Meet the Ultimate Dad
St. Joseph is one of those holy men often overlooked because he is not mentioned very often in the Bible. However, God gave him one of the most important tasks of any human being: to be the foster father of Jesus!
He wasn’t blood relation to Jesus, but Joseph was Jesus’ father in every other way. He raised Jesus, protected Him, gave Him a home, and guarded Him while He grew up. And to top it all off, Joseph doesn’t really get much credit for this!
Basically, Joseph is the ultimate dad: He gives his life to the service of his family, and does so with a quiet humility, not wanting any recognition.
As we honored our own fathers yesterday on Father’s Day, I’d like us to take a moment to reflect on what St. Joseph, the ultimate dad, can teach us. What can we learn about this simple, humble man who raised Jesus? And how can we implore his intercession today?
Lessons from Joseph
Joseph was a normal human being, born with original sin just like you and me. However, God called him to lead the Holy Family. His wife and Son were sinless, yet they still honored and obeyed Joseph as the head of their household.
Can you imagine that? How humbling it must have been for Joseph to raise the Son of God, watching Christ obey and learn from him, a mere human being!!!
Joseph wasn’t a rich man, but what he lacked in money he made up in virtue. He did everything in his power to protect Christ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. God chose Joseph to be the earthly father of Jesus because He knew Joseph had the virtue, humility, and patience to raise the Son of God.
Through his example, Joseph shows us what true, selfless love looks like.
“St. Joseph is a role model who teaches that the contemplative and active life must be blended and harmonized; that love is not the same as romantic daydreams, but must be enfleshed in a life of self-sacrifice and service to others that unfolds in the circumstances of the real world and in the profoundly human context of marriage and family.” -Excerpt from the 31 Day St. Joseph Novena booklet.
Joseph is one of the best examples of a human being carrying out his vocation with complete humility, self-sacrifice, and love.
He’s relatable because he’s been where we are. He struggled to make ends meet, questioned God’s will in his life, and faced challenges raising his family. Yet, through it all, he remembered it was not about Him, but about his wife and Child whom he was protecting.
Joseph teaches us that our lives should not be about fulfilling selfish desires and self-seeking ambitions, but about selfless love and service of those around us.
Why We Should All Have a Devotion to Him
While we can ask for the intercession of St. Joseph at any time, the Catholic Church has named him the patron saint of a happy death, patron saint of families, patron saint of the Church, and patron saint of workers. Basically, St. Joseph is a patron saint for wherever you are in life!
Many great saints have also spoke of how special a devotion to St. Joseph is.
St. Teresa of Avila once said, “Would that I could persuade all men to be devoted to this glorious Saint [St. Joseph], for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God. I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue: for he helps in a special way those souls who commend themselves to him.”
Famous philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church Thomas Aquinas also spoke of why everyone should have a devotion to Christ’s earthly father.
“Some Saints are privileged to extend to us their patronage with particular efficacy in certain needs, but not in others; but our holy patron St. Joseph has the power to assist us in all cases, in every necessity, in every undertaking.” – St. Thomas Aquinas
Whether you are working, raising a family, figuring out your vocation, or have a loved one who is dying, St. Joseph has been through it all and wants to help you through it, too. Being able to ask St. Joseph for his help in heaven is like having a friend up there praying for you constantly, and who wouldn’t want that?!?
How To Start Asking for Joseph’s Help
There are many different devotions to St. Joseph we can use to ask for his intercession. Some of them include the St. Joseph scapular, St. Joseph chaplet, several different novenas, and many daily prayers.
However, my personal favorite devotion to St. Joseph, which I’ve used during especially difficult times in my life or when I needed extra prayers for a specific intention, is the 31 Day Novena to St. Joseph. Every time I’ve prayed it for a specific intention, it has not only given me clarity, but also just a peace in knowing that whatever happens, it will be the Lord’s will.
During some of my most difficult times, St. Joseph has been like a dad up there in heaven for me. He comforted me and helped show me the way, just like he did with his own family over 2,000 years ago.
As we honor our own fathers, I hope we don’t forget about Jesus’ earthly father and remember that he is also a father to us in heaven. He wants to help us, so why don’t we let him?
St. Joseph, pray for us!
From the depths of my soul,
Josie
