Don't Forget about Joseph!

Well, I'll bet that you're just now starting to receive (or send) Christmas cards this year. And I'll bet that most of them include pictures of the Virgin and Child. (Our upcoming Christmas issue has a special image--with a fascinating history--of Mary and her infant son on its cover.) But what about Joseph? Poor guy. He's usually shunted off to the side, if he's even there. Here's a piece on Slate about putting Joseph back in the picture. And a little video from Loyola Productions on the saint of the Hidden Life.

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8 years 10 months ago

This is a lovely video,Padre. And what important things to ponder: that which is hidden and holy.

Peter Lakeonovich

8 years 10 months ago

Fr. Jim, thanks for the excellent reminder. I would not be surprised if one day it is revelaed that St. Joseph, the man hand-selected by the First Person of the Trinity to be the putative father of the Word Made Flesh, the one who also said yes to the Angel when asked to take Mary and the Child to Egypt (and then back again), the one worried sick when Jesus was lost at the temple, was also immaculately conceived without sin. Mary and Joseph, pray for us.

Beth Cioffoletti

8 years 10 months ago

I have long been a skeptic about prayers to saints to ask for specific things. And then there was a long period of unemployment for my husband. Out of the blue one day, I asked St. Joseph the worker, for help ... and honest to God within 30 minutes a call came with the offer of a job. To this day, I keep St. Joseph very, very close. I love his quiet, behind the scenes support.

Beth Cioffoletti

8 years 10 months ago

Thank you, Father Jim, for your inspiring commentary on St. Joseph. And the artwork accompanying your talk is just beautiful. This comes at a particularly difficult time in my life and I am so grateful to have the example of St. Joseph's life and your wisdom to help me along the path. God bless you!

RICHARD KUEBBING

8 years 10 months ago

Your comments on Slate remind me of this summer. We went back for the 50th high school reunion. When I saw the headmaster's name, I knew he must be the son of the "displaced persons" who worked at our church when I grew up.
The father was THE janitor/maintenance/anythingelsethatcamealong person of a large suburban parish with a large school, convent and rectory. One very clear memory I have of elementary school is seeing Mr B working around the parish with children following him. The children were listening to him as he worked. I think their success after a difficult childhood in a foreign land learning a new language can be traced to the firm grounding they received from their father.