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The Light of the World
Thursday
St. Joseph
The Church devotes the entire octave of this feast to the honor of St. Joseph, the patron of the
universal Church and the protector of the Holy Family. She stands in awe at the abundance of
grace which God has showered upon this great saint.
The Epistle describes the plentiful graces which God bestowed on the Joseph of the Old
Testament. We stand in spirit at the deathbed of the venerable patriarch Jacob, whose
twelve stalwart sons are gathered around him. With prophetical insight Jacob looks into
the future and sees the destiny of his sons and their progeny. He passes on to them their
inheritance — that is, the blessing of the God of Abraham. Joseph he blesses with the words
recorded in the Epistle of today’s Mass: “Joseph is a growing son, a growing son [ Joseph
means growing] and comely to behold. The daughters [his progeny] run to and fro upon
the wall. But they that held darts [ Joseph’s brethren, evil men] provoked him and quarreled
with him and envied him. His bow rested upon the strong [ Joseph triumphs and overcomes
them], and the bands of his arms and his hands were loosed by the hands of the mighty
one of Jacob [by the marvelous intervention of God]. Thence he came forth [from prison
and from slavery] a pastor, the stone of Israel. The God of thy father shall be thy helper,
and the Almighty shall bless thee with the blessings of heaven above, with the blessings of
the deep that lieth beneath, with blessings of the breasts and of the womb. The blessings of
thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers [Abraham and Isaac] until the
desire of the everlasting hills shall come [Christ the Savior]. May they be upon the head of
Joseph, upon the crown of the Nazarite among his brethren.” This is an apt description of
the abundance of grace bestowed on the Joseph of the New Testament.
“The blessings of thy father are strengthened with the blessings of his fathers until the desire
of the everlasting hills shall come.” The events foreseen by Jacob on his deathbed were fulfilled in
a marvelous way in St. Joseph. The blessing with which God enriched Joseph came in the form of
the Messias, the Son of God in human form. Jesus is the fullness of divine blessings, the source of all
salvation, of all riches, of all that is of lasting value in heaven and on earth. He is a blessing of God that
surpasses immeasurably all the blessings that were given by God to the patriarchs and saints of the
Old Testament. This is the blessing which is received by Joseph, “the chosen one among his brethren,”
a blessing which surpasses that of all men. He was selected in preference to all other men to be
the spouse of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Since he is her legitimate spouse, Jesus, her son, the Son of
God, and even Mary herself belong to him as their father and their protector. The holy liturgy stands
in awe at the singular graces with which God has enriched St. Joseph. With the single exception of
Mary herself, his graces exceed those of all other men. The Church considers herself fortunate to be
placed, like Jesus and Mary, under the protection of this blessed man. In his hands God has placed
the power necessary for victory over Herod and over all the enemies of the Holy Family and of the
Church. This is the belief of the Church, and we confidently acquiesce in this belief.
In the mind of the liturgy, St. Joseph was, of all men, endowed with the greatest measure of grace,
with the single exception of Mary. He is a fountain of grace, to whom we are directed to apply.
During the great famine in Egypt, the people cried out to the king (Pharao) for bread. He replied:
“Go to Joseph.” God gives us a similar command, “Go to Joseph.” Through his mediation we
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