Celebrating Beauty: St. Joseph

An ongoing series about how to add a little beauty to our favorite feasts and seasons

Today we celebrate the solemnity of St. Joseph. This is an extremely special day this year because Pope Francis proclaimed this year the year of St. Joseph. Who is St. Joseph and why is he so important, especially now? (We have an expert answer all these questions this week on the podcast which you can find here.)

St. Joseph was the earthly, or foster father of Jesus. He is the only person in Scripture to be described as "just" meaning he followed the commandments of the Lord with an upright heart, though unlike Mary, he was not immaculate and without sin, but he was a model of purity, chastity, and righteousness. He was a carpenter by trade and is the patron saint of workers, fathers, a happy death (He died in the arms of Jesus and Mary. We all want to die like that!), and patron of the universal Church.

St. Joseph is a powerful model for all the faithful, and for men and fathers in particular. He shows us how to pray, how to work, and how to be obedient to God. He gives himself totally to the Lord. He is given to us as our father too, a shadow of the Father, to guide and protect us just as he did for Jesus and Mary. He is an important saint for our times as we as a culture struggle with the wound of fatherlessness. St. Joseph is there for us, showing us how to follow Jesus and love the Lord rightly, just as a good father does. We can look to him and find a tender, fatherly heart that guides us to the perfect and loving heart of God.