Happy Feast of Joseph the Worker!
OK, OK, it's a day late, but I was sick yesterday and away from the 'puter all day. So, happy Feast of Joseph the Worker! :-P
I love how the month of May, dedicated to our Blessed Mother, kicks off with a feast day for her Holy Husband! :-) Since this feast focuses on Joseph and his labors to support the Holy Family, here's a spiffy work-related prayer, by Pope St. Pius X, to him:
Glorious St. Joseph, model of all who
devote their lives to labor,
Obtain for me the grace to work
in the spirit of penance
in order thereby to atone
for my many sins.
To work conscientiously,
setting devotion to duty
in preference to my own whims.
To work with thankfulness and joy,
deeming it an honor to employ and
to develop by my labor
the gifts I have received from God.
To work with order, peace,
moderation, and patience,
without ever shrinking from
weariness and difficulties.
To work above all with a pure intention
and with detachment from self,
having always before my eyes
the hour of death and the accounting
which I must then render
of time ill spent, of talents wasted,
of good omitted, and
of vain complacency in success,
which is so fatal to the work of God.
All for Jesus, all through Mary,
all in imitation of you,
O Patriarch Joseph!
This shall be my motto in life
and in death. AMEN.
Labels: joseph, josephite, prayer
Now THAT'S a crown!
Check out
the headgear Joseph is sportin'. Finally, something fitting for the Virginal Father of Our Lord! :-D
Labels: joseph, josephite
Happy Feast of Joseph, Husband of Mary!
In honor of this splendid day, I've shared some great quotes below on why devotion to the Holy Husband of our Blessed Mother is so important, and the benefits gained from such a devotion.
If you'd like more Josephy goodness,
here are all my Joseph posts.
"Devotion to St. Joseph is inseparable from devotion to Mary: 'What God has joined together no one should separate' (Mt. 19:6) is what Christ himself said, alluding to the indissolubility of the marriage bond. And it is expressly on record in the Gospel that Joseph was 'the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, called Christ' (Mt. 1:16). It is impossible to have a deep and authentic devotion to Mary without also feeling a very special veneration for her virgin husband St. Joseph."
~ Fr. A. Royo Marín, OP;
La Virgen María. Teología y espiritualidad marianas* * *
"The evolution of devotion to St. Joseph is in reality another facet of devotion to Mary. Probing more deeply into Joseph's mission leads us to know more deeply the greatness of Mary. St. Joseph's position in relation to Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, stems from his position with regard to Mary, Mother of the Redeemer. The parallel holds true also for Mary and Jesus. The better we know Mary, the better we will know her Son, from whom she derives all her dignity and whom she reflects so faithfully. Pope Benedict XV clearly expressed this idea: 'By St. Joseph we are led directly to Mary, and by Mary to the fountain of all holiness, Jesus Christ, who sanctified the domestic virtues by his obedience to St. Joseph and Mary.' "
~ by Br. John M. Samaha, SM; "
Like Wife, Like Husband"
* * *
"St. Joseph is necessarily a part of true devotion to Mary. She will not be honored as she should be until Joseph is honored. Consequently, neither will her Son be sufficiently worshipped and loved. ... By offering all to St. Joseph, it may not seem that we are offering any more service to God than when we simply offered all to Jesus through Mary. A thing cannot be more total than total but it can be more. For example, two glasses may be full but one is larger than the other. This devotion to St. Joseph makes the glass larger, in a sense. He does this because he makes what we offer to Jesus and Mary worth more by enhancing it with his merits.
"... Just as perfect devotion to Mary leads us securely to Jesus, so also this devotion to St. Joseph leads us securely to Mary and the practice of perfect devotion to her. He cannot hinder her in the least. Everything about him points to Mary and through her to the Child. In looking at him, we will always find ourselves at once before the feet of the Child and His Mother. At once the devil will flee, for as the Litany says, Joseph is the terror of demons. Also, with St. Joseph, there is an even greater safety from heresy. For a true knowledge of him causes us to have a great reverence for the Magisterium of the Church and the Holy Father, the successor of Peter."
~ Dominic De Domenico, OP;
True Devotion to St. Joseph and the Church: The Doctrinal Basis and Practice of Total Consecration Through St. Joseph and the Church* * *
"In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together.
"Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men."
~ Pope Leo XIII,
Quamquam Pluries ("On Devotion to St. Joseph"), 1889
Labels: joseph, josephite, josephology
Happy Feast of the Espousals of Joseph & Mary!
While not on the Church's universal calendar, the Feast of the Espousals -- customarily celebrated on 23 January -- has been observed as a particular feast in various forms since 1416, and it's a splendid way to honor the sanctity of marriage, so perfectly embodied in Mary and Joseph's union. Given the continued attacks on marriage and family all around us, meditating on the very real marriage of these Holy Spouses is especially valuable.
Studying the history of this feast -- and so many devotions and movements associated with Joseph -- tickles me to no end, since yet again, Franciscans play a role in its development! (Everywhere you look, Franciscans!) You can read
a detailed history here; I've quoted some bits below:
"During the twentieth century the Feast of the Espousals on January 23 continued to be found in more particular calendars: St. Mary Major Basilica in Rome, 1913; Marello's Oblates of St. Joseph, 1921; the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada, 1940; and Murialdo's Congregation of St. Joseph, 1946. ... In Vienna, Austria, the Piarist Church of the Espousals, which includes a Corradini sculpture of Mary and Joseph being blessed by the high priest, was named a minor basilica in 1949.
"In 1961 the Sacred Congregation of Rites issued an instruction that removed from particular calendars numerous particular feasts, including the Feast of the Espousals of Mary and St. Joseph, except in places where the feasts have a special connection with the place itself. In the post Vatican II period of liturgical renewal, the feast is again being permitted for particular liturgical calendars. In 1989, for example, the Oblates of St. Joseph obtained permission to celebrate on January 23 "The Holy Spouses Mary and Joseph" with the liturgical rank of "Feast," and full proper texts, including a preface:
" 'You give the Church the joy of celebrating the feast of the Holy Spouses, Mary and Joseph: in her, full of grace and worthy Mother of your Son, you signify the beginning of the Church, resplendently beautiful bride of Christ; you chose him, the wise and faithful servant, as Husband of the Virgin Mother of God, and made him head of your family, to guard as a father your only Son, conceived by the work of the Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, our Lord.' "
~ from "Liturgical Feasts of St. Joseph in the 19th and 20th Centuries", by Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ in Saint Joseph Studies (Fr. Larry M. Toschi, OSJ; Editor)
Labels: joseph, josephite, liturgy, marian, mary
Joseph-i-licious book fun
Husband Mike and I rarely buy books, 'cause we prefer to just check 'em out from the library. It's cheaper, saves space, and gives us an excuse to hang out at our spiffy library. And on those occasions when we actually do pony up for a book, we've usually read the sucker first to make sure it's Something We Really Want To Own.
However, when it comes to Josephological books, well, I'm a bit more willing to flat-out buy 'em sight unseen, and the Oblates of St. Joseph's
Guardian of the Redeemer Bookstore is The place to go. Since it's been months since my last Joseph fix, I've been gettin' twitchy, so I just placed an order for 3 promising-looking titles:
Family of St. Joseph Prayer Manualby the Oblates of St. Joseph
Joseph in the New Testamentby Fr. Larry Toschi, OSJ
Just Man, Husband of Mary, Guardian of Christ: An Anthology of Readings from Jeronimo Gracian's Summary of the Excellencies of St. Joseph (1597)by Joseph F. Chorpenning, OSFS
Of these, I'm most drooling over the last one (
Just Man ...). The
book reviews/descriptions I've read have got me excited -- for example, "Joseph Chorpenning not only gives us a brilliant translation of Gracin's book, but his own commentaries, following each of the chapters, make use of all the major books on St. Joseph from the 16th century to the present."
:::swoon::: And it's got nifty illustrations!
So, everything shipped out yesterday, and I'm on pins 'n' needles awaitin' their arrival. Mebbe I'll post a few reviews once I get my mitts on 'em and have time to digest it all. :-)
Labels: books, joseph, josephite, josephology
CFotD: Two nifty Joseph-related groups
Cool Find of the Day #1:Pious Union of St. Joseph
"All members ardently honor St. Joseph on March 19th and every Wednesday. Daily, we pray our prayer, suffering, sacrifice and good deeds for suffering and dying people."
Membership is free, and they publish a bimonthly pastoral magazine,
Now and at the Hour, which fosters devotion to St. Joseph. My only complaint about their site (not the group itself) is that on most every page is an "under construction" message.
Cool Find of the Day #2:St. Joseph's Workers for Life and Family
"Promotes and defends the sanctity of life and family in accordance with the Faith and teaching authority of the Roman Catholic Church through prayer and education."
Wowzers! Ooodles and oodles of pro-life resources everywhere you look! This Canadian-based organization also has a lot of great stuff on the theology of the body.
Most impressive.
Labels: cfotd, joseph, josephite
