ST. JOSEPH, GUARDIAN OF THE DIVINE CHILD AND FIGURE OF THE PRIEST
Greetings, Family!
On March 19, during this most holy season of Lent, Holy Mother Church celebrates the great Solemnity of St. Joseph, foster-father of Jesus and husband of Mary, ever-Virgin. St. Joseph's great role as guardian of the Divine Child is a profound and awe-inspiring mystery. For a creature to be entrusted with the care and protection of his Creator is a thought that is unfathomable, yet, like the priest, Joseph was given this very task. During His earthly life, Jesus subjected himself entirely to Joseph and Mary in all things. "And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them" (Lk 2:51).
It is a very efficacious meditation to meditate on Jesus' hidden life with Joseph and Mary. The great saint of the Eucharist, St. Peter Julian Eymard, speaks beautifully of this hidden life:
"(Jesus) concealed Himself below the simplest and most familiar exterior. He had the weakness of a little child in order to honor and sanctify weakness. He showed the perfect virtues of His soul only gradually, with increase of years. And why? In order not to draw attention to Himself and to live like an ordinary person. With great humility He obeyed creatures who, although very virtuous, were infinitely inferior to Him. He obeyed Joseph and Mary with great sweetness and joy because they took the place of His Heavenly Father. He submitted to all those in authority in order to impart to all His grace of obedience. At first, Jesus performed childish tasks at Nazareth, helping His Mother keep the in order, laying the table, serving Mary and Joseph, opening the door, sweeping the house, sharing the manual labor of Mary in spinning and weaving wool. ...Jesus wished...to raise the smallest things to the plane of the divine and to sanctify the home and the activities of domestic life. When He was older, Jesus worked with His foster-father at the rough trade of carpentry. He went out with St. Joseph to work by the day, serving as carpenter's helper at first and working for rude, exacting, and overbearing masters."
Through all this Joseph humbly cared for his Creator and Lord with utmost tenderness and love. He, in the depths of his pure and just heart, adored the Word made flesh.
A certain novena to St. Joseph touches on his special relationship to the priesthood. The novena tells of how Joseph possessed a wonderful power over our Savior. His life and office were of a priestly function and are especially connected with the Holy Eucharist. To some extent he was the means of bringing the redeemer to us--as it is the priest's function to bring Him to us in the Mass. For he reared Jesus, supported, nourished, protected and sheltered Him. St. Joseph was prefigured by the Old Testament patriarch Joseph, who kept supplies of wheat for his people. But how much greater than he was the guardian of Jesus. Joseph of old gave the Egyptians mere bread for their bodies. Good St. Joseph nourished, and with the most tender care, preserved for the Church Him who is the Bread of Heaven and who gives eternal life in Holy Communion. (www.ewtn.com)
As we approach this Solemnity of St. Joseph, let us pray to holy Joseph for the grace that we too may have so ardent a faith in Jesus' presence in the Holy Eucharist. In the same way he carried Jesus in his arms in this life, may he carry us in his arms to the life that never ends, where we will see Jesus face to face.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
Br. Laurence Mary, KHE
