St Teresa of Avila said that St Joseph never refused her on his feast day in March. With confidence such as Teresa had, many Catholics have prayed a novena leading up to today. Usually, the intention is to find a job or a good spouse.
The 16th-century nun had besought St Joseph after paralysis had confined her to bed for three years. When she prayed to St Joseph, God healed her and she was able to walk again. Never forgetting this favour, St Theresa always proclaimed the remarkable intercessory powers of St Joseph.
St Teresa suggested that St Joseph’s intercession is highly effective because Our Lord Jesus Christ had to obey St Joseph when he was a Child. She theorized that in Heaven, Our Lord still does as St Joseph asks.
A recent convert to Catholicism chose St Joseph as his patron. He explained, “I wanted the
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He founded the oratory in Montreal that continues to draw more than two million pilgrims each year seeking St Joseph’s powerful intercession.
In today’s culture, we are confused about what a “real man” is supposed to be like. We tend to idolize athletes, actors, and musicians. Despite their giftedness in these professions, not all are as skilled in modelling reliability, compassion, and respect for women and other men. The image of masculinity we find in our cultural icons may be lacking in virtue and character.
Is there a better role model than St Joseph for young men developing their character and authentic relationships to God, women and others? I would suggest there isn’t! Catholic men should hold St Joseph up as an ideal. He teaches us many valuable lessons in his quiet yet powerful presence in the Gospel.
We hear in the Gospel today what happened when Saint Joseph discovered that Mary is with child before their marriage. He knew that he was not the father. In what was probably a time of confusion and great personal pain, his first concern was for