This is the second in a series of articles that will run for 30 consecutive days! Each day, The Lord will unveil the silent beauty of St. Joseph through one line of his Litany. The Litany of St. Joseph is a stunning, illuminating prayer. In fact, the Church grants us a partial indulgence (under the normal requirements) just for reciting it.
Day Two
St. Joseph, Pray for Us
St. Joseph can be seen through a myriad of lenses. In fact, for a man who spoke not once in scripture, there is A LOT to discover about him. Hence why he has so many names in his Litany. Each of them provides us a different in-road to his heart and his life. Throughout this series, we will open our hearts to each of these avenues of encounter.
In today’s article we cover the why of devotion to St. Joseph. If you are not sure that you want to dedicate time, energy, and effort into devotion to him, and if you need to be shown the R.O.I. (return on investment), this is the article for you.
I am going to be giving you TWO POWERFUL REASONS why St. Joseph is absolutely indispensable in your spiritual life.
Reason 1
Great Cloud of Witnesses
The staggering number of holy men and women in heaven who express deep dependence on and reverence for St. Joseph.
In Father Calloway’s spiritual treasure trove Consecration to St. Joseph, he gives a staggering list of saints and popes who both loved and were devoted to St. Joseph. As you read, keep in mind that this list, according to Fr. Calloway, is by no means exhaustive, but only “a select few who really stand out.”
- St. Bernardine of Siena
- St. Lawrence of Brindisi
- St. Teresa of Avila
- St. Francis de Sales
- Venerable Mary of Ágreda
- St. Alphonsus Liguori
- Blessed William Joseph Chaminade
- Blessed Maria Repetto
- St. Peter Julian Eymard
- Blessed Jean-Joseph Lataste
- St. Joseph Marello
- Blessed Maria Teresa of St. Joseph
- Blessed Petra of St. Joseph
- St. André Bessette
- Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
- St. Josemaría Escrivá
- Blessed Gabriele Allegra
- Blessed Pope Pius IX
- Pope Leo XIII
- Venerable Pope Pius XII
- St. Pope John XXIII
- St. John Paul II
To be a saint is practically synonymous with being devoted to St. Joseph. Am I saying that you will go to Hell if you don’t have devotion to him? Of course not.
However, what I am saying is that devotion to St. Joseph seems to spring forth from the very best of the Church’s saints. It seems to be such a common and unifying thread that one cannot help but hear the orchestration of the Holy Spirit himself, harmonizing the myriad of voices into a singular chorus:
“With the exception of our loving Mother, St. Joseph stands above all the saints.”
St. Maximilian Kolbe
“The Almighty has concentrated in St. Joseph, as in a Sun of unrivalled luster, the combined light and splendor of all the other saints.”
St. Gregory Nazianzen
“Go to Joseph with extreme confidence, because I do not remember having asked anything from St. Joseph, without having obtained it readily.”
St. Padre Pio
“I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to the glorious St. Joseph, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God… I am astonished as the great favors which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the perils from which he has delivered me, both in body and in soul.”
St. Teresa of Avila
“Rejoice, devout servants of St. Joseph, for you are close to paradise; the ladder leading up to it has but three runs: Jesus, Mary, Joseph.”
St. Leonard of Port Maurice
These are staggering endorsements. They leave me very little reason to write in this section because the saints quite literally speak for themselves. Frankly, their endorsement alone should compel us to race towards St. Joseph.
Nevertheless, we have saved the best and last voice for last: the voice of Mary, Our Mother and Queen of Earth and Heaven.
“On the last day, when all men shall be judged, the damned will bitterly bewail their sins, which prevented them from appreciating this powerful means of their salvation, and availing themselves, as they easily could have, of this intercessor to gain the friendship of the just Judge. The whole human race has much undervalued the privileges and prerogatives conceded to my blessed spouse and they know not what his intercession with God is able to do.”
MAry, speaking to Venerable Mary of Ágreda
Wow. The Mother of God compels us to avail ourselves of St. Joseph. Moreover, there’s ssome motherly correction in what she says: we have seriously underestimated the role of St. Joseph!
Which brings us to our second reason.
Reason 2
The Special Privileges
A look at how St. Joseph can help you in your life.
“Every family needs a father – a father who shares his family’s joy and pain, hands down wisdom to his children and offers them firm guidance and love.”
Pope Francis
What follows is a series of completely unfair yet incredibly important rhetorical questions for you. If you’re still not convinced on the need for devotion to St. Joseph, please take a second and really meditate on this section. Ask God to open up your heart and reveal to you what you need in your spiritual life. No need to rush through. Take your time.
Is sexual lust destroying your life?
Are you in need help escaping mortal sin?
Do you want to love Mary more than you do now?
Are you afraid of going to Hell when you die?
Have you or anyone in your life been impacted by demons and the devil?
Is illness of some kind becoming a heavier burden than you feel you can bear?
If you’re married, do you need help raising your kids to love Jesus and become saints?
Answering yes to any or multiple of these is a sign that you desperately need St. Joseph in your life. St. Joseph can help you – it is his God-given mission to help you – in all these difficulties, and more.
I’m going to share with you this section of The Mystical City of God by Venerable Mary of Ágreda, which spells out Joseph’s role in your life very well:
“I have been informed concerning certain privileges conferred upon St. Joseph by the Most High on account of his great holiness, which are especially important to those who ask his intercession in a proper manner. In virtue of these special privileges the intercession of St. Joseph is most powerful:
First, for attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh; Second, for procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God; Third, for increasing the love and devotion to most holy Mary; Fourth, for securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour; Fifth, for filling the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients; Sixth, for gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties; Seventh, for securing issue of children in families.These and many other favors God confers upon those who properly and with good disposition seek the intercession of the spouse of our Queen, St. Joseph.”
That says it all, my dearly beloved friends. If you want help in ANY of these areas, Joseph is able and willing to help you.
Despite all this, people might still say that while they do want all of these things, they trust that Mary and Jesus will get them for them. Indeed, that is a good and true sentiment. I want to nevertheless emphasize that devotion to St. Joseph is complementary (not supplementary) to devotion to Jesus and Mary. In fact, I would go so far as to say that it naturally flows from and redirects to devotion to Mary and Our Lord.
To conclude, let us consider that Our Lady and Jesus themselves were subject and devoted to St. Joseph while on earth. They looked to him for protection, food, and masculine example. He is the head of the holy family. If for no other reason than imitation of Jesus and Mary, we should entrust our lives to him, the man who saved Jesus from Herod.
Through God’s grace, he can save us from our enemies, too.