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| St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus ~ 1625 ~ Guido Reni |
Our Heavenly Father chose Joseph of Nazareth to be the foster father of Jesus and the husband/protector of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Tradition tells us that Joseph was a carpenter. The first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew outlines the genealogy of Jesus—Joseph was a descendent of King David, through whose line the Messiah would come. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but not living with him, when the angel Gabriel came to her. Matthew tells us that “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.” (Matt 1:19) Several theories come up about this passage—one that Joseph had concerns, suspicions about Mary’s child and wanted her out of his life, but not subjected to stoning as would be her fate. Another one that seems to be more accurate indicates that Joseph believed himself unworthy to live with Mary and her child. Thomas Aquinas states “Joseph was minded to put away the Blessed Virgin not as suspected of fornication, but because in reverence for her sanctity, he feared to cohabit with her” ("Summa Theologica", III, q. 3, a. 3 ad 2). An angel appeared and told him to not be afraid to marry his betrothed. Joseph listened and obeyed.
Aquinas also discussed the necessity of the presence of Saint Joseph in the plan of the Incarnation for if Mary had not been married, the Jews would have stoned her and that in His youth Jesus needed the care and protection of a human father. ("The childhood of Christ") When Caesar demanded a census, forcing people to return to the land of their fathers to register, Joseph and Mary made the uncomfortable journey to Bethlehem—The City of David. It was from Bethlehem that the prophets foretold the birth of the Messiah (Micah 5:2) When Herod began his murderous rampage against the infant Hebrew boys, an angel again came to Joseph to warn him to get his Holy Family out of the country. The angel comes one more time after the death of Herod to have Joseph return the child and His mother back to Israel (Matt 2:13-23) The last time Scripture tells of St. Joseph is when the Boy Jesus is missing. The concerned parents search for their Son, only to find Him in the temple astounding the teachers.
St. Joseph is noted for his willingness to immediately get up and do what God told him to do, even when common sense or custom may have said otherwise.
Patronage:
Together with the Blessed Virgin Mary and Jesus, Joseph is one of the three members of the Holy Family. Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870, St. Joseph is considered the patron saint of a happy death[. Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death. He is one of the patrons of the Americas, as well as many individual Dioceses in the United States and throughout the world.
St. Joseph is also considered a patron families, fathers, expectant mothers, travelers, immigrants, emigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers,, and working people in general.
FEAST DAYS:
March 19, St. Joseph's Day, has been the principal feast day of St. Joseph in WesternChristianity [ since the tenth century,
In 1955 Pope Pius XII established the Feast of "St. Joseph the Worker", to be celebrated on 1 May. This date counteracts "May Day", a union, workers and socialists holiday and reflects Joseph's status as what many Catholics and other Christians consider the "patron of workers" and "model of workers." Catholic teachings and stories about or relating to Joseph and the Holy Family frequently stress his patience, persistence, and hard work as admirable qualities which believers should adopt.
