St. Joseph, patron of the fight against socialism and communism

.. Because of the grave danger (communism) posed to the common good, Pope Pius XI turned to St. Joseph in 1937 to have Jesus' earthly father deliver the Church from the many errors of communism.

He wrote: "We place the great action of the Catholic Church against the atheistic communism of the world under the aegis of the mighty protector of the Church, St. Joseph" (Divini Redemptoris, n. 81).

In response to the Holy Father's words, Catholics began to fervently invoke the intercession of St. Joseph, especially under the title "Terror of Demons", to combat the atheistic ideas of communism. They also asked for his help in the cause of workers' rights, since both issues were of great concern in the first half of the 20th century.

Something related to this, but very little known to the public, is that until the mid-19th century, many countries celebrated a secular holiday on May 1st. It was known as "May Day" and had no religious or political connotations. Unfortunately, the Communists took advantage of the date and "renamed" it "Communist Workers' Day". This was done to emphasize the ideas of Karl Marx and to influence the masses.

This turn of events greatly disturbed the Church, because such a celebration could have a very negative effect on workers, society, and the family in the long run. Not surprisingly, everyone at the time felt the threat of world communism, including the Pope. For this reason, Pius XII, like his predecessor, turned to St. Joseph to denounce the falsehoods of communism and to promote the dignity of work in a very specific way.

On May 1, 1955, the Pope proclaimed that this day would henceforth be the liturgical feast of St. Joseph the Worker.

The Flight into Egypt has always intrigued me. The painting is beautiful. I love the sentiment of a patron saint fighting atheistic socialism and communism. The scriptures, however, tell me “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name [other than Jesus Christ] under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Salvation from the demon-inspired atheistic cult of communism can only come from our faithful Lord.

Work, imposed on man as a penalty, is transformed into a blessing through his communion with the life and work and death of Jesus Christ, a communion effected by the active part he takes in the Sacrifice and Communion of the Mass—with St. Joseph as model and patron. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1956.

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In response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history. In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed from ordinary human life, the Church has from the beginning proudly emphasized that Jesus was a carpenter, obviously trained by Joseph in both the satisfactions and the drudgery of that vocation. Humanity is like God not only in thinking and loving, but also in creating. Whether we make a table or a cathedral, we are called to bear fruit with our hands and mind, ultimately for the building up of the Body of Christ.

Reflection—St. Joseph was a man of action. He acted righteously according to the words of God through the angel, and protected St. Mary and the Christ Child during the trip to Egypt.

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