Saint-Joseph's feast day - Husband of the Virgin Mary, Patron Saint of Canada

Saint-Joseph's feast day - Husband of the Virgin Mary, Patron Saint of Canada

Little is said of St. Joseph in the Holy Scriptures. We have no biography nor do we have a complete testimony of his life. This observation already announces the great qualities of this man:  those of humility, service and discretion. His principle of life rested in the search for the glory of God.

It is often said of Saint Joseph that he was a hardworking man, an exceptional father figure, living his daily life with fullness while keeping his heart in God. He obeyed the laws of Moses and worked with fervor to fulfill the needs of the Holy Family. Like Mary, he lovingly watched over the Lord while he grew. Keeping his trust in God, he did not despair in doubt during the long years of Jesus’s formation. Patiently, he taught Jesus the trade of carpenter, thus helping to the human development of the son of God.

Saint Joseph is, one might think, a man of rare fineness. Joseph wanted to preserve the reputation of Mary. He did not try to elevate himself by disgracing his neighbor.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1: 18-20)

In 1625, Saint Joseph was declared Patron of Canada by the missionary Joseph Le Caron. The many apostolic missions carried out in the country must undoubtedly have succeed through the intercession of this saint. The missionaries, both men and women, filled with the grace of God, had recourse to this valiant worker for the conversion of the Amerindians and the colonists.

Catherine de Saint-Augustin also had a devotion to the earthly father of Jesus. At the time of her confirmation, she adopted the name of Joseph and was named Marie-Catherine Joseph de Saint-Augustin. Furthermore, several parallels can be made between the life of this devoted servant of God and that of Saint Joseph. Catherine left her country to fulfill the vocation God had given her, all the more so because she divested herself of her family honor attached to the rank of nobility, to live humbly, hidden from the world. We then think of Joseph who despite being of King David’s lineage, lived in the shadow of a simple life devoted to God. In the same way, Catherine spent her life serving the sick in discretion and to the best of her abilities. Like Joseph, she offered herself to God through a loving and generous, yet discreet, service to others.  

 

 

 

References

http://www.sspx.ca/fr/ext-convictions-no26-2013-1

https://www.saint-joseph.org/en/spirituality/saint-joseph/spiritual-figure/

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4

RAGUENEAU, Paul, La vie de la Mère Catherine de Saint Augustin, Imprimerie de l’action sociale limitée, Québec, 1923, 277p.

 image : http://www.catholic.org/news/hf/faith/story.php?id=63683  

See all News