LOVE ST. JOSEPH, MASTER OF INTERIOR LIFE!
St. Joseph is the greatest saint after the Blessed Virgin Mary for they were the persons who loved Our Lord Jesus Christ most and had a profound and inseparable bond with Him.
This is the reason why we Catholics must always take him into account in our personal dealings with Jesus for St. Joseph has a lot to teach us and will help us how to talk, deal and love Our Lord Jesus Christ and Our Lady as well, in the same manner by which he did during his earthly life. As St. John Paul II said in his Encylical Redemptoris custos (Guardian of the Redeemer):
St. Joseph, the Guardian of the Redeemer, “took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing; he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body (Redemptoris Custos, 1).”
“Joseph and Mary are the summit from which holiness spreads over the earth. The Saviour began the work of salvation out of this virginal and sacred union (Redemptoris Custos, 7).”
“St Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises up to great destinies…he is the proof that in order to be a good and genuine follower of Christ, there is no need to do great things it is enough to have the common, simple and human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic” (Redemptoris Custos, 24).”
True enough, St. Josemaria call St. Joseph as the “teacher of Interior life”, that is, the divine life of the soul in its dealings with God. Let us then go to St. Joseph –“Ite ad Ioseph!− Spouse of the Virgin Mary, Foster father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Patron of the Universal Church so that through his intercession, our interior life would reach the heights of love and self-giving to God in the daily ordinary duties of family, work and social life. St. Teresa of Avila wrote:
“It is now very many years since I began asking him for something on his feast, and I always received it. If the petition was in any way amiss, he rectified it for my greater good.” “I know by experiencethat the glorious St. Joseph assists us generally in all necessities. I never asked him for anything which he did not obtain for me.”
St. Joseph had an intimate and continuous contact and union with Jesus and Mary throughout his years at their side. If we want to grow in our love for Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph will surely help us a lot.
“Saint Joseph, our father and lord, is a teacher of the interior life. Place yourself under his patronage and you’ll feel the effectiveness of his power.” St. Josemaria, The Way, n. 560
“Speaking of Saint Joseph in the book of her life, Saint Teresa says: ‘Whoever fails to find a Master to teach him how to pray, should choose this glorious Saint, and he will not go astray.’ This advice comes from an experienced soul. Follow it.” St. Josemaria, The Way, n. 561.
“Saint Joseph taught Jesus the lessons that every good Jewish father taught his son: lessons of a clean life and self-sacrifice, of human virtues, and of well-finished work offered to God; lessons of a temperate, just and upright life. Saint Joseph also teaches us who form a single Body with Christ. “In human life, Joseph was Jesus’ teacher in their daily contact, full of refined affection, glad to deny himself to take better care of Jesus. Isn’t that reason enough for us to consider this just man, this holy patriarch, in whom the faith of the Old Covenant comes to full fruition, as a master of interior life? Interior life is nothing but continual and direct conversation with Christ, so as to become one with him. And Joseph can tell us many things about Jesus. Therefore, never neglect devotion to him—Ite ad Ioseph: “Go to Joseph”—as Christian tradition puts it in the words of the Old Testament (Gen 41:55).’” – Lucas Mateo-Seco, Saint Josemaria and the Role of Saint Joseph in Christian Life.
PRAYER
Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any who implored your help and sought your intercession were left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power, I fly unto you, and beg your protection. Despise not, O foster-father of the Redeemer, my humble supplication but in your bounty hear and answer me. Amen.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
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