Through our baptism, we are born again into the Body of Christ, members of Jesus’s one mystical body. This makes us not only one with Christ and recipients of his own Spirit; it also places us in relation to his Mother, who becomes our spiritual mother, and his adopted father, St. Joseph. Just as Joseph protected Christ in his childhood, so he protects his mystical body on earth – the reason why he has been named patron of the universal Church.
St. Joseph has inspired so much magnificent art, usually set within the Holy Family, although some artists capture his protective role. Devotion to St. Joseph increased during the Spanish Golden Age, with many great works from El Greco and Murillo focused on him. I love how El Greco depicted Jesus’s dependence on Joseph in this image:
El Greco had a knack for portraying the dynamic relationship between heaven and earth and here we see the heavens opening with whirling angels above Joseph. The humble Joseph, the heir to David’s throne, has a crown ready in the hand of angels with others flowers representing purity surrounding the angel on the right. The angels contrast with the ominous clouds (another classic El Greco feature) representing the darkness of the world, as the clouds turn black right above the city (with features of the painter’s adopted city – Toledo). This dark world will turn against the Messiah and will crucify him. As if he has a premonition, the Christ child grasps at his adopted father’s waist for protection. Joseph looks at him lovingly, although the child Jesus looks at us – as if to say, quoting the book of Genesis – Go to Joseph.
We need Joseph’s protection with dark clouds descending over our cities. Things are getting darker than ever and we can follow Jesus in turning to his own protector. With the brunt of the attacks from our secular culture centered on the family, this is the time of St. Joseph for good reason. The Church has been pointing him to us more and more over the last 150 years. In God’s providence, this difficult year has been entrusted to St. Joseph for his special intercession. For his feast day (March 19th), the litany of St. Joseph gives the Church’s best catechesis on who he is (especially in his great virtue) and his role in guiding the Body of Christ. It provides us a great prayer to say each day for the year of St. Joseph.
The Litany of St. Joseph
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
God our Father in heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.
Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us (response hereafter).
Noble son of the House of David,
Light of patriarchs,
Husband of the Mother of God,
Guardian of the Virgin,
Foster father of the Son of God,
Faithful guardian of Christ,
Head of the Holy Family,
Joseph, chaste and just,
Joseph, prudent and brave,
Joseph, obedient and loyal,
Pattern of patience,
Lover of poverty,
Model of workers,
Example to parents,
Guardian of virgins,
Pillar of family life,
Comfort of the troubled,
Hope of the sick,
Patron of the dying,
Terror of evil spirits,
Protector of the Church,
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.
V/. God made him master of his household,
R/. And put him in charge of all that he owned.
Let us pray.
O God, who in your inexpressible providence were pleased to choose Saint Joseph as spouse of the most holy Mother of your Son, grant, we pray, that we, who revere him as our protector on earth, may be worthy of his heavenly intercession. Through Christ our Lord.
R/. Amen.
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