♔ St Ignatius of Loyola ♔

“God freely created us so that we might know, love, and serve him in this life and be happy with him forever. God's purpose in creating us is to draw forth from us a response of love and service here on earth, so that we may attain our goal of everlasting happiness with him in heaven. All the things in this world are gifts of God, created for us, to be the means by which we can come to know him better, love him more surely, and serve him more faithfully. As a result, we ought to appreciate and use these gifts of God insofar as they help us toward our goal of loving service and union with God. But insofar as any created things hinder our progress toward our goal, we ought to let them go.” ― St. Ignatius of Loyola

“If God causes you to suffer much, it is a sign that he has great designs for you, and that he certainly intends to make you a saint. And if you wish to become a great saint, entreat him yourself to give you much opportunity for suffering; for there is no wood better to kindle the fire of holy love than the wood of the cross, which Christ used for his own great sacrifice of boundless charity.” ― St. Ignatius of Loyola 

“Act as if everything depended on you; trust as if everything depended on God.” ― St. Ignatius of Loyola

♔ Prayer of St Ignatius of Loyola ♔

Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess You have given me: I surrender it all to You to be disposed of according to Your will. Give me only Your love and Your grace; with these I will be rich enough, and will desire nothing more. Amen.

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O Blessed Virgin Mary, Good St Joseph 
and St Ignatius of Loyola, please pray for us.
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♔ THE WISDOM OF YOUNG JESUS, FINDING THE CHILD JESUS IN THE TEMPLE, OBEDIENCE TO ST. JOSEPH ♔

The wisdom of young Jesus is related to us in the Gospel of St. Luke, when he is twelve years of age. This account is known as “The Finding of Jesus in the Temple.” Every year, Jewish men were required by the Law to attend three feasts in Jerusalem, which were: Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles. Women and children were also allowed to attend these feasts if they wished, but were not required to. In the Gospel, we are told that both Joseph and Mary traveled to Jerusalem for Passover every year, and on this particular occasion Jesus was with them.

And His parents were wont to go every year to Jerusalem at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. — St. Luke 2:41-43

The Bible tells us that after the Passover celebrations, Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem only to discover that their son was not part of their caravan! The men and women would usually travel in separate groups, the young children with their mothers. Jesus, however, was already twelve years old, so he would likely have been in Joseph’s large group of men. After traveling for one day, Joseph realized that Jesus was not in his group, so he naturally assumed that he was with his mother. After realizing that Jesus was not among their relatives, they journeyed with haste back to Jerusalem. How they must have blamed themselves for the losing of their son. But a twelve-year-old boy is reaching the age of independence and will often go about on his own.

Most holy Mary and St. Joseph found themselves overwhelmed with self-reproach at their remissness in watching over their most holy Son and thus blamed themselves for his absence… and with deepest sorrow took counsel with each other as to what was to be done. – Venerable Maria de Agreda

It occurred to them to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of him . . .  they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers … And when they saw Him, they were astonished. — St. Luke 2:44-48

The relevance of this event in the life of St. Joseph is often overlooked and seen in passing, as Jesus asserts himself as a wise but respectful boy. Indeed, this mention in the Bible gives us three hidden agendas, which each concerning a member of the Holy Family: God is present among the scholars, Mary’s intercession and Obedience to St. Joseph.

♔ GOD AMONG US ♔

The first agenda is glorifying the Christ child who demonstrated his deep and holy wisdom and understanding concerning matters of faith and logic. We are told that he sits among the scholars and listens to their words then gives his own opinions and observations. He amazes everyone with his profound insights, and we are told that even the teachers in the temple are astounded by his words! In reading this we are left with a feeling of awe and wonder as Jesus astounds the group of men:

. . . They found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who were listening to him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. — St. Luke 2:46-48

When reading this encounter of the Lord among his people—in this case the adolescent Jesus among the teachers—we are led to connect this with the Old Testament account of Abraham. In this story, the Holy Trinity comes to Abraham as three men who speak as one. They sit in his tent and he recognizes these men as being God, calling them “My Lord”. He even bows down to them. To passersby these men were nothing special, but in reality they were the Trinity, personally conversing with the Patriarch Abraham, sitting in his midst (Genesis 18:1.) So too did God come among us in the Person of the young Jesus, who sat among the scholars and conversed. However they had not recognized this boy as their Lord, yet he sat with them and left them full of wonder. Anna and Simeon however, twelve years earlier, did recognize him in the temple.

♔ MATERNAL INTERCESSION ♔

The second agenda is the role of Mary as mother and a glimpse of her role as intercessor. In this story, her heart is no doubt breaking when she discovers that Jesus is missing. Imagine her anxiety and heartache as she frantically searches for her son. The grief would be almost unbearable as it is for many mothers even today. Did her son simply get lost? Had he been kidnapped? Where was he? Jerusalem would have been a big place for rural people such as Mary and Joseph, and to retrace their steps would be agonizing. We can hear St Joseph and Our Lady speaking the words of the Magdalene after she finds the body of Jesus missing from the tomb:

“They have taken away my Lord; and I know not where they have laid him.” – St. John 20:13

When the Mary and Joseph found their Son, it was Mary who first rushed to Jesus, telling him of the anguish they felt when they discovered he was missing. Embracing him she asked why he had done this to them, sighing her relief at finding him.

And his mother said to him, “Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold, in sorrow thy father and I have been seeking Thee.” – St. Luke 2:48

Since it is she who speaks to Jesus, she is shown as intercessor and speaks on behalf of both Joseph and herself. She takes it upon herself to express to Jesus the sorrow and affliction felt by both Joseph and herself and to petition him as to why he had left them. She brings not only her grief to her son, but Joseph’s as well. No doubt that Joseph felt Mary’s pain and relief equally, but he allowed her to rush to their son first so that she may embrace him. Should we not also allow Mary to be our own intercessor, just as Joseph had, placing before her our sorrows and anxieties? Our Lady, with a maternal heart, feels our own sorrows and understands our needs, so who better to present us to Jesus, than his own mother?

♔ OBEDIENCE TO ST. JOSEPH ♔

After Our Lady speaks to their Son, the third agenda is given to us, this one concerning Our Blessed Saint Joseph. Jesus’ answer to his parents is simple, and many people at first glance think his answer to be one of admonishment or disrespect towards his earthly father Joseph, however the opposite is true.

And He said to them, “How is it you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” – St. Luke 2:49

Some would argue that this response is a direct hit below the belt for Joseph, that Jesus does not recognize the authority of Joseph’s fatherhood over him, but only that of God. Yet, would this not be a breach of the Fourth Commandment given to Moses by God Himself? Jesus would not commit this sin or any sin.  Rather, Jesus was infused with so much knowledge and love of God that he felt so at home in the temple, doing God’s work and discussing him. He was answering in a sincere and direct way. This was by no means a shot at St. Joseph, after all, isn’t God the Father of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David? Is he not also the Father of Joseph and Jesus? Joseph, as with the scholars in the temple, is called to a life of service to God. Joseph is happy not only for having found his son, but for having found him at the Temple, with Jesus demonstrating that our desire should be to seek him and to do the will of the Father. His son was becoming a young man of wisdom and deep understanding, growing in grace before God. Joseph’s position of family head is asserted with the closing verses, along with yet another mention of Mary’s treasury, which is her Immaculate Heart:

And Jesus went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them; and his mother kept all these things carefully in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace before God and men. — St. Luke 2:51-52

Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican Gardens, 5 July 2010: In the Gospel (of St. Luke), Joseph appears in one more episode, when he goes to Jerusalem and lives the anguish of losing the Son Jesus. St. Luke describes the anxious search and the wonder at finding him in the Temple, but even greater is the astonishment at hearing the mysterious words: "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (St. Luke 2:49.) This twofold question of the Son of God helps us to understand the mystery of Joseph's paternity. Reminding his own parents of the primacy of the One he calls "my Father," Jesus affirms the primacy of the will of God over every other will, and reveals to Joseph the profound truth of his role: He too is called to be a    disciple of Jesus, dedicating his existence to the service of the Son of God and of the Virgin Mother, in obedience to the Heavenly Father. 

♔ ST JOSEPH: FATHER & TEACHER OF CHRIST ♔

,And they kept saying, “Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph?” — St. John 6:42

Pope Benedict XVI, Yaoundé, Homily 18 March 2009:  There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, “of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24).

The Holy Bible does not give us a full account of the life of the Holy Family except for a brief mention in the Gospel of St. Luke, when Jesus is already twelve years of age. These hidden years were no doubt filled with the everyday joys and sorrows that families experience all the time.

According to Venerable Maria de Agreda, upon arriving at their home in Nazareth (having returned from their exile), St. Joseph straightaway set out to re-establish himself as a carpenter, opening up his shop to earn a living for his family:

 

The holy Joseph also ordered his occupations and his work so as most worthily to earn sustenance for the divine Child and his mother as well as for himself. That, which in other sons of Adam is considered a punishment and a hardship, was to this holy Patriarch a great happiness. For while others were condemned to sustain their natural life by the labour of their hands in the sweat of their brows, Saint Joseph was blessed and consoled beyond measure to know, that he had been chosen by his labour and sweat to support God himself and his mother. — Venerable Maria de Agreda

As years went by, Joseph, having now established his family and his work in Nazareth, would go on to teach his son in the ways of life. No doubt that he could learn a lot from his son, but Jesus chooses to respect his intelligence, his hard work, his human nature. In renaissance art, Joseph is often depicted in the background, not playing an active part in the life of Christ when the exact opposite would be true. Who would have spent the most time with Christ besides the Blessed Mother? It would be Joseph, his father.

For the first few years of life, the Child Jesus would have been reared mostly

by his mother while his father went off to work. Once the Child Jesus grew to suitable age, St. Joseph would take over and instruct him in the ways of life through work and schooling.

St. Francis de Sales: If princes of this world are most careful in choosing tutors for their sons, taking pains to secure the best that can be found, do you think that God did not select the man who was the most perfectly qualified to be the guardian of his eternal Son, the Lord of heaven and earth?

Joseph would most certainly have taught Christ how to read, how to pray, and how to work just like any other father would. This scholastic view of Joseph as teacher is rarely thought of among the theologians or painted in the arts. However, during the seventeenth century, many artists began to portray him as somewhat of a scholar, with an open book in front of him. In some of these paintings, he is actually pointing to a verse in the book, which we assume is our Holy Scripture, as he gazes at the Child Jesus. What does this mean to us? What is Joseph telling us? He was well aware of the prophecies that spoke of a future Messiah, and the depiction of him with the book while looking at Jesus is telling us that Jesus is in fact the Promised One and his father is showing this to us.

Let us not assume that just because he worked with his hands, he was illiterate and did not take the time to read the words of the prophets. We are told in Scripture that when Jesus came to this earth, he emptied himself and did not cling to his divinity, so as to be like one of us (Philippians2:5-9.) Jesus genuinely willed himself to learn from his father on earth and to grow as any other Jewish boy would. Joseph was a father, guardian, and teacher to his son. This Joseph of ours is both worker and intellectual, and no doubt he passed these ideals on to Christ our Lord.

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, gives us words to meditate on concerning the fatherhood of St. Joseph:

We look at Joseph – as the model of the educator, who safeguards and accompanies Jesus in his journey of growth "in wisdom, years and grace", as the Gospel of Luke tells us. "He was not the father of Jesus, the Father was God, but he was a father to help him grow in years, wisdom and grace.

Let's start with his age, which is the most natural dimension, physical and psychological growth. Joseph, together with Mary, took care of Jesus, first of all from this point of view, he  'raised him', worrying that he had all he needed for a healthy development. Let us not forget that the faithful care of the life of the Child also led to the flight into Egypt, the harsh experience of living as refugees to escape the threat of Herod. Then, once they returned home and settled in Nazareth, there is the long period of the hidden life of Jesus within the Holy Family. During those years, Joseph also taught Jesus his work, Jesus learned to be a carpenter.

Let's move on to the second dimension of Christ's education, that of "wisdom". Scripture says that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. Joseph was an example and teacher of this wisdom for Jesus, which he nourished by the Word of God.  We can imagine how Joseph taught the child Jesus to listen to the Holy Scriptures, especially accompanying him on the Sabbath to the synagogue in Nazareth. Joseph accompanied Jesus so he would listen to the word of God in the synagogue.

And finally, the dimension of "grace". Again St. Luke tells us referring to Jesus: "The grace of God was upon him". Here certainly the part reserved to St Joseph is more limited than in the areas of age and wisdom. But it would be a grave mistake to think that a father and a mother do nothing to educate their children to grow in the grace of God.

The mission of St. Joseph is certainly unique and unrepeatable, because Jesus is unique.  However, in his guarding Jesus, educating him to grow in years, wisdom and grace, he is a model for all educators, especially for parents. St. Joseph is the model educator and father, the model for dads.

 — Pope Francis, Homily 19 March 2014       

Proverbs 4:1-7 – Hear, O children, a father’s instruction, be attentive, that you may gain understanding! . . . When I was my father’s child, frail, yet the darling of my mother, he taught me, and said to me: “Let your heart hold fast my words! Keep my commands, do not forget; go not astray from the words of my mouth.”  

♔ VISION OF ST. JOSEPH TO BLESSED CATHERINE OF ST. AUGUSTINE ♔

/Blessed Catherine de St. Augustine is honoured as one of the six founders of the Catholic Church in Canada. Upon her arrival in New France (Quebec, Canada) in 1648, Blessed Catherine ministered to the sick of both the Aboriginal and European populations.  She was known to have visions of Our Lord, the saints and of future events in Canada. 

I saw a very august procession of blessed souls... St John the Baptist was at   the head and carried a white banner, white as snow, on which was written in large red characters these words: Ecce Agnus Dei, ecce qui tollit peccata mundi. … This procession seemed to rise in the air…

St. Joseph was the closest at the entrance of the eternal gates, and it was he, it seemed to me, who spoke first to the Most August Trinity; and addressing himself to the person of the Father, after the most sacred Humanity was put into its appointed place, said to Him in a language of the blessed:

“This talent has profited so much that not only do I return it to You doubled, but You see this multitude that it has acquired; I return all to You and offer it to You.”

The Eternal Father then not only set him over a great many people, but even said to him:

“Faithful servant! Since you were the steward of My house on earth, I want you to command here and to have all power."  

The Son Himself gave him power over Him, all King of glory that He was, and wanted him to have the honor of commanding Him. Then, hence, turning to Saint Joseph, I said to him: 

“Great saint, I am one of yours; ask of the King of glory that through all eternity I not be separated from His love. He will refuse you nothing.”