesus, the spouse of Mary, the provider and protector of the Holy Family.  And while all of those are sacred roles which we are grateful he filled, we might struggle to relate to them.  So, what can we learn from him? How can we imitate him?

In looking at St. Joseph’s example, we learn to be people of prayer and action.  St. Matthew tells us in his gospel that Joseph was a “just” or “righteous” man.  This description is one of the highest honors given in the Bible to someone, because it means that person is completely open to God’s will and is closely united to God in prayer.  We see this even in the few times St. Joseph is mentioned in the gospels.  Three times, the gospel writers tell us that God sends an angel to St. Joseph in dreams to give him a message, and each time, St. Joseph immediately does what he’s asked to do (Matt 1:20-21, Matt 2:13-14, Matt 2:19-21).  He must have had a strong relationship with God to know those dreams were important messages, not just some imaginative vision, and a confident trust in God’s plan to immediately act upon them. 

Even though we never hear St. Joseph speak a single word in the Bible, his actions speak volumes.  We too can build a relationship with God like St. Joseph’s, we too can trust in God’s plan for our lives, we too can act when God calls us.

March 19 is St. Joseph’s feast day. While devotion to St. Joseph was slow to start in the history of the Church, it has steadily increased and gained more prominence.  Today, his feast day is a solemnity which means it is the highest level of feast. So, make sure to celebrate this wonderful, just model of humility, purity, prayer, and action. St. Joseph, Pray for us.

Five Ways to Celebrate St. Joseph’s Day:

1.       Remembering St. Joseph’s prompt responses to the messages he received in his dreams, Pope Francis has a statue of a sleeping St. Joseph on his desk.  He places prayer intentions underneath it which he entrusts to St. Joseph’s intercession. Consider following the Holy Father’s example.  If you don’t want to buy a new statue, maybe print out a picture and put it on the top of a box to hold your intentions.

2.       There is a tradition of making a St. Joseph’s altar that comes from Sicily.  In the midst of a famine, the people prayed to their patron St. Joseph for relief and the famine ended. In thanksgiving for the answered prayers, they prepared a large table of food which was then distributed it to the poor.  They remember this event by making St. Joseph’s altars each year. Consider making an altar in your home (for details check out: https://nolacatholic.org/stjosephaltars) or reading a story about the altars (like Giovanni and the Fava Beans by Joseph P Ruli) or donating food to the food pantry 

3.       A modern play on words meal to consider for dinner: Sloppy Joe’s. Or a more traditional meal representing his career as a carpenter:  St. Joseph’s Pasta. It’s covered in breadcrumbs symbolizing the sawdust in his workshop. https://orderisda.org/culture/our-recipes/authentic-st-josephs-day-pasta/

4.       Pray the Litany of St. Joseph: https://www.usccb.org/prayers/litany-saint-joseph

5.       Celebrate the Dads in your life in honor of the best earthly father.  Call them, make them a card, or spend some extra time with them.