Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius April 9, 2017 Spiritual Ponderings Devotions to the 7 Sorrows of St. Joseph
“Those who give themselves to prayer should in a special manner have always a devotion to St. Joseph; for I know not how any man can think of the Queen of the angels, during the time that she suffered so much with the Infant Jesus, without giving thanks to St. Joseph for the services he rendered them then." -- St. Teresa of Avila. Let us continue our look at the man the Father chose to be the adoptive Father of Jesus by continuing our look at the 7 Sorrows of St. Joseph.
Sorrow #2. The Poverty of Jesus’ Birth (Luke 2:7) This sorrow invites us to ponder what it is like to follow God’s will and still look and feel like a failure. Once accepting the responsibility of having Mary as his wife and raising Jesus as his own child, Joseph desired to give his family the best. Finding his wife giving birth in a stable in a city far from their home must have been a major blow to Joseph’s male ego.
Good husbands and fathers want to provide for their spouses and children and it hurts like hell when they are unable to do so. I would think that this is one of the major causes of depression, alcoholism and drug use in men. Joseph demonstrates the virtue of perseverance. As I think about this virtue, this may be one of the most needed virtues of our time. We need the virtue of perseverance when Mass gets “boring.” We need the virtue of perseverance when things do not go the way we want them to go. Many of us, quit at the first sign of desolation (St. Ignatius of Loyola’s term for the feeling of God’s absence. God is never absent but sometimes it can feel like He is). St. Ignatius speaking out of the wisdom of the Church encourages us not to give up when we experience desolation but rather to pray more. Joseph keeps moving forward until he gets his next clear sign from God.
Sorrow #3. The Circumcision (Luke 2:21) Saint Luke tells us: “When eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” I wonder why this is listed as one of the Sorrows of St. Joseph. I am going to propose that the Circumcision of Jesus as one of the sorrows of Joseph because the Circumcision of Jesus reminded Joseph that Jesus had come into a world that was not perfect and that was filled with sin and violence. Most parents worry about their children’s future.
Another major moment happened one the eighth day of Jesus life. According to Roman law the child Jesus was to be present to Joseph. If Joseph literally turned his back toward Jesus, they would take the child and throw the child out into the alley ways to die of exposure. As he once held Mary’s life in his hands now he held Jesus’ life in his hands. Joseph accepts Jesus as his own. While accepting Jesus as his own Joseph has the right the mourn the life he has given up. I have to believe that Joseph used this sadness in a way that allowed him to become a better parent to Jesus. Sometimes, I wonder how much better our world would be if we learned how to channel our desires for sinful things into positive experiences. For example, how much better would the world be if a husband decides not to look at pornography but instead uses the energy and time that he would have spent on lying, lusting, and covering up, into showing his wife and kids the love he has for them by spending more time with them, complimenting them, etc.
A PARENT'S PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH O glorious St. Joseph, to you God committed the care of His only begotten Son amid the many dangers of this world. We come to you and ask you to take under your special protection the children God has given us. Through holy baptism they became children of God and members of His holy Church. We consecrate them to you today, that through this consecration they may become your foster children. Guard them, guide their steps in life, form their hearts after the hearts of Jesus and Mary.
St. Joseph, who felt the tribulation and worry of a parent when the child Jesus was lost, protect our dear children for time and eternity. May you be their father and counsellor. Let them, like Jesus, grow in age as well as in wisdom and grace before God and men. Preserve them from the corruption of his world, and give us the grace one day to be united
with them in Heaven forever. Amen.