Page 47 - Reflections on St. Joseph

SAINT

JOSEPH

From the Earliest Tradition

Province of Nigeria

Introduction

t is an indubitable fact that St. Joseph was never recorded to have said a word in the Sacred
Scriptures, nevertheless his life examples spoke volumes that echoes till present time and
makes the humble saint to be ranked above the most eloquent and best writers among the
saints.

From the Church’s earliest Tradition, Joseph
has been celebrated as guardian of the Holy
Family and he came to be revered as guardian
of God’s family on earth as well over time. St.
Joseph, son of Jacob, mirrors perfectly the life
of the first Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob
(Israel), who was sold into slavery in Egypt
and who saved the Pharaoh’s family and the
Egyptian nation, as well as all the other people
who sought food in Egypt and, hence, was
referred to as “Saviour of the world.”

God spoke to St. Joseph in dreams, just as He
did with Joseph of old. While the first Joseph
was sold into Egypt, St. Joseph was sent into
Egypt by an angel. While the first Joseph
saved his people from physical death - from
famine by storing up grain for bread, St.
Joseph saved us from the spiritual death of sin
by preserving for us He Who would become St. Teresa of Avila,
the very Bread of Eternal Life. “Go to Joseph”
was the admonishment of Pharaoh to the cry ardent devotee of St. Joseph
of those hungry for food in Egypt.

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