Feast of St. Joseph

It's the feast of my confirmation saint and special patron.

The solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who, a just man, coming from the stock of David, was in loco parentis for Jesus Christ the Son of God, who willed to be called the son of Joseph and was obedient to him as a son to a father. The Church honors him as a special patron, whom God established at the head of his family. (Roman Martyrology)

Pray for us!

with blessed Joseph, her Spouse

I must be a little out of it, or busy, or preoccupied, or distracted--'all of the above' perhaps--to have missed something as sweet and lovely as the addition of St. Joseph to the Eucharistic Prayers last month.

It's a beautiful thing for the whole Church Universal of which St. Joseph is patron; that is, the Church at rest in Heaven, the Church suffering the purifying hope of purgatory, and the Church here on earth, still struggling on the earthly pilgrimage. But it's also a particular joy for those of us who have a devotion to St. Joseph.

You The Man

I was amused by the first line of the hymn given today for the Office of Readings in the American English breviary. Here's the whole thing:

Joseph of Nazareth, you are the man
Last in the line that rose from David, King.
Down through the royal generations ran,
And ends with Jesus Christ.

Gabriel from heaven came to Mary's side,
Came with the joyful promise of a King,
Came to you also, Joseph, to confide
That God conceived this Child.

Guardian and foster-father of the Christ,
Honor to you, so chosen by our God!
Husband of Virgin Mary, you are first
To show us Christian love.

Yes, St. Joseph, you are the man. Pray for us.

The breviary credits the text to a Stephen Somerville. Does anyone know if this is the same (Fr.) Stephen Somerville who famously renounced his membership on ICEL and who was, if I remember rightly, the priest-on-set during the making of The Passion of the Christ?

Feast of St. Joseph

I spent a lot of time trying to come up with the confirmation name/saint who would be just right. I thought about Justin Martyr because I was a philosophy student at the time. I thought about Francis because he was already beginning to make a critical impression on me. In the end I settled on St. Joseph--I was fascinated by the way he lived an extraordinary discipleship in a quiet, hidden way.

For whatever reason that I've long since forgot, I've always prayed for the intercession of St. Joseph for safe travel and for "the grace of working" as the Rule puts it. I don't know if I got this prayer from somewhere or if I made it up or if it's a little of both. I say it whenever I go somewhere, adding the part in brackets if I'm going to work:

St. Joseph, by your diligent care you safely brought the Holy Family back and forth to Egypt and saved the child Jesus from the danger which threatened his life. By your prayers to God today, bring me safely on this journey. [And pray for me, St. Joseph, that I may work honestly and diligently, in imitation of you.] Pray for me St. Joseph, my patron, for safe travel [and for honest work] in the name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen.