St. Joseph, Husband of Mary, Father of Jesus, Patron of the Universal Church

Imagine the discernment and faith St. Joseph required to believe the angel who told him to remain with the pregnant girl who claimed to be a virgin! Imagine the agony of a husband, forced by order of a foreign invader to take his pregnant wife on a long and difficult journey -- only to be unable to find a room for her as she went into labor! Imagine his wonder, holding his son according the law, yet also the Son of God, and pondering the mysteries unfolding before him. Imagine the anxiety of fleeing with this young Son and his new bride to a strange land, balancing the uncertainties of each day with the immutable promises of the Lord.

St. Joseph is the second greatest saint in the Catholic Church, after his wife Mary. For me, he is the model of a husband, a father and an adorer of the Holy Eucharist.

Joseph as husband and father are understandable models, but adorer of the Holy Eucharist? Tradition holds that Joseph died before Jesus began His public ministry, long before He gave His disciples the first Eucharist at the Last Supper. What did Joseph know of Jesus truly present under the form of bread and wine?

What Joseph knew of was Jesus truly present under the form of a helpless infant, a toddler, a boy. We don't know for certain how much Joseph knew or understood about the mission of the Incarnation, but he knew that his son was, somehow, God's Son, and that God's promises to Israel would be fulfilled through Him. As a devout Jew in the line of King David, Joseph knew the messianic promises of the Prophets, and he knew the prophecy of the angel to Mary: "You shall conceive and bring forth a son, and name him Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High. The Lord God shall give to him the throne of David his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. Of his kingdom there shall be no end."

Such a great promise! Such a tiny baby! Such faith, to accept them both. In doing so, Joseph was a sign of those to come, Christians through the centuries who have looked and seen bread and wine, yet accepted the presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the form of an infant as in the form of bread, Jesus emptied Himself of His majesty, took on the humblest and commonest of cloaks to conceal His glory, and gave the grace to the humble and faithful to approach, believe, and adore.

The Litany of St. Joseph

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.

God, the Father of Heaven, have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.

St. Joseph, pray for us.
Renowned offspring of David, pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Chaste guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Diligent protector of Christ, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

Joseph most just, pray for us.
Joseph most chaste, pray for us.
Joseph most prudent, pray for us.
Joseph most strong, pray for us.
Joseph most obedient, pray for us.
Joseph most faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of patience, pray for us.
Lover of poverty, pray for us.
Model of artisans, pray for us.
Glory of home life, pray for us.
Guardian of virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of families, pray for us.
Solace of the wretched, pray for us.
Hope of the sick, pray for us.
Patron of the dying, pray for us.
Terror of demons, pray for us.
Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, spare us, O Lord!.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, graciously hear us, O Lord!.
Lamb of God, who take away the sins of the world, have mercy on us.

V. He made him the lord of his household.
R. And prince over all his possessions.
 

Let us pray.
O God, in your ineffable providence you were pleased to choose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most holy Mother; grant, we beg you, that we may be worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our Protector: You who live and reign forever and ever.

R. Amen.
 

A partial indulgence is granted those who recite this litany.
From Enchiridion of Indulgences, Authorized English Edition, issued by the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary, 1968.