St. Joseph, the Worker

Today is the feast of St. Joseph the worker. A feast introduced in 1955 by Pope Pius X11 to counteract  Labour day which had socialist and communist overtones. It was to highlight the sanctifying notion of work. No better man than St. Joseph to do this – he who  worked in the home of Nazareth in the company of Jesus and Mary.

See this beautiful statue of St. Joseph which came to us from the Delgany Carmel and notice the white lily in his hand. It was skilfully crafted on to his staff by one of the Vietnamese sisters who lived with us for some time. In their country they appeal to St. Joseph in their every need and they urged us to pray to him for the gift of new vocations. They even translated the prayer they say into English for us! Now we say it after Mass for some years and with good results!

Our great St. Teresa had enormous devotion to St. Joseph and named many of her monasteries after him.

Let her words about him sink into your heart!

 I took for my Advocate and Lord the glorious St. Joseph and earnestly recommended myself to him. I don’t recall up to this day ever having petitioned him for anything that he failed to grant. It is an amazing thing the great many favours God has granted me through the mediation of this blessed saint, the dangers I was freed from both of body and soul. For with other saints the Lord has given them grace to be of help in one need, whereas  with this glorious saint I have experience that he helps in all our needs and that the Lord wants us to understand that just as he was subject to St. Joseph on earth, so in heaven God does whatever he commands.

St. Joseph , the just  and silent man of the Gospels who took care of Jesus and Mary – let him take care of  each of us too and all we love in our every need.

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