The Resurrection
Blessed Be God! Our Sweet Savior is risen from the dead! Happily, I believe this, St. Joseph. Theological Faith makes it possible for me to know all those truths which are beyond the capacity of my senses. I am so grateful for this faith, while at the same time, painfully aware of how weak it is. Do I know that God is all powerful and all good? Do I really believe that He can and will take care of me and my loved ones better than I could do myself? If I do believe, you would never guess it by the way I live. Your faith, St. Joseph, is a thing of wonder and beauty. You knew and trusted — you depended upon the omniscience and omnipotence of the Divine Son, even as you taught and commanded Him! Help my unbelief.
The Ascension
I think your pure heart must have been overflowing with gratitude, St. Joseph, as you entered into Heaven with Jesus on Ascension Thursday. All through His hidden life you witnesses how He suffered from the indifference and disregard of so many men. Personal experience gives me some idea of what it is like to see a great person dishonored — to watch a noble man or woman, who should be loved, celebrated, listened to, and even served, treated with coldness or contempt. It is acutely painful to the soul. How full then your heart must have been as you saw the King of kings received into heaven amidst cheers and jubilation, with all the saints and angels praising and adoring His infinite majesty, worshipping Him with the Father and the Holy Ghost. Oh, St. Joseph, God is good! What is there for me to be troubled about? Grant me the wisdom to rejoice with you regardless of the sorrows of this exile.
The Descent of the Holy Ghost
Oh friend of the afflicted, what sights meet your eyes as you look down from Heaven upon the poor sinners of the world? They are lost and hungry, searching for purpose, light, and life. We implore your aid, great ruler of the King’s household. Surely now, more than ever, the Author of all good says to us: Go to Joseph. Do all that he shall say to you. With the Kings’s ring is upon your finger and His chain about your neck, bring all famished souls into that holy Storehouse where the Bread of Life may be found, the Catholic Church. Unite to her bosom those unhappy brethren who have broken away from her through heresy and schism. Bless our Holy Father the Pope, the bishops, and priests. And, dear St. Joseph, keep my own heart faithful to all the divinely revealed truths that never change!
The Assumption
Let us talk about eyes, ears, hands, and feet, St. Joseph. I want to understand and appreciate better how all these bodily members are used for good. Meditating on the glorious Assumption of your Spouse calls to mind the fact that bodies are meant to be sanctified — to cooperate with souls in loving and serving the good God. It is sweet to imagine your Holy Family living together in the house at Nazareth — the food you ate, the work you did. Perhaps Our Lady prepared something sweet for Jesus’ birthday every year. Were there summer evenings when the three of you would sit together outside and delight in watching the animals or listening to the birds? How gently you must have assisted Mary as She climbed upon and came down from the donkey’s back. Assist me, St. Joseph, in using my hands (and all the rest) to please our Heavenly Father!
The Coronation
In seeking to love and honor the glorious Queen of Heaven, I cannot think of any better way than to make myself your pupil, St. Joseph. It is sad how little I know this loving Mother to whom I belong. Teach me. I want to know Her, not as a lovely statue or picture, but as She is — as you know Her. What were Her tastes and skills while on Earth; what songs does She sing in Heaven? You who have always watched Her attentively and who know so intimately the workings of Her heart, please share with me what you have discovered. I desire to imitate Her virtues as you have learned to do. Let me join you in praising the Blessed Trinity through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, good St. Joseph.
Saint Joseph with the Christ Child, from the Chapelle Saint-Vincent-de-Paul in Paris. Photo credit: Guilhem Vellut from Paris, France, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
