St.
Joseph is the perfect model at the heart of all men for purity. He being
sinless and faithful to Mary loved Christ with his whole heart. The strongest
muscle being his heart, St. Joseph’s passion is the knowledge that he would not
be alive during Christ’s death to console Mary and protect Christ from His
crucifixion. In Pope
Francis’ homily today he speaks about Joseph being a protector.
“In the Gospel we heard that ‘Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife’ (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: ‘Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model" (Redemptoris Custos, 1). (March 19, 2013)
Tradition teaches us that a lily tips the staff of
St. Joseph bears in his hand. This symbol derives from an ancient legend that
when Mary was to be given over for marriage, many suitors came forward. One of
these men was St. Joseph. Miraculously, the staff of St. Joseph blossomed like
a lily as a sign to Mary that he was to be her husband. Likewise, the biblical
passage, “The just man shall blossom like the lily” Is. 35:1, 2 is applied to
St. Joseph.
St. Joseph my Patron , and model Knight intercede on for me to be a great man, proctor , loving father and just man like you . Amen.
