Years ago, I attended a one day retreat that changed my spiritual life.
The priest leading the retreat was Fr. Clement Muchado, SOLT - who spoke passionately about an often neglected, but powerful intercessor…
St. Joseph.
Fr. Muchado encouraged us to pray for protection for our families under the protection of the Holy Cloak of St. Joseph. He told us St. Joseph is second only to Mary - do not underestimate his intercessory power!
Before that retreat I hardly ever prayed to St. Joseph, but afterward I was determined to start a regular devotion. I began praying for Our Lady to protect my family with her Holy Mantle, and St. Joseph to protect us with his Holy Cloak.
Do you pray for the intercession of St. Joseph? If not, let me convince you to start!
St. Joseph was chosen to be the head of the Holy Family - and protector of Our Lord and the Blessed Mother. St. Teresa of Avila said:
The Lord wants us to understand that just as he was subject to St. Joseph on earth — for since bearing the title of father, being the Lord’s tutor, Joseph
could give the child commands — so in heaven God does whatever he
commands.
From St. Thomas Aquinas:
It is true that the other saints enjoy great power in heaven, but they ask as
servants, and do not command as masters. Saint Joseph, to whose authority
Jesus was subject on earth, obtains what he desires from his kingly foster Son in heaven.
The Holy Family was singularly unique - Our Lady was given the special grace of being born without original sin, and Jesus was….of course, God.😊
But the guardian of the Holy Family - St. Joseph - was just an ordinary man (like us), living an extraordinary life, by the grace of God.
What better intercessor can we have?! He is someone who understands intimately our reality of living in the valley of tears.
From Genesis 41:55
When all the land of Egypt became hungry and the people cried to Pharaoh for food, Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.”
Ite ad Joseph…Go to Joseph!
This Latin phrase is inscribed at the world's largest shrine dedicated to St. Joseph, located in Quebec, Canada. The shrine was founded by St. Andre Bessette, and he would offer these words to comfort those struggling.
A reminder that like the Egyptians turned to the “first” Joseph, we can turn to our heavenly friend St. Joseph for all our needs.
Many saints in the history of the Church have also called us to have devotion to St. Joseph, here's a few: St. Bernard, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Gertrude, St. Bridget of Sweden, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Francis de Sales, St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Josemaria Escriva, St. John Paul II, and St. Andre Bessette.
So…did I convince you? Did you already have a devotion?
Reply to this email and let me know! I'd love to from you.
