St. Joseph, Husband of Mary

So, as most of you know, today is a wonderful solemnity in the Church, the Feast of St. Joseph, Husband of Mary. I am quite sure that I don't know anything about St. Joseph that whoever is reading this doesn't already know, and so I will keep this post short, telling simply about my personal relationship with this great saint and how he has taught me so much.

When I showed up at Franciscan University, I quickly joined a household (think:: fraternity that prays together a lot) called Lion of Judah. The patron of this household is St. Joseph, and thus I began what I guess you could call a relationship with this great saint.

Over four years in household, I slowly but surely learned of the great power of this man, this intercessor, this Patron. Not only is St. Joseph our Patron, but he is the patron of the universal Church since he is the one who was tasked with the great challenge of being the husband of Mary and foster-father of Jesus, helping Mary to raise their Son as a man, dedicated to His work and to the Jewish faith.

What strikes me about the story of St. Joseph is the profound humility that his task must have taken. We don't know much, but we know from Scripture and Tradition that St. Joseph was a very good, holy man whom Jesus respected very much and was probably very close to. To be a man-a normal, sinful man-tasked with being the head of a household containing the sinless Mother of God and God Himself must have been a daunting, and yet we know that Joseph listened to Lord and accepted this task with humility and love.

For me, this became the crux of what Joseph could show me, this humility and submission to the will of God.  He shows what we are called to do-from the mundane to the extreme, we are to submit to His will, and Joseph is a great and necessary Patron to have for this task.

My time at Franciscan, and specifically my time in the Lion of Judah Household, taught me so much about being a man. The time we spent around one another allowed us to challenge each other to grow in virtue and holiness, learning how to submit to the will of God and do all things not for ourselves but for Him and His glory. I had great examples in this, but most of all, I think, the intercession and patronage of St. Joseph is what taught each of us what this truly looks like.

So, happy feast day--especially to you, LOJ.

St. Joseph, pray for us!