St. Joseph the Just

To thee, 0 Blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our afflictions, and having implored the help of thy thrice-holy Spouse, we now, with hearts filled with confidence, earnestly beg thee also to take us under thy protection.

By that charity wherewith thou wert united to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by that fatherly love by which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus from the depths of thy heart, we beseech thee and we humbly pray that thou wouldst look down with gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His Blood and will succor us in our need by thy power and strength.

Defend, 0 most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this our battle with the powers of darkness, and even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the perils of His life, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity.

Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, following thy example and strengthened by thy help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen. ~

St. Joseph, Friend of the Sacred Heart, pray for us.

St. Joseph, Foster Father of the Son of God, pray for us.

St. Joseph, Defender of the Family, pray for us.

St. Joseph, Protector of Holy Mother Church, pray for us.

+++

From the APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION :  REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS
OF THE SUPREME PONTIFF JOHN PAUL II
ON THE PERSON AND MISSION OF SAINT JOSEPH
IN THE LIFE OF CHRIST AND OF THE CHURCH

MARRIAGE TO MARY: In response to what is clearly the plan of God, with the passing of days and weeks Mary’s “pregnancy” is visible to the people and to Joseph; she appears before them as one who must give birth and carry within herself the mystery of motherhood.3. In these circumstances, “her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly” (Mt 1:19).

He did not know how to deal with Mary’s “astonishing” motherhood. He certainly sought an answer to this unsettling question, but above all he sought a way out of what was for him a difficult situation. “But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'” (Mt 1:20-21).

“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (cf. Mt 1:24). He took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her together with the Son who had come into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way he showed a readiness of will like Mary’s with regard to what God asked of him through the angel.

THE GUARDIAN OF THE MYSTERY OF GOD: One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation…5. Therefore he became a unique guardian of the mystery “hidden for ages in God” (Eph 3:9), as did Mary.

Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to Mary, he shares in this final phase of God’s self-revelation in Christ and he does so from the very beginning. Looking at the gospel texts of both Matthew and Luke, one can also say that Joseph is the first to share in the faith of the Mother of God and that in doing so he supports his spouse in the faith of the divine annunciation.

THE SERVICE OF FATHERHOOD: 7. As can be deduced from the gospel texts, Joseph’s marriage to Mary is the juridical basis of his fatherhood. It was to assure fatherly protection for Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary’s spouse. It follows that Joseph’s fatherhood – a relationship that places him as close as possible to Christ, to whom every election and predestination is ordered (cf. Rom 8:28-29) – comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family.

WORK AS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE: 22. Work was the daily expression of love in the life of the Family of Nazareth. The Gospel specifies the kind of work Joseph did in order to support his family: he was a carpenter.

24. What is crucially important here is the sanctification of daily life, a sanctification which each person must acquire according to his or her own state, and one which can be promoted according to a model accessible to all people: “St. Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies;…he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need of great things-it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.”