After the assumption of St. Joseph into Heaven one would be in error to conclude that his mission thus ended as well. Having nurtured and protected the young Jesus on earth, so too does St. Joseph watch over the Mystical Body of Christ - the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church!
In 1870 Blessed Pius IX, issued “Quemadmodum Deus.” In this document we see the reality of the Church coming under attack, from all sides and even from within. Pius IX, stricken with grief by the assaults against the Church decided to turn to St. Joseph, not only composing a prayer to him, but going one step further, and proclaiming St. Joseph to be the Patron of the Universal Church! This is no idle gesture in the eyes of those who truly love the Mystical Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let us read an excerpt from Quemadmodum Deus:
In 1870 Blessed Pius IX, issued “Quemadmodum Deus.” In this document we see the reality of the Church coming under attack, from all sides and even from within. Pius IX, stricken with grief by the assaults against the Church decided to turn to St. Joseph, not only composing a prayer to him, but going one step further, and proclaiming St. Joseph to be the Patron of the Universal Church! This is no idle gesture in the eyes of those who truly love the Mystical Body of Christ, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Let us read an excerpt from Quemadmodum Deus:
And now, in these most troublesome times, the Church is beset by
enemies on every side, and is weighed
down by calamities so heavy that ungodly men
assert that the gates of hell have at length prevailed against her, the venerable prelates of the whole Catholic
world have presented to the Sovereign
Pontiff their own petitions and those of the faithful committed to their charge, praying that he would
deign to constitute St. Joseph Patron of the
Church. … Accordingly, it has now pleased our Most Holy Sovereign, Pope Pius IX, in order to entrust himself and
all the faithful to the Patriarch St.
Joseph’s most powerful patronage, has chosen to comply with the prelates’ desire and has solemnly declared him
Patron of the Catholic Church. –
Pope Pius IX
We see from this excerpt that initially it was the people who wanted St.
Joseph’s help for the Church, who petitioned their bishops, who then approached
the Holy Father. Humanity was crying out for St. Joseph’s intercession. The
Pope lamented that “The Church is beset by enemies on every side…” and this was
all too obvious at the time as the 19th century brought much violence against
the Catholic Church. How much more does our Church suffer at the hands of the
world today. The Franco-Prussian war was being fought; the Italian governments
wanted to take over Rome which before then had always been under the Pope’s
authority; King Victor Emmanuel II waged open war against Pope Pius IX and the
anti-clerical newspapers applauded the taking over of the Papal States.
This
is one of the great reasons why Pius IX turned to Joseph, to protect the Papacy
and the Church. The proclaiming of St. Joseph as Patron of the Catholic Church
was no idle gesture. In times of calamity the papacy looked to him who had the duty
of protecting none other than God the Son and His Blessed Mother.
If
we truly believe that the Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, then we must
have a special devotion to St. Joseph who guards this Body! He resembles the cherub
who held the flaming sword, appointed by God to guard the Garden of Eden. If we
hold to be true that the Holy Father is the Vicar of Christ then we must
believe in the Church’s pronouncement of St. Joseph being named Patron of the
Catholic Church. When a Pope speaks, his are not just meaningless words: his
words are binding.
Amen I say to you, whatsoever you
shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also
in heaven… – St. Matthew 18:18
St. Joseph
is pure, humble and obedient, whereas the Devil and his followers are the far opposite.
They know nothing of love or purity and since these attributes are a part of
the embodiment of St. Joseph, they are afraid of him. The serpent who seduced
in the Garden of Eden—the Dragon who makes war on the Church in the Book of
Revelation, is terrified of all that is true and holy. The Devil tempts Eve to
disobey God because he is afraid of those who follow the Lord. By being afraid
and at the same time too proud, the Devil resorts to manipulation and seduction
to divert Eve from what is good, with Adam falling with her. The downfall of
Adam and Eve is the Serpent’s triumph. Satan, in the guise of the Dragon of
Revelation, makes war on the wondrous Woman Clothed with the Sun and seeks to
devour her Son and those who follow him. The Dragon seeks to destroy what he
does not know. He does not know love; therefore he is afraid of it, seeking to
eradicate it. Since the Church is the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ, which was
instituted by Christ himself, the Devil wants to destroy it. If he can conquer
the Church, and those who are a part of it, he is victorious.
Pope Leo
XIII knew this, and even after going to St. Michael the Archangel in 1884, he still
wanted more reinforcement. In 1889 he composed the Encyclical Quamquam Pluries concerning devotion to St. Joseph. He called upon St. Joseph, because no saint, save
the Blessed Virgin Mary, is as holy, as valiant, and as powerful as he is. Just
as Satan is afraid of the Immaculate One, so too is he terrified of her Blessed
Spouse. St. Joseph is pure of heart, body, mind and intention. St. Joseph was a
man, born of a woman, and yet he is holier than the angels themselves! The
demons were once holy angels and their pride brought about their downfall, so
seeing this man who is all holy and all obedient to God, scares them. How could
a mere man attain such greatness and glory through God? Their pride will not
allow them to see this man. They are blinded with rage and are confused as to
why God chose to subject himself as the Son of St. Joseph of Nazareth, a
mortal.
When on
Earth the Infant Jesus was hunted by King Herod, St. Joseph took him and his
mother, stealing them away into the night. The Devil hoped that through the
tyrant King, Jesus would be found and killed—putting a stop to God’s plan for
salvation. Even before Jesus was born, St. Joseph himself was tempted to
abandon the Blessed Virgin and the Son of God, but Satan would be disappointed
as Joseph would prove to be, by the grace of God, the most determined of men.
St. Joseph was to become one of the Devil’s greatest adversaries—even to this
day.
St. Joseph
was rewarded for all that he had done on Earth for God’s greater glory and has
become a Prince in the Royal Court of Heaven as well as in the Holy Church on
Earth. He has been granted the gifts of power and position and Satan knows this
and loathes him for it. He reels with anger as he contemplates this man who God
has deigned to elevate as the noble Prince of the Church. Since the Devil
cannot destroy Jesus Christ, he tries to destroy the Church and those souls who
are a part of it.
Pope Leo
XIII, knowing the importance of St. Joseph and his position in Heaven, turns
the Church, and the souls of the faithful, over to his care. The prayer he has
composed is thematically similar to the prayer addressed to St. Michael, stressing
the invocation for protection:
To you, O Blessed
Joseph, we come in our trials, and having asked the help of your most Holy Spouse, we confidently ask
your patronage also. Through that
sacred bond of charity which united you to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and through the fatherly love
with which you embraced the Child
Jesus, we humbly beg you to look graciously upon the beloved inheritance which Jesus Christ purchased
by his blood, and to aid us in our necessities
with your power and strength. O most provident guardian of the Holy Family, defend the chosen
children of Jesus Christ. Most beloved father,
dispel the evil of falsehood and sin. Our most mighty protector, graciously assist us from heaven in our
struggle with the powers of darkness.
And just as you once saved the Child Jesus from mortal danger, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the
snares of her enemies and from all adversity.
Shield each one of us by your constant protection, so that, supported by your example and your help,
we may be able to live a virtuous life,
to die a holy death, and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven. + Amen.
Pope Leo
XIII has given the command to invoke and venerate a man and an angel—both
beloved by the Heavenly Father. St. Joseph and St. Michael the Archangel are
given to us by God as militant saints who are entrusted with the honorable duty
of defending the Mystical Body of Christ. Let us not ignore the pleadings of
this great Pontiff but rather take heed and listen to his words. The message of
Pope Leo is just as urgent now as it was in the 19th century.
Thirty-three
years later St. Joseph appeared at Fatima, Portugal on the very anniversary of
the Vision of Pope Leo, October 13, 1917. In this apparition, St. Joseph traced
the Sign of The Cross with his right hand, blessing the world, as if to say
that he was still vigilant in his role as Patron of the Church and still
keeping watch over the faithful. He will not abandon God’s Church, nor His
people.
We beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady
robed in white with a blue
mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced
the sign of the cross with their hands. – Servant
of God, Sister Lúcia of Fátima
Michael is the champion of the primacy of God, of His transcendence and power. Michael struggles to restore divine justice and defends the People of God from his enemies, above all by the enemy par excellence, the Devil. And St. Michael wins because in him, there is his God who acts. … Though the devil always tries to disfigure the face of the Archangel and that of humanity, God is stronger; it is His victory and His salvation that is offered to all men. … In consecrating Vatican City State to St. Michael the Archangel, I ask him to defend us from the evil one and banish him. We also consecrate Vatican City State to St. Joseph, guardian of Jesus, the guardian of the Holy Family. May his presence make us stronger and more courageous in making space for God in our lives to always defeat evil with good. We ask him to protect us, take care of us, so that a life of grace grows stronger in each of us every day. – Pope Francis
Psalm
105:21 - He
made him master of his house, and ruler of all his possessions.
Blessed
Pope Pius IX, Inclytum Patriarcham: In these latter times in which a monstrous
and most abominable war has been declared against the Church of Christ … we
should more efficaciously implore the compassion of God through the merits and
intercession of Saint Joseph … Hence, by a special decree… We solemnly declare
the blessed patriarch Joseph Patron of the Universal Church! … O God, who in
your ineffable providence was pleased to choose blessed Joseph as the spouse of
your most holy mother, grant, we beseech you, that we may be made worthy to
have him for our intercessor in heaven whom we venerate as our protector on
earth…
Blessed
Pope Pius IX, Inclytum Patriarcham: The Catholic Church rightly
honors and venerates, with a feeling of deep reverence, the illustrious
patriarch blessed Joseph, now crowned with glory and honor in heaven. On earth
Almighty God, in preference to all His saints, willed him to be the chaste and
true spouse of the Immaculate Virgin Mary as well as the putative father of His
only-begotten Son. He indeed enriched him and filled him to overflowing with
entirely unique graces, enabling him to execute more faithfully the duties of
so sublime a state.
Pope Benedict XVI, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 19 March 2009: Dear brothers and sisters, our meditation on the human and spiritual journey of Saint Joseph invites us to ponder his vocation in all its richness, and to see him as a constant model for all those who have devoted their lives to Christ in the priesthood, in the consecrated life or in the different forms of lay engagement. Joseph was caught up at every moment by the mystery of the Incarnation. Not only physically, but in his heart as well, Joseph reveals to us the secret of a humanity which dwells in the presence of mystery and is open to that mystery at every moment of everyday life.
Pope Benedict XVI, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 19 March 2009: Dear brothers and sisters, our meditation on the human and spiritual journey of Saint Joseph invites us to ponder his vocation in all its richness, and to see him as a constant model for all those who have devoted their lives to Christ in the priesthood, in the consecrated life or in the different forms of lay engagement. Joseph was caught up at every moment by the mystery of the Incarnation. Not only physically, but in his heart as well, Joseph reveals to us the secret of a humanity which dwells in the presence of mystery and is open to that mystery at every moment of everyday life.
Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries: The Blessed Patriarch Joseph looks upon the multitude of Christians who make up the Church as confided especially to his trust - this limitless family spread over the earth, over which, because he is the spouse of Mary and the father of Jesus Christ he holds, as it were, a paternal authority. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.
Venerable
Pope Paul VI, Homily, 19 March 1969: The Church invokes St. Joseph as her Patron
and Protector through her unshakable trust that he to whom Christ willed to
confide the care and protection of His own frail human childhood, will continue
from heaven to perform his protective task in order to guide and defend the
Mystical Body of Christ Himself, which is always weak, always under attack,
always in a state of peril. We call upon St. Joseph for the world, trusting
that the heart of the humble working man of Nazareth, now overflowing with
immeasurable wisdom and power, still harbors and will always harbor a singular
and precious fellow-feeling for the whole of mankind. So may it be.
Pope Benedict XV, Bonum Sane: We, full of confidence in the patronage of the one to whose provident supervision God was pleased to entrust the custody of his only-begotten Incarnate Son, and the Virgin Mother of God, we earnestly exhort all the Bishops of the Catholic world that, in times so turbulent for Christianity, to induce the faithful to pray with greater commitment for valuable help of St. Joseph. And since there are several ways approved by the Apostolic See with whom you can venerate the Holy Patriarch, especially every Wednesday throughout the year and month consecrated to Him, We want, for every Bishop to heed these requests - that all these devotions, as much as possible, are practiced in every diocese.
Pope Benedict XV, Bonum Sane: We, full of confidence in the patronage of the one to whose provident supervision God was pleased to entrust the custody of his only-begotten Incarnate Son, and the Virgin Mother of God, we earnestly exhort all the Bishops of the Catholic world that, in times so turbulent for Christianity, to induce the faithful to pray with greater commitment for valuable help of St. Joseph. And since there are several ways approved by the Apostolic See with whom you can venerate the Holy Patriarch, especially every Wednesday throughout the year and month consecrated to Him, We want, for every Bishop to heed these requests - that all these devotions, as much as possible, are practiced in every diocese.
Pope Benedict XVI, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 19 March 2009: The life of Saint Joseph, lived in obedience to God’s word, is an eloquent sign for all the disciples of Jesus who seek the unity of the Church. His example helps us to understand that it is only by complete submission to the will of God that we become effective workers in the service of his plan to gather together all mankind into one family, one assembly, one ‘ecclesia.’
St. Bernardino of Sienna: What then is Joseph’s position in the whole Church of Christ? Is he not a man chosen and set apart? Through him and, yes, under him, Christ was fittingly and honorably introduced into the world. Holy Church in its entirety is indebted to the Virgin Mother because through her it was judged worthy to receive Christ. But after her we undoubtedly owe special gratitude and reverence to Saint Joseph.
Pope Benedict XV, Bonum Sane: We now see, with true sorrow, that society is now much more depraved and corrupt than before, and that the so-called "social question" has been aggravating to such an extent as to create the threat of irreparable ruin. … World Government will no longer acknowledge the authority of the father over his children, or of the public power over the citizens, or of God over human society. All things which, if implemented, would lead to terrible social convulsions, like those which are already happening… We, therefore, concerned most of all by the course of these events … remind those on Our side, who earn their bread by their work, to save them from socialism, the sworn enemy of Christian principles, with great solicitude recommend them in particular to St. Joseph, to follow him as their guide and to receive the special honor of his heavenly patronage.
Pope
Pius XI, Divini Redemptoris: To hasten the advent of that "peace of
Christ in the kingdom of Christ" so ardently desired by all, We entrust
the vast campaign of the Church against world Communism under the standard of
St. Joseph, her mighty Protector. He belongs to the working-class, and he bore
the burdens of poverty for himself and the Holy Family, whose tender and
vigilant head he was. To him was entrusted the Divine Child when Herod loosed
his assassins against Him. In a life of faithful performance of everyday
duties, he left an example for all those who must gain their bread by the toil
of their hands. He won for himself the title of "The Just," serving
thus as a living model of that Christian justice which should reign in social
life.
Pope Francis, Inaugural Mass, 19 March 2013: How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. […] Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, and he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
Pope Francis, Inaugural Mass, 19 March 2013: How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. […] Joseph is a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, and he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
ST JOSEPH PATRON OF THE CHURCH PT 1
ST JOSEPH PATRON OF THE CHURCH PT 2
