Today is the feast of dear St. Joseph. This is like the big leagues of sainthood, if there is such a thing.
Think about it: he is supposed to marry a girl who comes to him and tells him that she's pregnant. Not by him. By God. What now what?!
Instead of exposing her to ridicule and certain punishment, he decides to handle the whole thing with a quiet divorce. Until an angel appears to him in a dream telling him to bag the divorce and marry Mary because she really is pregnant with the Son of God.
If an angel appeared to me, I think my heart might stop, regardless of the message.
Instead, St. Joseph submitted his will to God's, married Mary, loved and protected her, and raised baby Jesus. Not a bad life's work, in my opinion.
There are many prayers requesting the intercession of St. Joseph, but one of my favorites is this:
I dare not approach while He reposes near thy heart. Press Him, in my
name, and kiss His fine head for me, and ask Him to return the kiss when I draw
my dying breath. St. Joseph, patron of departing souls, pray for us. **
I think what I love most about this prayer is the image of Jesus resting His Head upon St. Joseph, like any other child does with his father.
I think about the hundreds of times a day that I hold Bun and drop little kisses on the top of his soft hair, and how much love and tenderness melts my heart when I do so. And St. Joseph did that with Jesus. He tickled Him, whispered in His ear, fed Him, carried Him on his shoulder.
It makes me a little misty to think about it.
St. Joseph, pray for us.
** This is actually just the end of a longer, and very lovely, prayer. But the end is my favorite part.
