St. Joseph’s feast day is here and if you’re not devoted to the powerful intercessor, you could be missing out on some special privileges.
St. Joseph is the master of the interior life. He’s the “Chaste Guardian of the Virgin.” His purity, poverty and exemplary fatherhood terrify Satan!
God singled him out and chose him to protect his most precious treasures, Jesus and Mary. The brave saint carried out his mission prayerfully, obediently, bravely and joyfully.
“There he [St. Joseph] adored him in profoundest humility and in tears of joy. He kissed his feet in great joy and admiration ...”
Venerable Mary of Agreda, a mystic nun, gives us an intimate look at the Nativity in her book The Mystical City of God, where she describes beautifully St. Joseph’s reaction at first seeing the Divine Child resting in the Blessed Virgin Mary’s arms.
In the Litany of St. Joseph, a person can learn more about the humble saint’s character with every title recited — “Mirror of Patience,” “Pillar of Families” and “Terror of Demons,” to name a few.
St. Joseph obediently served God. He denied himself daily and poured out all his love for God’s Glory — and Jesus rewarded him for it.
As St. Joseph was dying, Mary asked Jesus to assist his father. In Mary of Agreda’s account, Jesus agreed, saying:
I will now assist him and will assign him a place among the princes of my people (Psalm 115:15), so high that he will be the admiration of the angels and will cause them and all men to break forth in highest praise. With none of the human born shall I do as with thy spouse.”
Jesus has placed St. Joseph in a high place in heaven.
The Blessed Virgin revealed to Venerable Mary of Ágreda of “certain privileges conferred upon St. Joseph by the Most High on account of his great holiness, which are especially important to those who ask his intercession in a proper manner. In virtue of these special privileges the intersession of St. Joseph is most powerful ...”
- First, for attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh.
- Second, for procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God.
- Third, for increasing the love and devotion to most holy Mary.
- Fourth, for securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour.
- Fifth, for filling the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients.
- Sixth, for gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties.
- Seventh, for securing issue of children in families.
So how does a person benefit from these privileges?
Father Calloway says an appropriate place to start is by consecrating oneself to St. Joseph. He was the spiritual father of Christ. By consecrating oneself, a person places his trust in the saint and asks him to make him another Joseph for Jesus.
It is fitting to ask St. Joseph to come to our aid in living a virtuous life, especially in a time when fatherhood and motherhood are under constant attack by a society that unapologetically urges people to be individualistic to the point of selfishness.
St. Joseph’s Feast Day is March 19, but in 2023, it is observed on March 20.
St. Joseph, pray for us!