An update to the St. Joseph and the Ungrateful Whiner post - the nice young executive couple has agreed to rent our home for several years. Our realtor sent us the rental contract for our review yesterday.
It was Saturday, May 1st.
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker.
Thank you Father.
Thank you Lord.
Thank you Holy Spirit.
Thank you Mary, Queen of Heaven and Earth.
and
Thank you glorious, patient wonderful, loving and POWERFUL St. Joseph!
Showing posts with label St. Joseph. Show all posts
Showing posts with label St. Joseph. Show all posts
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Friday, April 30, 2010
St. Joseph and the Ungrateful Whiner
I’ve always had a fondness for St. Joseph and over the years I have received truly extraordinary graces through his intercession. In fact, every petition I’ve ever presented him has been granted.
So when my husband and I placed our home on the market a few years ago, I turned to him in prayer. Our home went on the market the week before Thanksgiving in 2007. I didn’t worry or think too much about selling it over the holidays so I began my first novena to St. Joseph the first week of February 2008.
Every night I knelt next to my bed and prayed the Unfailing Novena to St. Joseph. Sure enough, at the end of nine days we had an interested buyer – two as a matter of fact. One agreed to our asking price but they were denied financing. The other made an offer that we thought was too low. So I prayed some more. Even though I didn’t notice it at the time, in hindsight I recognize that every time I finished a novena, someone would go through our house and they would generally make a verbal offer. The offers were always too low – or so I thought. Confidently I would respond to our realtor “Thanks but no thanks. We’ll wait it out for a reasonable buyer.”
So weeks turned into months and months turned into years. The offers that we turned down in the early months of 2008 suddenly began to look very good. I prayed a bit more, and then the offers from people wishing to rent our home started to come in. Our home is located in a city where a major international corporation in headquartered and executives from around the world are frequently transferred there for two and three year stints. The corporation itself is the tenant, they issue the monthly rent checks, security deposit and employ a maintenance and cleaning team to restore the home to its original condition when the lease is up. It is actually a great deal, if you are interested in being a landlord.
But I had ‘faith’ that renting was not the way to go. I had ‘faith’ that my prayers would be heard and that a buyer would turn up. Beside I didn’t want another family damaging our home and furnishings. So again my confident ‘thanks but no thanks’ response was given to our realtor.
I began to feel frustrated and told myself that I had to have patience. My prayers would be answered in God’s time. So we turned down a host of prospective tenants.
One day in November of 2009, our realtor called us with two prospective tenants, both long term executive rentals. It had been months since any potential buyers had gone through our house. For the first time we began to consider renting. I hemmed and hawed and thought of a million reasons why I didn’t want other people living in our home. I wanted to sell the home and be done with it.
My husband and I debated it and finally I came around. We agreed to rent the home only to discover that the tenants leased another home so they could be settled before the holidays. We pulled our house off the market in frustration and let it remain unlisted for a few months.
We relisted it in February and would have sold it for any of those early offers we had rejected back in 2008.
An offer to rent our home came in from an executive family with four teenagers and a dog. I was near tears thinking of the shape our home would likely be in after two years in that scenario. We have two kids and a dog and know how much damage happens to a home during the course of a day.
I fought despair and whined to heaven. I was in the midst of a spiritual tantrum when it suddenly occurred to me that God had been trying to bless me all along. Every prayer I sent to St. Joseph had been answered, just not in the way I had expected. The epiphany came that my haughty confidence and ‘faith’ was actually pride. God knew things about the real estate market that the world didn’t, and he sent buyers our way . I petulantly snubbed them, and His graces.
But good and patient St. Joseph presented my case time and time again, and Jesus graciously responded. I know how frustrating it is when my children are ungrateful for my acts of love and kindness. I was so ashamed to consider what must have been going through their minds. I had been an ungrateful whiner.
So I apologized to Our Lord and Good St. Joseph and resolved to accept God’s grace no matter how my pride tried to deceive me. I began another novena to St. Joseph and this past week two prospective executive tenants came though. Both are interested in renting. One prospect was more appealing and I just heard they are considering another property. I fought a wave of disappointment then caught myself.
God knows things I don’t. God and great Saint Joseph have been patiently trying to bless my family. I am going to get out of His way, accept His grace and say thank you for not giving up on me. And I am going to thank Him for the gift of St. Joseph, the patient and powerful patron who never fails anyone who approaches him with confidence.
So when my husband and I placed our home on the market a few years ago, I turned to him in prayer. Our home went on the market the week before Thanksgiving in 2007. I didn’t worry or think too much about selling it over the holidays so I began my first novena to St. Joseph the first week of February 2008.
Every night I knelt next to my bed and prayed the Unfailing Novena to St. Joseph. Sure enough, at the end of nine days we had an interested buyer – two as a matter of fact. One agreed to our asking price but they were denied financing. The other made an offer that we thought was too low. So I prayed some more. Even though I didn’t notice it at the time, in hindsight I recognize that every time I finished a novena, someone would go through our house and they would generally make a verbal offer. The offers were always too low – or so I thought. Confidently I would respond to our realtor “Thanks but no thanks. We’ll wait it out for a reasonable buyer.”
So weeks turned into months and months turned into years. The offers that we turned down in the early months of 2008 suddenly began to look very good. I prayed a bit more, and then the offers from people wishing to rent our home started to come in. Our home is located in a city where a major international corporation in headquartered and executives from around the world are frequently transferred there for two and three year stints. The corporation itself is the tenant, they issue the monthly rent checks, security deposit and employ a maintenance and cleaning team to restore the home to its original condition when the lease is up. It is actually a great deal, if you are interested in being a landlord.
But I had ‘faith’ that renting was not the way to go. I had ‘faith’ that my prayers would be heard and that a buyer would turn up. Beside I didn’t want another family damaging our home and furnishings. So again my confident ‘thanks but no thanks’ response was given to our realtor.
I began to feel frustrated and told myself that I had to have patience. My prayers would be answered in God’s time. So we turned down a host of prospective tenants.
One day in November of 2009, our realtor called us with two prospective tenants, both long term executive rentals. It had been months since any potential buyers had gone through our house. For the first time we began to consider renting. I hemmed and hawed and thought of a million reasons why I didn’t want other people living in our home. I wanted to sell the home and be done with it.
My husband and I debated it and finally I came around. We agreed to rent the home only to discover that the tenants leased another home so they could be settled before the holidays. We pulled our house off the market in frustration and let it remain unlisted for a few months.
We relisted it in February and would have sold it for any of those early offers we had rejected back in 2008.
An offer to rent our home came in from an executive family with four teenagers and a dog. I was near tears thinking of the shape our home would likely be in after two years in that scenario. We have two kids and a dog and know how much damage happens to a home during the course of a day.
I fought despair and whined to heaven. I was in the midst of a spiritual tantrum when it suddenly occurred to me that God had been trying to bless me all along. Every prayer I sent to St. Joseph had been answered, just not in the way I had expected. The epiphany came that my haughty confidence and ‘faith’ was actually pride. God knew things about the real estate market that the world didn’t, and he sent buyers our way . I petulantly snubbed them, and His graces.
But good and patient St. Joseph presented my case time and time again, and Jesus graciously responded. I know how frustrating it is when my children are ungrateful for my acts of love and kindness. I was so ashamed to consider what must have been going through their minds. I had been an ungrateful whiner.
So I apologized to Our Lord and Good St. Joseph and resolved to accept God’s grace no matter how my pride tried to deceive me. I began another novena to St. Joseph and this past week two prospective executive tenants came though. Both are interested in renting. One prospect was more appealing and I just heard they are considering another property. I fought a wave of disappointment then caught myself.
God knows things I don’t. God and great Saint Joseph have been patiently trying to bless my family. I am going to get out of His way, accept His grace and say thank you for not giving up on me. And I am going to thank Him for the gift of St. Joseph, the patient and powerful patron who never fails anyone who approaches him with confidence.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
St. Joseph's Humble Heart
FOR YOUR DISCERNMENT: this story contains private revelationA few weeks ago I was at an event held in a Catholic church, waiting for an unrelated business meeting with one of the speakers. I was standing at the back of the room taking everything in when a gentleman approached me.
“I met Padre Pio,” he said by way of introduction.
“You did?” I asked.
“Yes. I was eight years old, visiting Italy with my family. I went into his confessional.” He nodded encouragingly and said. “Padre Pio only said one word to me.”
“What was that? “ I inquired.
“He came out of the confessional, took my hands and said 'Bella', then walked away. Another priest came over and explained that Padre Pio didn’t hear confessions in English.”
“Wow,” I said, smiling. “I don’t know that I’ve ever met anyone who personally met Padre Pio. What a wonderful blessing for you.”
He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a holy card protected by plastic. Suspended between the card and the plastic was a small amount of hair.
He said “This is from Padre Pio’s beard.”
At this point I really didn’t know what to make of everything. His story seemed perfectly plausible, even delightful, until this point. Maybe because the hair suspended in the plastic case closely resembled the man’s own beard, I became suspicious.
I said “Wow, that’s great” and then excused myself to go get a drink while I waited for my meeting.
I returned to the room a little while later and the man again approached. He said “Jesus appeared to me in a dream.”
I said a half-hearted “Wow.” followed by another “That’s great.” and began plotting my exit.
He said “Do you want to know what Jesus said?
“Sure,” I sighed.
“He appeared as the Sacred Heart, and told me ‘You know to honor my Sacred Heart, and the Immaculate Heart of my mother’. Then He asked me ‘ But what about the heart of Saint Joseph?' ”
At this point the rest of the room faded away and I was aware only of the very loud beating of my heart. I have no idea why, but everything in my being was telling me to pay attention to this man from whom only moments earlier I had been trying to escape. Keep in mind that I was there on non-Catholic business, waiting for a meeting with another man who just happened to be speaking at this church, and this stranger had approached me without solicitation.
Two bits of information before I proceed. First, I have a very big devotion to St. Joseph, and I devour everything that I can get my hands on about his life. I love how he loved Our Lady and I love how he loved Our Lord. Secondly, I am incredibly wary of private revelation, so I submit what the man said next for your discernment.
The man continued “Jesus showed me an image and said ‘Behold the Humble Heart of St. Joseph’”.
Again, private revelation is a very sticky wicket, and even many saints were fooled by their own imaginations and the Enemy. That being said, it does make sense to my lay Catholic-self (with not an ounce of ecclesiastical authority) that St. Joseph’s holy, loving and obedient heart could absolutely be called The Humble Heart. It also would not surprise me that Our Lord would wish the world to honor The Humble Heart of his beloved foster father.
The man explained that he asked someone to draw a picture of the image Jesus had shown him. He promised to mail it to me, but I have yet to receive it. If he does send it to me, I will post it here.
The man continued. “A few years later Padre Pio appeared to me in a dream and said Jesus revealed to you the Humble Heart of St. Joseph. Why haven’t you done anything with this information? "
The man was visibly frustrated. “I don’t know what I can do. I’ve told people, but don’t know what else I can do.”
So, here his story for your discernment.
Good night and God Bless.
PS Anyone wishing to make a pilgrimage or submit prayers to the National Shrine of St. Joseph (located in Green Bay, WI) can find information here.
Friday, May 1, 2009
St. Joseph the Worker
Today is the feast date of St. Joseph the Worker.
We are reminded today that we are called to holiness in all our endeavors. Every task, no matter how mundane, can be done with joy and offered with gratitude to Our Lord.
It is true that today is a wonderful day for job-seekers, fathers, families and laborers to offer their petitions to St. Joseph.
But it is also an exceptionally powerful day for anyone to approach this great saint.
It seems that God grants special intercessory authority to certain saints. St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of Cancer Sufferers, is an example. He may be a powerful intercessor for a prayer to heal cancer; however, asking him to help you pray to find a lost article might not prove particularly effective.
Areas of intercession appear to correspond to a specific saint's calling or reflect the ways God uniquely touched them while on Earth. It logically follows then that the two most glorious saints in all of heaven, The Blessed Virgin Mary and her Most Chaste Spouse, St. Joseph, who were called to know the Lord more intimately than any others, who were touched in every way by the magnificence of God and His mysterious plan, would be granted the ability to intercede - powerfully - for every prayer presented to them.
Numerous mystics and visionaries report that God grants Saints special power on their feast dates. While prayers are always heard, the connection to heaven might be extra-clear on those days. Just one more generous gift from our wonderful, loving merciful God.
Make the most of this powerful day to draw closer to the carpenter, spouse of the Blessed Virgin and humble servant of God who held the Christ child in his arms.
He who protected Our Lord and Our Lady while being hunted by cruel King Herod, is a extraordinary patron in uncertain times like this.
Litany of St. Joseph
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Holy Spirit, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us.
R/ pray for us.
Holy Mary,
St. Joseph,
Renowned offspring of David,
Light of Patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Foster father of the Son of God,
Diligent protector of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph most just,
Joseph most chaste,
Joseph most prudent,
Joseph most strong,
Joseph most obedient,
Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of artisans,
Glory of home life,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Solace of the wretched,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world.
R/ have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household.
R/ And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray.
O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
additional resources
Prayers to St. Joseph
A fabulous book about the life of St. Joseph
Another great book about St. Joseph
A fantastic 31 day novena to St. Joseph
The Holy Cloak of St. Joseph - an extraordinary prayer
US National Shrine of St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal, Canada
A Special Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment
God My Father, the Feast Day of Saint Joseph the Worker was instituted to draw attention to the dignity of labor, and to remind us of the spirituality of our jobs. I give the workers of my family and circle of friends-and their jobs-to Saint Joseph's intercession, and I especially ask for his prayers in the protection and guidance of husbands and fathers. Help us to view these men-and all workers-with the same appreciation as You have, O Lord. Teach us to prioritize our jobs rightly, for the sake of loving our families, and lead the unemployed to work that is right for them. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Amen.
One final note, if you wish to learn more about how devotion to St. Joseph can transform a life, please research Blessed Brother Andre. Wow!
Thank you St. Joseph for your extraordinary example. Bless us all, especially those in need of work and those who do not yet know your Son.
Thank you God for the graces granted to St. Joseph and Our Lady.
Good night and God Bless.
We are reminded today that we are called to holiness in all our endeavors. Every task, no matter how mundane, can be done with joy and offered with gratitude to Our Lord.
It is true that today is a wonderful day for job-seekers, fathers, families and laborers to offer their petitions to St. Joseph.
But it is also an exceptionally powerful day for anyone to approach this great saint.
It seems that God grants special intercessory authority to certain saints. St. Peregrine, Patron Saint of Cancer Sufferers, is an example. He may be a powerful intercessor for a prayer to heal cancer; however, asking him to help you pray to find a lost article might not prove particularly effective.
Areas of intercession appear to correspond to a specific saint's calling or reflect the ways God uniquely touched them while on Earth. It logically follows then that the two most glorious saints in all of heaven, The Blessed Virgin Mary and her Most Chaste Spouse, St. Joseph, who were called to know the Lord more intimately than any others, who were touched in every way by the magnificence of God and His mysterious plan, would be granted the ability to intercede - powerfully - for every prayer presented to them.
Numerous mystics and visionaries report that God grants Saints special power on their feast dates. While prayers are always heard, the connection to heaven might be extra-clear on those days. Just one more generous gift from our wonderful, loving merciful God.
Make the most of this powerful day to draw closer to the carpenter, spouse of the Blessed Virgin and humble servant of God who held the Christ child in his arms.
He who protected Our Lord and Our Lady while being hunted by cruel King Herod, is a extraordinary patron in uncertain times like this.
Litany of St. Joseph
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.
V/ Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.
V/ Jesus, hear us. R/ Jesus, graciously hear us.
V/ God, the Father of Heaven, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Son, Redeemer of the world, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ God, the Holy Spirit, R/ have mercy on us.
V/ Holy Trinity, One God, R/ have mercy on us.
R/ pray for us.
Holy Mary,
St. Joseph,
Renowned offspring of David,
Light of Patriarchs,
Spouse of the Mother of God,
Chaste guardian of the Virgin,
Foster father of the Son of God,
Diligent protector of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph most just,
Joseph most chaste,
Joseph most prudent,
Joseph most strong,
Joseph most obedient,
Joseph most faithful,
Mirror of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of artisans,
Glory of home life,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of families,
Solace of the wretched,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of demons,
Protector of Holy Church,
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world,
R/ graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world.
R/ have mercy on us.
He made him the lord of his household.
R/ And prince over all his possessions.
Let us pray.
O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever.
Amen.
additional resources
Prayers to St. Joseph
A fabulous book about the life of St. Joseph
Another great book about St. Joseph
A fantastic 31 day novena to St. Joseph
The Holy Cloak of St. Joseph - an extraordinary prayer
US National Shrine of St. Joseph
St. Joseph's Oratory, Montreal, Canada
A Special Prayer to St. Joseph for Employment
God My Father, the Feast Day of Saint Joseph the Worker was instituted to draw attention to the dignity of labor, and to remind us of the spirituality of our jobs. I give the workers of my family and circle of friends-and their jobs-to Saint Joseph's intercession, and I especially ask for his prayers in the protection and guidance of husbands and fathers. Help us to view these men-and all workers-with the same appreciation as You have, O Lord. Teach us to prioritize our jobs rightly, for the sake of loving our families, and lead the unemployed to work that is right for them. Saint Joseph, pray for us. Amen.
One final note, if you wish to learn more about how devotion to St. Joseph can transform a life, please research Blessed Brother Andre. Wow!
Thank you St. Joseph for your extraordinary example. Bless us all, especially those in need of work and those who do not yet know your Son.
Thank you God for the graces granted to St. Joseph and Our Lady.
Good night and God Bless.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
I have a BIG devotion to St. Joseph. More on that another day, but this is a new- to- me prayer that I wanted to share with others who are, or hope to be, Happy to Be Catholics.
March, the month dedicated to St. Joseph, is the perfect time to meditate on the joys and sorrows of the humble, the just, the Glorious St. Joseph.
You can pour out your heart to wonderful St. Joseph. Ask him to present your prayers to Our Lord.
Miracles are waiting for you.
Devotion to St. Joseph will bring you closer to Our Lord and closer to Our Lady.
Devotion to St. Joseph will bring you closer to Our Lord and closer to Our Lady.
The thing about the Holy Family is – everything is focused on Jesus. And that is the way life should be.
Also, I say thank you to God the Father Almighty for the graces you have given to St. Joseph and Our Lady. That they corresponded to such unimaginable graces brings tears to my eyes. I am humbled and so very grateful to be able to learn about them and from them. And I thank you again that sinners like me are able to ask for their intercession. You are so good, Lord.
Good night and God Bless.
PS it is not too late to contact the Norbertine order and have your intentions included in the annual solemn novena to St. Joseph. (See yesterdays post for link)
The Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph
1. The Doubt of St. Joseph and the Angel’s Message
"Her husband Joseph, being a man of honor and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit’" (Mt 1:19-20).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
2. The Poverty of Jesus’ Birth and the Birth of the Savior
"And she gave birth to a son, her first-born. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them at the inn" (Lk 2:7).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
3. The Circumcision and the Holy Name of Jesus
"When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised" (Lk 2:21), "he named him Jesus" (Mt 1:25).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
4. The Prophecy of Simeon and the Effects of the Redemption
"Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected7" (Lk 2:34).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
5. The Flight into Egypt and the Overthrow of the Idols in Egypt
"So Joseph got up and, taking the child and his mother with him, left that night for Egypt" (Mt 2:14). "That day, there will be an altar to Yahweh in the centre of the land of Egypt and, close to the frontier, a pillar to Yahweh" (Is 19:19).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
6. The Return from Egypt and Life with Jesus and Mary in Nazareth
"But when he learnt that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as ruler of Judea, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the region of Galilee" (Mt 2:22). "When they had done everything that the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And as the child grew to maturity he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favor was with him" (Lk 2:39-40).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
7. The Loss of the Child Jesus and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple
"When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere. Three days later, they found him in the Temple sitting among the doctors, listening to them and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies" (Lk 2:45-47) (7).
Our Father. Hail Mary. Glory Be.
St. John shows us that the people asked, "Surely this is Jesus son of Joseph ... we know his father and mother" (Jn 6:42). O Blessed St. Joseph, who labored unselfishly through love to nurture the Son of God and Son of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We humbly implore:
Intercede with our Lord Jesus Christ, to assist us with His Divine grace; to follow the loving example of the Holy Family and live in peace and harmony within our own households.
Let us pray
Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may our family life be a reflection of your household at Nazareth. Help me to be able to say ‘I love you’ to each member of my family. Let Jesus’ pure love be in all my actions (2 Jn 6; 1 Cor 1:4; 1 Jn 3:18). May I never go to sleep harboring anger or unforgiveness towards them! Help me to see in all of them the presence of Jesus, especially when there is pain, division and lack of peace (1 Cor 8:11-12; Lk 7:47; Mt 18:22).
O Family of Jesus, with the guardian angels, watch over my family. Protect us from all evil influences and harm. Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, so adored by the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the most chaste heart of St. Joseph, reign always in my heart and in the hearts of my loved ones. Amen
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
To Honor a Most Glorious Saint
Saint Joseph.
Head of the Holy Family.
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Protector, provider and foster-father to Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The bible tells us that Joseph was a just man.
Not just a man. A just man.
Various definitions of just tell us that means Joseph was 'fair, upright and honest'. Another definition says that just means 'free from self-interest'.
That makes alot of sense to me. Joseph put God first. Joseph put Jesus' and Mary's interests ahead of his own.
Yet another definition of just is 'of moral excellence'. Very likely some understatement here. At least by what modern society deems moral excellence.
For God the Father to ordain Joseph to fulfil the role of earthly father to His Only Son, nothing short of moral excellence would do.
He was the spouse of the Immaculate Conception. He held the Infant Jesus. He loved them, and protected them, prayed with them, worked and laughed with them. He knew as no other humans have had the opportunity to know Our Lord and Our Lady.
So he was not just a man.
St. Joseph was a just man.
And we should honor him for it.
The March 19th feast day of St. Joseph approaches, commemorated by an annual solemn novena held at the National Shrine of St. Joseph. The Shrine is located in DePere, WI, in care of the Norbertine Order. If you would like petitions delivered for the novena, please contact the Norbertines at
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