Page 50 - Reflections on St. Joseph

same invitation is extended to us today, not only to invoke the aid of St. Joseph but to also allow
ourselves to be schooled and shaped after the example of St. Joseph who dedicated his life entirely
for the interest of Jesus. We need to become “the Josephs” of modern time where the will of God
will find prompt obedience and His WORD will find an abode in peace.

In his 1989 apostolic exhortation Redemptoris Custos (On the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph
in the Life of Christ and of the Church), Pope John Paul II discussed the importance of Saint Joseph’s
patronage in our day: This patronage must be invoked as ever necessary for the Church, not only
as a defence against all dangers, but also, and indeed primarily, as an impetus for her renewed
commitment to evangelization in the world and to re-evangelization in those lands and nations
where—as I wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation Christifideles Laici—religion and the Christian life
were formerly flourishing and…are now put to a hard test.” In order to bring the first proclamation
of Christ, or to bring it anew wherever it has been neglected or forgotten, the Church has need of
special “power from on high” (cf. Lk. 24:49; Acts 1:8): a gift of the Spirit of the Lord, a gift which is
not unrelated to the intercession and example of his saints.

Conclusion

There are many good reasons why St. Joseph should be the special heavenly patron of dedicated
souls - in the religious life, in the priesthood, and among the laity like us and ours. But as the Church
teaches, he is especially to be venerated and his patronage invoked because he was the guardian of
the Virgin Mary and the caring father of Jesus. We may confidently say that the Holy Family which
Joseph ruled with the authority of a father contained within itself the first beginnings of the
Church. So that, even as Mary is the Mother of the Church because she is the Mother of Christ, so
Joseph is the Protector of Holy Church because he was the guardian of Jesus and Mary.

Joseph willingly submitted himself to the divine will of God and strove all through his life to live
the same. He became an example of an authentic Christian living, in his total dedication to the
Word of God and challenges us to do same. The protection of St. Joseph is sure for all who invoke
him and come under his patronage. He is ready to care for all as he did for the interest of Jesus the
Savior, all we need to do is hear once again the voice of Pharaoh “go to Joseph” and we will be sure
that our Lord Jesus Christ who refuses nothing of Joseph and to Joseph while on earth will surely
not refuse his plea of intersession for us who fly to his patronage in heaven. Hence, we could pray:
Saint Joseph, father of Jesus and protector of the Virgin Mary, teach us the hardest lesson we have
to learn in life; to love as you loved, by putting our affections to use, and by acting on the
sentiments we so often express in our prayers. Teach us to understand what Mary meant when
she said, "Be it done to me according to your will." And what Jesus meant when He said, "If you
love me, keep my commandments." May we be able to love and care for the interest of Jesus as
you did, and may we remain continually kept under your watchful care and protection. Amen.

As Joseph carefully watched over the Holy Family as a body and over Jesus and Mary as
individuals, he could do same for us as a religious family and as sons and daughters under his
loving care and protection. Let us allow Joseph to be the veritable meter for measuring our
disposition to God’s will, so that he can gently lead us to carry out God’s will and be better
committed above all else to the interest of Jesus in our daily lives. Saint Joseph, Patron of the
Universal Church, pray for us who have recourse to you and lead us where divine providence
wants us to be! Amen.

26 Reflections on st. joseph