The Heart of a Father [St. Joseph]

CatholicExchange.com ^ | 02-18-06 | Leon J. Suprenant, Jr

[Salvation]

by Leon J. Suprenant, Jr

Other Articles by Leon J. Suprenant, Jr

The Heart of a Father

03/18/06

		In the Church we have the beautiful feasts of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with the heart symbolizing the immense love of our Lord and His Blessed Mother for each one of us.
In This Article... In the Right Place An Affirmation of Fatherhood Mighty Love and Daily Solicitude

In the Right Place

The Feast of St. Joseph is usually on March 19th, but since it's a solemnity, it got moved to the 20th this year so that it wouldn't conflict with the Third Sunday of Lent. So as we prepare to celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph, the third member of the Holy Family, perhaps we might consider his heart as an apt symbol of the love he contributed to the mystery of the redemptive Incarnation that was unfolding under his watch. And now that same masculine vigilance and love, once focused on his beloved wife and the Christ child, is bestowed on each one of us, as he is universally invoked as the patron of the Catholic Church.

At the outset of St. Luke's Gospel, we read that part of St. John the Baptist's role in preparing the people for the imminent coming of the Messiah was to turn the hearts of fathers to their children so as to make ready for the Lord a people that was truly prepared for Him (Lk 1:17). In St. Joseph, we find a father whose heart is already exquisitely calibrated.

His heart is always in the right place, and God was able to accomplish great things through this eminently just and faithful man.

St. Joseph's fatherly heart jumps off the page throughout the rich, biblical accounts of Christ's childhood. Let's take a brief look at just one such familiar episode: the Finding of Jesus in the Temple (Lk 2:41-52).

"Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up according to custom" (verses 41-42).

These verses may seem unremarkable at first blush, though as St. Joseph is carting the Holy Family from place to place in the first century we can be certain these journeys were much more onerous than a leisurely afternoon drive in the air-conditioned minivan. But even in his fidelity to the Jewish practices of his time, St. Joseph gives us a most timely lesson on the value of men being observant Catholics. Too often we find at Sunday Mass mom and the kids, but where's dad? St. Joseph challenges us men to allow our love for the Lord and zeal for our faith to set the tone for the entire family.

Real men go to church.

An Affirmation of Fatherhood

"Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously" (verse 48).

St. Joseph doesn't have any lines in this scene, but surely he has a leading role. We hear in Our Lady's words the great anxiety that overcame St. Joseph when he realized that Jesus was missing, and we can picture him looking frantically for his child.

Last year my daughter Abigail got separated from us while on a family outing at the zoo. It was one of the most terrifying moments I've ever endured as a father, and Abbie was only missing for about an hour. Try losing the Son of God for three days!

It's also significant that Mary refers to Joseph as Jesus' father, which surely reflected the common understanding of the people. As an adoptive father myself, I appreciate the affirmation of a father that transcends biological lineage. As Pope John Paul II commented in his 1989 apostolic exhortation Guardian of the Redeemer:

In this family, Joseph is the father: his fatherhood is not one that derives from begetting offspring; but neither is it an "apparent" or merely "substitute" fatherhood. Rather, it is one that fully shares in authentic human fatherhood and the mission of the father in the family.

Joseph accepts this fatherhood through the obedience of faith, even though he also knows that this child was conceived "of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:20). He exercises this fatherhood in complete docility to God's will and with superabundant love for mother and Child. As the wondrous events unfold around him, it's clear that St. Joseph does not have a complete understanding of what is going to happen next. Yet he always remains faithful in the present moment, and the Lord never fails to reveal to him what he needs to know at any given point in time.

As I've tried to translate this into my own life experience, I've understood this to mean that I must at all times remain attentive to God and available for my family. When things go wrong, it's typically because either I'm not paying attention, or I am serving myself and not my beloved family.

Mighty Love and Daily Solicitude

"And He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and His mother kept all these things in her heart" (verse 51).

Women with careers often need to be affirmed regarding the beautiful vocation of motherhood, which too often — in subtle and not-so-subtle ways — is devalued in our society. Yet men need to hear a similar message regarding fatherhood, spoken through the humbly eloquent life of St. Joseph.

We might do great things in the world's eyes, but our primary vocation as married men is to be husband and father in the domestic Church.

This verse speaks of Jesus' return to Nazareth with His parents, but it's also true that St. Joseph committed himself to a hidden life in Nazareth that was recorded only in his beloved wife's heart as she delighted in her family's inner life. St. Joseph didn't get rich, and he didn't build skyscrapers. Rather, as Pope Leo XIII summarizes, St. Joseph simply set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Child (Quamquam Pluries, 1889). He gave totally of himself to his family, and because of that he truly was a success, both in time and in eternity.

For those of us who wish somehow to be better, to be the godly men we were created to be, we do well to invoke St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, and to imitate his fatherly heart.

© Copyright 2006 Leon J. Suprenant


Leon J. Suprenant, Jr. is the president of Catholics United for the Faith (CUF) and Emmaus Road Publishing and the publisher of Lay Witness magazine, all based in Steubenville, Ohio. He is a contributor to Catholic for a Reason III: Scripture and the Mystery of the Mass and an adviser to CE’s Catholic Scripture Study. His email address is leon@cuf.org.

Join Catholics United for the Faith and enjoy the many benefits of membership.

[Salvation]

for your enjoyment on the Solemnity of St. Joseph being celebrated this year on March 20th.

[Salvation]

Saint of the Day Ping!

Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Saint of the Day Ping List.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Thanks for posting this! St. Joseph is my patron saint, along with the Blessed Virgin.

[Nihil Obstat]

"For those of us who wish somehow to be better, to be the godly men we were created to be, we do well to invoke St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, and to imitate his fatherly heart."

Saint Joseph pray for us and pray for Pope Benedict (Joseph Ratzinger) who was named for you.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thanks for posting this. I once heard Fr. Patrick Readron (Orthodox priest) give a talk on the fatherhood of St. Joseph which was amazingly inspirational. I feel that my dear husband is a Joseph-type!

But help me out here. The other day I was trying to think of patron saints for married men, and the results were -- sparse.

There's the OT Patriarchs, but they were, unfortunately, polygamous. And their relations with concubines and multiple wives often led to strife, and the kids were apparently troubled. (Jacob's sons selling their brother into slavery; Absalom! Absalom! etc.)

And Mary's husband was so exceptional that in some ways he does not serve as an example: for instance, perpetual virginity is not the vocation that most husbands are called to. Really and truly.

There's St. Thomas More. A really wise, solid standard, heavy-duty, fully-functioning husband and hands-on homeschooling father, with an exceptionally fine family life, plus of course writer and intellectual, brilliantly successful lawyer, Chancellor of England, and martyr. He's got it all.

So there's one. And? And?

Somebody please help me find more married (Orthodox or Catholic!!) husband-and-father saints!

[Nihil Obstat]

Besides St. Joseph
http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj01.htm

and St. Joachim (which we don't know too much about) http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintj20.htm

and St. Thomas More who you already mentioned http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintt04.htm

most of the others are kings - like St. Louis the IX -http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintl07.htm

but don't hold that against them. Here's a good man on his way - http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintc8t.htm

[Mrs. Don-o]

I'd never heard of Charles of Austria. Good short bio there! I'd like to know more!

[murphE]

Prayer to St. Joseph

TO THEE, O blessed Joseph, we have recourse in our affliction, and having implored the help of thy thrice-holy spouse, we now with hearts filled with confidence earnestly beg thee also to take us under thy protection. By that charity wherewith thou wert united to the Immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, and by that fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, we beseech thee, and we humbly pray, that thou wilt look down with gracious eye upon that inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased by His blood, and wilt succor us in our need by thy power and strength.

Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen offspring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. And even as of old thou didst rescue the Child Jesus from the greatest peril of His life, so now defend God's Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under thy patronage, that, imitating thy example and strengthened by thy help, we may lead a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen

[Rosary]

Why is the feast celebrated on the 20th? When his feast day is the 19th and on a SUnday to boot.

[SuziQ]

Good article about St. Joseph!

[Salvation]

**"For those of us who wish somehow to be better, to be the godly men we were created to be, we do well to invoke St. Joseph, patron of the universal Church, and to imitate his fatherly heart." **

Absolutely!

[Salvation]

**I feel that my dear husband is a Joseph-type!**

You are truly blessed then, aren't you?

[Salvation]

The 19th -- Third Sunday of Lent, but a Solemnity is still celebrated. So it was moved to Monday. Most other saint's feastdays would not have been celebrated at all. The Sunday liturgy sort of "trumps" them.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Oh yeah! I thank God for my husband every day. Biggest blessing in my life, other than Christ my Savior, although there are resemblances --- they're both beard-o's, for instance :^# ---and both are too easy to take for granted.

Besides, he can still melt me with a smile ---

[Rosary]

You 're right ..

St. Joseph pray for us!
St. Joseph teach us to love Jesus and Mary!
St. Joseph guide us through the ups and downs of life!
St. Joseph protect us!
St. Joseph bring the Tradition back to the Church!
Ora pro nobis Santa Joseph!

[Salvation]

From the Office of Readings for today:

Reading	From a sermon by Saint Bernardine of Siena, priest
The faithful foster-father and guardian
There is a general rule concerning all special graces granted to any human being. Whenever the divine favour chooses someone to receive a special grace, or to accept a lofty vocation, God adorns the person chosen with all the gifts of the Spirit needed to fulfil the task at hand. This general rule is especially verified in the case of Saint Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord and the husband of the Queen of our world, enthroned above the angels. He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: “Good and faithful servant enter into the joy of your Lord”. What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honourably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph. In him the Old Testament finds its fitting close. He brought the noble line of patriarchs and prophets to its promised fulfilment. What the divine goodness had offered as a promise to them, he held in his arms. Obviously, Christ does not now deny to Joseph that intimacy, reverence and very high honour which he gave him on earth, as a son to his father. Rather we must say that in heaven Christ completes and perfects all that he gave at Nazareth. Now we can see how the last summoning words of the Lord appropriately apply to Saint Joseph: “Enter into the joy of your Lord”. In fact, although the joy of eternal happiness enters into the soul of a man, the Lord preferred to say to Joseph: “Enter into joy”. His intention was that the words should have a hidden spiritual meaning for us. They convey not only that this holy man possesses an inward joy, but also that it surrounds him and engulfs him like an infinite abyss. Remember us, Saint Joseph, and plead for us to your foster-child. Ask your most holy bride, the Virgin Mary, to look kindly upon us, since she is the mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns eternally. Amen.

---

[Salvation]

BTTT for Father’s Day!