Pope Francis declared this year the year of St. Joseph, and let me tell you, I am pumped. St. Joseph is just so underrated! When we think of the Holy Family it can be easy to focus so much on Jesus and the Blessed Mother that we let St. Joseph fade into the background, but let me tell you, this man is amazing. And here's why: Joseph didn’t have to stay. His fiancé was pregnant, and the baby definitely wasn't his. He could've been ashamed. He could have told Mary to never speak to him again. He could have moved on and found another woman to start a family with. But he didn’t. He stayed. And he didn’t just stay and do the bare minimum, he stayed and raised Jesus and taught him everything he could. He stayed and loved Mary with everything he had and treated her like the Queen of Heaven and Earth that she is. Blessed Pope Pope Pius IX said, “Go to Joseph! Have recourse with special confidence to St. Joseph, for his protection is most powerful, as he is the patron of the universal Church.” Joseph was chosen by God to be the earthly protector of the Blessed Mother and the Savior of the World. If Joseph was able to protect the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and the Lamb of God, just imagine the amount of powerful protection he can bless us with if we turn to him. Joseph wasn’t mentioned much in the Bible, but I think I have an answer for that. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade said, “We wonder why the Gospel makes so little mention of St. Joseph. But did it not say everything when it taught us that he was the husband of Mary?” Joseph was so devoted to being the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus that, at times, he went unnoticed. I imagine Joseph patching the hole in the roof, taking a turn waking up with baby Jesus in the night, changing His diaper, calming Him down when He woke up with a bad dream, going out to check and make sure everything was okay when Mary heard a strange noise late at night. Joseph ensured that Mary and Jesus were well taken care of. He is the epitome of a present, loving, protective father. When praying for the men in your life, offer up a prayer to St. Joseph. If you don’t have many fatherly figures in this life, rest assured that St. Joseph will offer you a fatherly protection unlike any other.
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