Saint Joseph - old or young?

Today we celebrate the solemn feast of St. Joseph.

We see St. Joseph's image is everywhere, but how much do we really know about this saint?

He is the patron and protector of the Church, just as he was he protector and patron of Our Lord and Lady while they walked this earth. We know that he was a "just and holy man" - the perfect pious gentleman. We usually think of him as a bearded man in green and brown holding the Christ Child and a staff of lilies.

But how much more do we know?


St. Joseph never speaks in the Gospels. We find him in Matthew and Luke, but only briefly. The Gospels say little about him. Yet we know that he was a carpenter. We read that he was a "just man" from the line of David. His age at the time of his betrothal and marriage to Our Lady is highly debated.

Many of our statues and images depict him as a middle-aged or even elderly man. We sing in the Cherry Tree Carol "Joseph was an old man, a very old man was he, when he married Mary in the land of Galilee."

But was Joseph really old?

The concept of the elderly Joseph comes from the apocryphal gospel The Protoevangelium of James. There we read:

And when she was twelve years old there was held a council of the priests, saying: "Behold, Mary has reached the age of twelve years in the temple of the Lord. What then shall we do with her, lest perchance she defile the sanctuary of the Lord?"

And they said to the high priest: "You stand by the altar of the Lord; go in, and pray concerning her"... behold an angel of the Lord stood by him, saying unto him: "Zacharias, Zacharias, go out and assemble the widowers of the people, and let them bring each his rod; and to whomsoever the Lord shall show a sign, his wife shall she be." And the heralds went out through all the circuit of Judæa, and the trumpet of the Lord sounded, and all ran.

And Joseph, throwing away his axe, went out to meet them; and when they had assembled, they went away to the high priest, taking with them their rods. And he, taking the rods of all of them, entered into the temple...and Joseph took his rod last; and, behold, a dove came out of the rod, and flew upon Joseph's head.

And the priest said to Joseph, "You have been chosen by lot to take into your keeping the virgin of the Lord."

But Joseph refused, saying: "I have children, and I am an old man, and she is a young girl. I am afraid lest I become a laughing-stock to the sons of Israel."

And the priest said to Joseph: "Fear the Lord your God, and remember what the Lord did to Dathan, and Abiram, and Korah; how the earth opened, and they were swallowed up on account of their contradiction. And now fear, O Joseph, lest the same things happen in your house."

And Joseph was afraid, and took her into his keeping. And Joseph said to Mary: "Behold, I have received you from the temple of the Lord; and now I leave you in my house, and go away to build my buildings, and I shall come to you. The Lord will protect you."

Here we see St. Joseph as an old widower, with children, and frankly, a bit of a jerk.

So was that St. Joseph? The Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, certainly did not think so as he condemned the Protoevangelium as "apocryphal ravings."

While St. Thomas doesn't offer any insights on the life of St. Joseph, a number of holy mystics do. Ven. Maria de Agrida and Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich both write of St. Joseph as seen in their visions.

Ven. Maria writes in The Mystical City of God that:

"Among the number was Joseph, a native of Nazareth. and then living in Jerusalem; for he was one of the descendants of the royal race of David. He was then thirty-three years of age, of handsome person and pleasing countenance, but also of incomparable modesty and gravity; above all he was most chaste in thought and conduct, and most saintly in all his inclinations. From his twelfth year he had made and kept the vow of chastity. He was related to the Virgin Mary in the third degree, and was known for the utmost purity of his life, holy and irreprehensible in the eyes of God and of men."

Bl. Anne Catherine, in The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, does not specify St. Joseph's age, but merely that he was "unmarried." His actions and demeanor in her writings do, however, seem more reflective of a younger man than an older one.

To note a third: Padre Pio reportedly insisted the St. Joseph was even younger - perhaps only 18 when espoused to Our Lady.

Numerous other scholars and theologians have agreed that Joseph was certainly not old. A number believe that he may have been even as young at 16 - only a year or two older than Our Lady.

Why would St. Joseph's age matter? Perhaps it doesn't, but it seems easy enough to believe that an old man, already a father, would be more likely to live chastely with a girl he could regard as his granddaughter (or at least daughter). The virtue required of a teenage or young adult man to care for a pregnant girl, help her raise her son, all the while living a perfectly chaste life, without committing a single personal sin, would be truly heroic. That is the kind of virtue that merits the title "Patron of the Universal Church" and the kind of virtue you'd hope the patron of husbands would possess.


Further Reading:

The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich
The Mystical City of God: The Life of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God, Ven. Mary of Jesus of Agrida
Redemptoris Custos, Pope John Paul II
or follow any of the links in the text
Cross-posted over at the Pious Sodality.

Dromedaries shall come

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Isiah 60:1-6

Blessed Epiphany to you all!

St Andrew's Day!

Happy Feastday to all who claim St. Andrew as their patron! (Especially, again, the ones remembered here)

And also a reminder that the "St. Andrew's Novena" begins today:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold. In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God! to hear my prayer and grant my desires, through the merits of Our Savior Jesus Christ, and of His Blessed Mother. Amen.

(To be recited fifteen times a day from the feast of St. Andrew until Christmas)

A month and five days later...

Two years ago today, on the Feast of St. Pius V, Matthias was kneeling at Mass praying for vocation discernment.

A month and five days ago, on the Feast of the Annunciation he proposed to the girl who providentially had been kneeling next to him at that Mass: me!


Reee!

Happy Feast of Basil Moreau!

Happy Feast Day!

A year ago, we celebrated the first feast of Fr. Basil Moreau following his beatification in September 2007. Fr. Moreau founded the Congregation of Holy Cross, by which the University of Notre Dame was in turn founded.

I came back from 5:15 Mass in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart a short while ago. It was wonderful to celebrate the feast of Bl. Basil with so many of his spiritual sons and daughters.

Most appropriately, Fathers Steve Koeth, Ed Obermiller,and Jim Gallagher (all CSC) have started a new blog today! Spes Unica is dedicated to covering the lives, ministries and apostolates of the priests and brothers of the Congregation of Holy Cross.

O God, who in your ineffable Providence chose your priest, Blessed Basil, to imitate the virtues of the Holy Family and respond to the needs of the Church, grant, we beseech you, that, supported by his prayers and example, we may have the strength to boldly confess the Cross of Christ as our only hope. He lives and reigns with you, Father, and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. -Collect for today's Mass

St. Lucy's Day

Last night, the Children of Mary group on campus hosted a St. Lucy's Day party. Since I've recently been on something of a baking kick, I decided to back some Santa Lucia Bread. I took the recipe posted over at Catholic Cuisine.

I got a late start, so the bread never actually made an appearance at the party, but it did come to the Post-Trid-Mass brunch in South Dining Hall.

Turned out to be quite lovely, if I may say so - especially with a little literal "sprucing" up.

photo: me 12/14/08

SAINT LUCY, Whose beautiful name Signifies light, By the light of Faith Which God bestowed upon you, Increase and preserve His light in my soul, so that I may avoid evil, Be zealous in the performance of good works, and abhor nothing so much as the blindness and the darkness of evil and sin.

Obtain for me, by your intercession with God, perfect vision for my bodily eyes and the grace to use them for God’s greater honor and glory and the salvation of souls.

St. Lucy, virgin and martyr, hear my prayers and obtain my petitions.

Amen.

Immaculate Conception

After a minor crisis, I've decided to do my best to wake up early and drive down the street to St. Pat's for Mass. For anyone else still up at midnight who hasn't decided where they should attend Mass tomorrow:

Fr. George Gabet, FSSP, the chaplain of the St. Mother Theodore Guerin Latin Mass Community of the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend, will offer the Traditional Latin Mass on the feast day of the Immaculate Conception in South Bend.

December 8, 2008
7:00 am
St. Patrick Catholic Church, South Bend

I suppose I'd better get some sleep then!


P.S. Other good Mass options would be 5:00pm in Alumni Hall - I'm not sure if it will be in Latin or not - and the 5:00pm in the Basilica will be sung by the Glee Club - which means the music will be excellent.

Feast of Mother Guerin

Happy Feast of the-now-Saint Mother Theodore Guerin!

Feast of St. Wenceslaus

Today was a very special day for the Children of Mary* and those who join them for Rosary Around the Lake.

Our Rosary Around the Lake patron has long been St. Wenceslaus. For, as we all know:
Good King Wenceslas looked out, on the Feast of Stephen,
When the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even;
Brightly shone the moon that night, tho' the frost was cruel,
When a poor man came in sight, gath'ring winter fuel.

The saintly king asked his young page to help him bring food to the poor man. They set out trudging through the think snow. As it the kept walking the page said:
"Sire, the night is darker now, and the wind blow stronger;
Fails my heart, I know not how; I can go no longer."
The saint replied:
"Mark my footsteps, my good page. Tread thou in them boldly
Thou shalt find the winter's rage freeze thy blood less coldly."

And so:
In his master's steps he trod, where the snow lay dinted;
Heat was in the very sod which the saint had printed.
Therefore, Christian men, be sure, wealth or rank possessing,
Ye who now will bless the poor, shall yourselves find blessing.

While school is not in session on the feast of St. Stephen, the cold snowy winter months are perfectly described by that carol. Thus we pray to St. Wenceslaus at the end of every Rosary, that he may continue to warm our steps as we continue to pray for those in need.

Today marked his feast, and one of the few times his feast falls on a Sunday.

Tonight we were happily surprised by a large turn-out, around 25 people, including many new freshman who did not know about our special patron.


To help celebrate the special day, the Children of Mary also revived their old tradition of socializing in LaFortune after Rosary - a great way to close the weekend.


For those of you interested in joining Children of Mary or praying Rosary Around the Lake, email mary@nd.edu
Rosary Around the Lake is every Sunday at 8:00pm despite the weather. The group meets at the Dooley Statue at the grotto.



St. Wenceslaus, pray for us!



*A student group at Notre Dame which is not affiliated in anyway with the international group of the same name.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows

Happy feastday to all the Holy Cross Fathers!

Feast of St. Augustine

Lord Jesus, let me know myself and know You,
And desire nothing, save only You.
Let me hate myself and love You.
Let me do everything for the sake of You.
Let me humble myself and exalt You.
Let me think of nothing except You.
Let me die to myself and live in You.
Let me accept whatever happens as from You.
Let me banish self and follow You,
And ever desire to follow You.
Let me fly from myself and take refuge in You,
That I may deserve to be defended by You.
Let me fear for myself, let me fear You,
And let me be among those who are chosen by You.
Let me distrust myself and put my trust in You.
Let me be willing to obey for the sake of You.
Let me cling to nothing, save only to You,
And let me be poor because of You.
Look upon me, that I may see You,
And for ever enjoy You.
Amen.

Feast of St. Dominic

Deus, qui Ecclesiam tuam beati Dominici confessoris tui, Patris nostri, illuminare dignatus es meritis et doctrinis, concede ut eius intercessione temporalibus non destitatur auxiliis, et spiritualibus semper proficiat incrementis. Per Dominum.

photo: St. Dominic, St. Cecilia's, Nashville, TN; me 1/08

Corpus Christi

Found here.
So beautiful

Today was my first Mass back at my home parish (St Alphonsus, Baltimore). We had 2 first communicants and a small Eucharistic procession. Sadly I did not have my camera; but our outdoor altar in the church courtyard was lovely.

Happy St Lazarus Day!

Conversation I just had with The Roommate:

Roommie: Did the diocese move St Patrick's Day to today?

Mary Liz: No, it was moved to yesterday.

Roommie: Well did you hear those girls running up and down the hall this morning knocking on each other's doors and shouting Happy St. Patrick's Day?

Mary Liz: No. I must have really been out.

Roommie: Yeah, they were green head to toe and all Irish and stuff.

Mary Liz: huh

Roomie: But today on our calendar* it's the feast of St Lazarus. I kind of want to wrap myself in toilet paper and run up and down the hall knocking on doors and shouting "HAPPY SAINT LAZARUS DAY!"





*Byzantine Catholic


I love my roommate :-)

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I have too much to say, and no time to say it thanks to my thesis. But stay tuned.
Bishop D'Arcy offered a lovely Mass at the Basilica today to celebrate St Patrick's Day which is being moved all around because of Holy Week.
Then there was the St Patrick's Day celebration over at Moreau Seminiary - what fun!
As I said, more later. I'm supposed to be working on my thesis at this late hour.

I leave you with one of my favorite prayers. When I ran cross country in high school I never listened to music when I ran, but I would recite the "Christ with me" verse over and over as I ran. It becomes a lovely rhythmic pattern that makes the entire act of running a beautiful prayer.

Lorica of Saint Patrick

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation.

I arise today
Through the strength of Christ's birth and His baptism,
Through the strength of His crucifixion and His burial,
Through the strength of His resurrection and His ascension,
Through the strength of His descent for the judgment of doom.

I arise today
Through the strength of the love of cherubim,
In obedience of angels,
In service of archangels,
In the hope of resurrection to meet with reward,
In the prayers of patriarchs,
In preachings of the apostles,
In faiths of confessors,
In innocence of virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.

I arise today
Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,
Splendor of fire,
Speed of lightning,
Swiftness of the wind,
Depth of the sea,
Stability of the earth,
Firmness of the rock.

I arise today
Through God's strength to pilot me;
God's might to uphold me,
God's wisdom to guide me,
God's eye to look before me,
God's ear to hear me,
God's word to speak for me,
God's hand to guard me,
God's way to lie before me,
God's shield to protect me,
God's hosts to save me
From snares of the devil,
From temptations of vices,
From every one who desires me ill,
Afar and anear,
Alone or in a mulitude.

I summon today all these powers between me and evil,
Against every cruel merciless power that opposes my body and soul,
Against incantations of false prophets,
Against black laws of pagandom,
Against false laws of heretics,
Against craft of idolatry,
Against spells of women and smiths and wizards,
Against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul.
Christ shield me today
Against poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against wounding,
So that reward may come to me in abundance.

Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left,
Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down,
Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in the eye that sees me,
Christ in the ear that hears me.

I arise today
Through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity,
Through a belief in the Threeness,
Through a confession of the Oneness
Of the Creator of creation

150th Anniversary of the Apparition of Our Lady at Lourdes

Today marks the 150th anniversary of the apparition of Our Lady to St. Bernadette at the Grotto of Lourdes.

This a very special feast here at Notre Dame as we have a most beautiful replica of the Grotto here at the very heart of campus. It a place treasured by all.

This afternoon Mass was celebrated at the Basilica at 5:15 as usual. My choir, the Women's Liturgical Choir was given the honor of singing the Mass.

Fr. Hesburgh was the homilist and gave lovely sermon on the deep ties of our university to Our Lady, the devotion of Fr. Sorin to her, and how we must always remember our (the Notre Dame family's) total consecration to her and must strive to grow ever more deeply in love with her.

Below is the prayer card that was distributed in honor of this special feast.


ps I got to design the prayer card reee! :-)

Epiphany

Arise, shine out, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises
and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light
and kings to your dawning brightness.
Isaiah 60:1-3

Happy Feast of the Epiphany!



I was reading the little pre-Mass mediation in my missal before Mass this morning and it mentioned how the Epiphany includes not only the adoration of the magi but also Christ's baptism and the miracle at Cana. That's something few ever think about.

The Solemnity of the "Epiphany of the Lord" (birth, adoration of the Magi, Baptism in the Jordan, wedding at Cana), which originated in Alexandria, spread increasingly in the liturgy of the entire Church. It has been celebrated on 6 January since the fifth century. Only in the Roman liturgy under Pope St. Leo the Great (440-461) did it become a specific feast: the "Adoration of the Magi"

source



In looking for various resources, prayers, etc for this feast I came across this website for St Michael's Academy. It seems to have a lot of good stuff on it. I'd never heard of them. Looks like they're in Minnesota, maybe some of my Minnesotan readers can fill me in.

Happy Feast of St John Neumann!

St John is an incredible saint. Besides instituting the diocesan school system and fostering the tradition of 40 Hours Devotion in America, he was my parish's pastor!

Yes, I'm proud!

You can read a nice little biography here, which mentions his time at St. A's.

See, here is St Alphonsus in Baltimore all decorated for Midnight Mass. St. John did a lot of work around there.


Happy nameday to Johnny Domer and WQJE!

O Jesus, who on earth commanded and practiced a hidden life, grant that--in these our days of pride and outward display--the example of your servant John Neumann may lead us to follow your humble ways. Grant, O Lord, that like your holy bishop we may do all our work with the pure intention of pleasing you, and let not our deeds be done to win the favor of others but to give glory to our Father in heaven.

We thank you that our fellow citizen and devoted missionary bishop is recognized among the saints of your Church in heaven, and we beseech you, O Lord, to glorify him on earth by granting the favors we ask through his intercession. Amen

.

Also, check out my parish's website.

(photo: my mom 12/25/07)

St Lucy

By the early impressions which Lucy received and the strong influence of divine grace, Lucy discovered no disposition but toward virtue, and she was yet very young when she offered to God the flower of her virginity. This vow, however, she kept a secret, and her mother, who was a stranger to it, pressed her to marry a young gentleman who was a pagan.

The young nobleman, with whom the mother had treated about marrying her, came to understand this by the sale of her jewels and goods, and the distribution of the price among the poor, and in his rage accused her before the governor Paschasius as a Christian, the persecution of Diocletian then raging with the utmost fury. The judge commanded the holy virgin to be exposed to prostitution in a brothel house; but God rendered her immovable, so that the guards were not able to carry her thither. He also made her an over-match for the cruelty of the persecutors, in overcoming fire and other torments. After a long and glorious combat she died in prison of the wounds she had received,

There are few Lucys nowadays among Christian ladies, because sensuality, pride, and vanity are instilled into their minds by the false maxims and pernicious example of those with whom they first converse. Alas unless a constant watchfulness and restraint both produce and strengthen good habits, the inclinations of our souls lean of their own accord toward corruption.

Source

Happy nameday, Lucy, a wonderful Christian lady!

Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Mystical Rose,
make intercession for the holy Church,
protect the Sovereign Pontiff,
help all those who invoke thee in their necessities,
and since thou art the ever Virgin Mary
and Mother of the true God,
obtain for us from thy most holy Son
the grace of keeping our faith,
sweet hope in the midst of the bitterness of life,
burning charity
and the precious gift of final perseverance.
Amen.
Pope St. Pius X

A Prayer for Abortion Victims

Prayer for all victims of abortion. May those involved in abortions be reconciled to God and may the innocent dead be saved.

Holy Mother of God and of the Church, our Lady of Guadalupe, you were chosen by the Father for the Son through the Holy Spirit.

You are the Woman clothed with the sun who labors to give birth to Christ while Satan, the Red Dragon, waits to voraciously devour your child.

So too did Herod seek to destroy your Son, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and massacred many innocent children in the process.
So today does abortion killing many innocent unborn children and exploiting many mothers in its attack upon human life and upon the Church, the Body of Christ.

Mother of the Innocents, we praise God in you for His gifts to you of your Immaculate Conception, your freedom from actual sin; your fullness of grace, your Motherhood of God and the Church, your Perpetual Virginity and your Assumption in body and soul into heaven.

O Help of Christians, we beg you to protect all mothers of the unborn and the children within their wombs. We plead with you for your help to end the holocaust of abortion. Melt hearts so that life may be revered!

Holy Mother, we pray to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart for all mothers and all unborn children that they may have life here on earth and by the most Precious Blood shed by your Son that they may have eternal life with Him in heaven. We also pray to your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart for all abortionists and all abortion supporters that they may be converted and accept your Son, Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Savior. Defend all of your children in the battle against Satan and all of the evil spirits in this present darkness.

We desire that the innocent unborn children who die without Baptism should be baptized and saved. We ask that you obtain this grace for them and repentance, reconciliation and pardon from God for their parents and their killers.

Let there be revealed, once more, in the history of the world the infinite power of merciful love. May it put an end to evil. May it transform consciences. May your Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart reveal for all the light of hope. May Christ the King reign over us, our families, cities, states, nations and the whole of humanity.

O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary, hear our pleas and accept this cry from our hearts!

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Protectress of the Unborn, Pray for us!

(Prayers found here)

Happy belated feast!


I must add that it was a particularly wonderful feastday. Thanks to Our Lady, I too found some roses in the snow.