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Saint Joseph
Husband of Mary, Foster Father of Jesus
Patron Saint of :
Symbols: Infant Jesus, monstrance, chalice, cross, lamb, Bible, ladder, tools, dove, lily, rod, plane, carpenter's square Appointed by God to be the husband of Mary and the father of The Life Of Saint Joseph Saint Joseph exemplifies a father’s presence as a teacher, a trustworthy man of faith, and a man whose faith inspires others to grow in confidence and wisdom. St Joseph " shines among all mankind " and approaches nearer than any other saint to the holiness of the Mother of God. Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary the Mother of God. He was a carpenter by trade, who lived in Nazareth. Before they were married, Saint Joseph learned that Mary was with child and wondered what to do.
Shortly later, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Everyone had to return to his or her own town to register. So Saint Joseph was required to return to his ancestral town, Bethlehem, travelling from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea and on to Bethlehem the town of David, as he belonged to the royal house and line of David. Nazareth is an almost five-day journey north of Bethlehem and the journey was very long and difficult over hilly terrain and rough pathways but it was very important that they register before the birth of Jesus. Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem to fulfil the prophecy of Scripture: " And you oh Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least amongst the rulers of Judah for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel. " Matthew 2:4-6 This meant hardship for Mary, given her condition and with no other means of travel, Joseph saddled a donkey to take Mary. Joseph walked over hundreds of miles beside the donkey, controlling and leading it and taking precious care for Mary's safety.
Saint Joseph being a carpenter, taught Jesus the craft; thus, he taught Jesus how to work in the world. And we know that Jesus learned from him, because Jesus was obedient to him. Luke 2:51 Saint Joseph was a righteous man. Matthew 1:19 He was also a man of faith obeying the messages and instructions without question or hesitation according to the Will of God. Mt 2:13-15; Mt 2:19-23
“ Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? ” We know that Jesus grew in self-confidence under Saint Joseph’s guidance: the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. Luke 2:40; see also Luke 2:52 Thus Saint Joseph’s role as father was to prepare Jesus to serve His Heavenly Father. And this is all foreshadowed by this event which represents the symbolic separation of the Child from the mother by the Father. Thus, to achieve this separation, Saint Joseph served as father until Jesus was prepared Himself to serve the Heavenly Father.
As a saint in Heaven he still acts as a husband and father to his family - the Church, and will intercede for us on many occasions. He is invoked for aid in selling homes, for help to the poor, support and protection of fathers and families and is the Patron of many countries. In 1870, Pope Pius IX declared him Patron of the Universal Church. Saint Joseph The Husband On the one hand Mary needed to be married to protect her reputation and the Son of God needed to be born into a normal human family. Jesus needed a father who would cherish Him, love Him, care for Him and bring Him up. Therefore, the Holy Spirit predestined Joseph and prepared him to be the worthy partner in this marriage. The unique nature of this marriage helps us to understand the fatherhood of Joseph.God asked Joseph for his consent to marry Mary before bringing Jesus into the course of history. “Joseph, have no fear about taking Mary as your wife. It is by the Holy Spirit she has conceived this Child...and Joseph received her into his home.” And with her, the fruit of her womb (Mt 1:20,24). Joseph’s consent is the key to the very meaning of Joseph’s fatherhood. The Holy Spirit, in giving Mary a child, “raised up” Joseph... thus making Jesus, Joseph’s heir by analogy to Levirat Joseph was husband to Mary in a love that was truly born of God – a love that was both chaste and celibate, that is to say, consecrated by God. This love was also fruitful in that it expressed the Fatherhood of God in a truly human way. Although Jesus had no human father, the Paternal Love of God the Father for His only Begotten Son was shown in the human love of Joseph. Saint Joseph The Father
Joseph a carpenter by profession certainly must have taught the growing lad the trade. Thus Jesus’ life as a child and adolescent was strongly marked by the instruction and education given to Him by the saintly Joseph, for, as Scripture points out, Jesus, like a good Son, obeyed His parents in everything. Joseph was father, protector, provider and formator of the Holy Family. By this one example we need to realize that Joseph is the real formator of us all. St Bernard says that the interpretation of the name ‘Joseph’ which means augmentation - made greater, should convince us of what manner of man he must have been. His name was the first to be listened to by the Infant Jesus and thus listed in His subconscious when in the arms of His foster father, even as Mary probably repeated it in her daily salutation. Saint Joseph The Man After the name of Jesus and that of Mary Queen of Heaven and earth, what other name can assure us of a more efficacious protection than that of the head of the Holy Family, St Joseph! It inspires confidence in the Christian soul, and is a source of abundant graces. Is it not sweeter than honey in the mouth and pleasanter to the ear than the most melodious music? Yes, this venerated name possesses strength and virtue akin to that of the adorable names of Jesus and Mary. It consoles us in our afflictions, enlightens us in our doubts, defends us against the enemies of our salvation, supports us at the dreaded hour of death, and opens to us the gates of Heaven: Joseph, the name under the shield of which no one is permitted to lose courage of to despair! What a wonderful formator we have in Saint Joseph, who renders us unconditional support to meet the Lord and Master with great joy and Joseph understood well the separation from God when Jesus was lost for three days and later found in the temple. So too he understands our plight in the worst consequence of sin - when we are separated from God. Because of this he has been given a special power of intercession in helping the sinner to find Christ and in helping saints to grow in holiness and in the knowledge of the Cross. By his very life and suffering Saint Joseph is truly the Patron of the Interior Life. Isidore of Iselamo pointed to the Saint’s outstanding virtues: “ J - for Justice O - for Obedience S - for Silence E - for Experience P - for Prudence H - for Humility He possesses all the virtues of being ‘just”.
With great courage and fidelity Joseph fulfilled his mission. It was in order to correspond with God’s designs that he endured the hardships of poverty, the sorrow of exile and that he offered the labour of his hands, the sweat of his brow and his whole life. Truly may it be said that his motto was: All for Jesus and Mary! He protected them, fed them, and saved them – at Bethlehem, in Egypt and at Nazareth. In his time he fulfilled his allotted task so well that today the Church calls him faithful husband, father and servant. Excerpts from: St Joseph The Silent Missionary, Fulgence Hurhuria SSP. (Available in Novena Book Store) Devotion to Joseph is universal, because he is a model for all Christians. He has left for all men the perfect legacy to imitate as a husband, a father, a worker, and a consecrated virgin, with a priestly heart. MEMORARE Remember, most pure spouse of Mary ever Virgin, my loving protector Saint Joseph, that no one ever had recourse to your protection or asked for your aid without obtaining relief. Confiding, therefore, in your goodness, I come before you and humbly implore you. Despise not my petitions, foster-father of the Redeemer, but graciously receive them. Amen.
Prayer To St. Joseph In Time of Need To you, O blessed Joseph, do we fly in our tribulation, and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse, we confidently invoke your patronage also. Through that charity which bound you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and braced the Child Jesus, we humbly beseech you graciously to regard the inheritance, which Jesus Christ has purchased by His Blood, and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities. O most watchful Guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ; O most loving father, ward off from us every contagion of error and corrupting influence; O our most mighty protector, be propitious to us and from heaven assist us in this our struggle with the power of darkness; and, as once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now protect God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity; shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your aid, we may be able to live piously, and to die holily, and to obtain eternal happiness in Heaven. Amen. Prayer To St. Joseph Patron Of A Happy Death O great and good St Joseph, chaste spouse of Immaculate Mary, and guardian of the Word Incarnate, we place ourselves with confidence under thy protection, and beg of thee to teach us to practise the virtues of the Child Jesus. We thank God for the singular favours He was pleased to bestow upon thee, and we earnestly desire to become pure, and humble, and patient, like unto thee. Pray then, for us, St Joseph, and through that love which thou hast for Jesus and Mary, and which they have for thee, obtain for us the invaluable blessing of living and dying in the love of Jesus, Mary, and thee. Amen. Holy Joseph, patron of a happy death, pray for us.
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" Joseph was a man who always did what was right, and did not want to disgrace Mary publicly so he planned to break off the engagement privately. While he was thinking about this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife. For it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived. She will have a Son and you will name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins'. " Matthew 1: 19-21 
And he did as he was told and married Mary. 
When they were in Bethlehem the time came for Mary to have the Child and Joseph went in search, knocking at door after door but he could not find a place for Mary to rest. There was no bed, no cradle, no simple comforts and thus our Messiah was born in perfect humility, in a lowly stable, and our beloved Mother of God wrapped Him in swaddling cloths and placed Him in a manger. Joseph must have contemplated the Infant God with transports of joy!
To fulfil the Mosaic law, the firstborn had to be presented to the Lord God when the Child was eight days old. This was to be done in the Temple in Jerusalem. And so they had to travel to Jerusalem to offer the Infant Jesus to our Heavenly Father, taking with them whatever was required, a pair of turtle doves or a pair of pigeons to offer in sacrifice. Hearing the prophecies of Simeon and Anna, Saint Joseph must have held on to the Infant closely in his arms, knowing Jesus would undergo suffering and death and be raised, knowing that the whole of humankind would then be raised. And all this Mary would experience in her life-time. The prophecies must have left both Joseph and Mary disturbed. The Holy Family then returned to Nazareth.
After many years of exile, an angel appeared to Saint Joseph, " Get up, take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel for those who were seeking the Child's life are dead. " Matthew 2:20 So Joseph took his family and settled down in Nazareth at Galilee and so the prophecy " He will be called a Nazarene " was fulfilled according to the Scriptures.
Not much else is known about Saint Joseph; the 30 years between the Nativity and the beginning of Jesus' travelling and teaching are called 'The Hidden Years'. The only other event the Bible tells us about the Child Jesus' life and about Saint Joseph is in the Finding in the Temple, when Jesus was missing for three days and finally Joseph and Mary found Him in the Temple teaching the scribes and elders. The story of The Boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52), when, at the age of twelve, Jesus declares to Mary, 
Because Scripture makes no mention of Joseph during the public ministry of Christ ,except when making reference to Joseph as the father of Jesus, tradition asserts that Joseph died (probably shortly) before the beginning of Christ’s public ministry. Tradition speaks of Joseph dying in the presence of Jesus and Mary. For this very reason then, the Church has declared Saint Joseph to be the Pa
tron of a Happy Death.
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It is clear in the Gospels, that he brought up Jesus well, teaching Him the prayers that every male over twelve ought to know; prayers which every faithful Israelite prayed daily at home, in the temple and in the Synagogue.
happiness!
