Praised be Jesus Christ!
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, dedicated this year to St. Joseph. For the next several weeks we will examine his many virtues in order to learn from his saintly example. My reflections are based on a new book called Consecration to St. Joseph written by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC (Marian Press, Stockbridge, MA, 2020). The book is a treasure of spiritual insights into the life and holiness of the one to whom God Our Father entrusted His only-begotten Son.
Even though St. Joseph was not the biological father to Jesus he was indeed a real father to the Son of God. Pope Benedict XVI wrote that fatherhood is at the service of life and growth, exactly as St. Joseph was to Jesus. He was authoritative, affectionate, protective and faithful toward Jesus and Mary. St. Joseph led the Holy Family in prayer, provided their material sustenance, guarded them when Jesus’s life was in danger from the bloodthirsty Herod and merited obedience from Jesus as the God-man grew into adulthood.
Unlike our biological fathers, St. Joseph was chosen by God to rear His only Son because the saintly father had every virtue in its perfection. Our dads did some things very well; St. Joseph possesses every good quality abundantly. Therefore, we should all accept St. Joseph as our spiritual father especially during this year dedicated to him. We can all benefit from his fatherly love over all the baptized because as father of the Head of the Mystical Body of Christ, he is our father, too.
Allow St. Joseph to father you into sanctity by his gentle but manly direction. We all grow when our father blesses us. As St. Joseph fathered Our Savior into manhood may he also guide us into being the saints we are all called to be.
God bless you,
Fr. Geary
Saint James Catholic Church 