By Kristine Schroeder
Lessons Learned
On Dec. 8, 2020, to Dec. 8, 2021, Pope Francis decreed a year of St. Joseph for the Catholic Church. This was the culmination of 150 years of the Church promoting St. Joseph after nearly 1,800 years of quiet reverence. Why now? There are a plethora of reasons but in his book, “The Consecration of St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father,” Donald H. Calloway, MIC offers an explanation.
Calloway states that although marriage and family have always been Satan’s target, now more than ever these pillars of society have been assaulted with a barrage of untruths and confusion. He continues, “Today, there is a worldwide spiritual and moral famine. Souls are dying; hearts are broken; marriages are ruined; lives are destroyed; children are murdered in the womb; and truth and common sense are in short supply.”
To counter such moral decay, Calloway suggests the world needs re-evangelized, even those who are Christian, and St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and our spiritual father, is precisely the person to help turn the tide.
Calloway reminds us that in the Old Testament, when the people of Egypt were under siege of famine, they were told, “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you” (Genesis 41:55). By storing up grain in years of abundance, that Joseph saved all of Egypt from starvation and provided them, including his brothers who sold him into slavery, with life-sustaining bread.
Joseph of the Old Testament was the precursor to the foster father of Christ. Joseph of the New Testament protected and saved Jesus, our life-giving bread, from Herod’s threat of death. Because of him, we can experience a spiritual feast rather than famine.
With the exception of Mary, who is in a category all her own, Calloway sites a multitude of Popes, Doctors of the Church, and saints who recognize St. Joseph as the saint above all other saints, St. Gregory Nazianzen wrote of him, “The Almighty has concentrated in St. Joseph, as in a Sun of unrivaled luster, the combined light and spirit of all the saints.”
It is inconceivable that the Almighty would choose one of less than sterling character to be Jesus’ father on earth. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade said, “Consider that the Holy Spirit chose only Joseph to be the protector of the Blessed Virgin, to be her true husband, and consequently, no created being can equal the glory of this great saint.” The Holy Spirit then imbued St. Joseph with all of His gifts: knowledge, understanding, counsel, fortitude, piety, fear of the Lord and wisdom.
On earth, St. Joseph was the Holy Family’s provider, protector and spiritual leader. In heaven, he is available to do the same for us. We are his family, and he wants nothing more than to lead us to Mary and to Jesus. While no spoken words of his were ever recorded in the Bible, we do know that in recent Church approved apparitions at Fatima and Knock, Ireland, Joseph has appeared.
St. Joseph’s greatest title may be Patron and Protector of the Universal Church. However, he has many others: Patron of the Dying, Comforter of the Afflicted, Pillar of Families, Model of Workman, Mirror of Patience and Terror of Demons. It has been said that except for Mary, the devil fears Joseph more than any other saint and even more than he fears the pope.
It is not a coincidence that St. Joseph has come to the forefront in the last 150 years. God’s plan is flawless, and St. Joseph has always been a part of it. St. Joseph never failed to do what God ask of him. He trusted God implicitly even when it required him to travel long distances with a very pregnant wife or to leave everything behind in the middle of the night and flee to Egypt to save the Son of Man.
However, I believe that God has thrust St. Joseph into the limelight now because our world is clamoring for a perfect male model of humility, truth, perseverance, wisdom, righteousness, courage and obedience. St. Joseph’s intercession can aid us in any circumstance.
Read Father Calloway’s book. Then, “Go to St. Joseph and do whatever he tells you!”