Feast Day: March 19, May 1
Patron of the Universal Church
Patron of the Universal Church
Everything we know about the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him.
We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).
Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph's genealogy but they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.
We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25).
We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).
We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22)
We know Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus' birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.
Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.
Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.
Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.
We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.
We know he was a carpenter, a working man, for the skeptical Nazarenes ask about Jesus, "Is this not the carpenter's son?" (Matthew 13:55). He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb (Luke 2:24).
Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph's genealogy but they both mark his descent from David, the greatest king of Israel (Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38). Indeed the angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.
We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty (Matthew 1:19-25).
We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back (Matthew 2:13-23).
We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told Joseph (along with Mary) searched with great anxiety for three days for him (Luke 2:48). We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" (Luke 4:22)
We know Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus' birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.
Since Joseph does not appear in Jesus' public life, at his death, or resurrection, many historians believe Joseph probably had died before Jesus entered public ministry.
Joseph is the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth.
Joseph is also patron of the universal Church, fathers, carpenters, and social justice.
We celebrate two feast days for Joseph: March 19 for Joseph the Husband of Mary and May 1 for Joseph the Worker.
Saint Joseph Rosary Chaplet in Amethyst and Magnesite
The Chaplet Of Saint Joseph
The chaplet of Saint Joseph rosary is divided into fifteen groups of four beads consisting of one white and three purple beads. On the white bead, symbolizes Saint Joseph's purity, announce one of the mysteries of the Rosary, and say two Hail Marys on that bead. On the purple bead, symbolizes his saintly piety, say the prayer on each bead in that group, "Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!"
1st Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
1st White
The Annunciation (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
2nd White
The Visitation
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
3rd White
The Nativity (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
4th White
The Presentation in the Temple (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
5th White
The Finding of Our Lord in the Temple (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
6th White
The Agony in the Garden (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
7th White
The Scourging (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
8th White
The Crowing with Thorns (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
9th White
The Carrying of the Cross (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
10th White
The Crucifixion (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
11th White
The Resurrection (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
12th White
The Ascension (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
13th White
The Descent of the Holy Spirit (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
14th White
The Assumption (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
15th White
The Coronation of the Blessed Virgin (say 2 Hail Marys)
group of 3 Purple
Praised and blessed be Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
End the chaplet with the following prayers:
V Pray for us, O holy St. Joseph.:
R That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray:
O God, Who has predestined St. Joseph from all eternity for the service of Thine Eternal Son and His Blessed Mother, and made him worthy to be the spouse of this Blessed Virgin and the foster father of Thy Son; we beseech Thee, through all the services he has rendered to Jesus and Mary on earth, that Thou wouldst make us worthy of his intercession and grant us to enjoy the happiness of his company in heaven. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Source: http://www.catholic.org
