St. Joseph
Saint Joseph
Early Life
Saint Joseph is one of the most popular revered saints in Christianity.Venerated as the earthly father of Jesus Christ, what little is knownabout him is taken from this appearance in the Bible.
Saint Joseph has since been studied by various historians. However,these studies were made difficult by the fact that he was in existenceeven before Jesus Christ was born.
There are various books, facts, and hearsay about him.
There have been many difficulties in theologians and historians beingable to place the birth of Saint Joseph. Many historians fix his date ofbirth to be circa 100 B.C.E.
Saint Joseph first made an appearance in the Bible in the book ofMatthew, the new testament.
In the book of Matthew, Saint Joseph was said to be a descendant of KingDavid. What he did earlier in his years is up for argument. Even accountof his life before meeting the Virgin Mary varies.
Some historians claim Saint Joseph had children from a former Marriage.So accounts Claim that Joseph was a virgin before he met the BlessedMary.
Dedication and Devotion
Saint Joseph was said to have lived in Nazareth. He was described in theBible as being a “tekton”. This was taken by literal accounts to meanCarpenter.
However, the literal translation of the word was said to mean technical,placing Saint Joseph as a maker of things. Like other information aboutthis Saint, this little piece of information had been debated for years.
Joseph was betrothed to Mary, whom he had met a virgin. Afterdiscovering her to be pregnant with a child, the Bible had described himas wishing to secretly divorce Mary in order to save her reputation.
After making up his mind, however, he had a dream where he wasinstructed by an angel to stay by Mary and the Child. He was told thatthe child was a product of the Holy Spirit.
A man who believed in God, Saint Joseph trusted this vision and stayedmarried to Mary.
After Mary gave birth to Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, Joseph was recordedin the Bible to once again have a vision. In this vision, an angelwarned him about returning home.
It was shown to him that King Herod of Judea bore malevolent thoughtstowards his child. Fearing for their life, Saint Joseph led his familyto Egypt.
They lived there for some years before the angel once again appeared tohim to break the news of Herod’s death.
Saint Joseph settled in Nazareth with his family. There, he taught Jesusthe art of Carpentry.
It is noted that the last time Saint Joseph appeared in the Bible (Luke2:41-49) was when Jesus went missing. Joseph found young Jesus teachingin the temple.
It is recorded in the Bible that when told by his parents that they hadbeen searching for him, Jesus replied “Why were you searching for me?Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house”.
He was however mentioned once more in John 6:41-42 when Jesus Christ wasbeing discussed by the Jews, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph,whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down fromheaven’?”.
Legacy
Saint Joseph is famously associated with accounts of Jesus Christ. He isvenerated across all Christian denominations as the father of JesusChrist.
Because of the lack of proper documentation, it is not sure what hespent the rest of his life doing.
It is still argued today if Saint Joseph had any children except JesusChrist. Some historical accounts venerate him as a Perpetual Virgin.
These accounts assume that Saint Joseph and Virgin Mary remained chastethroughout their marriage.
There are lots of writings intended to fill up the space left open bymissing accounts of Saint Joseph.
Death and Canonization
Saint Joseph’s death is not recorded in the Bible.
Some accounts claim that he passed away before Jesus started hisministry. Others claim that Saint Joseph passed away peacefully at theage of 111. This is supported by various 17th-century writings.
He was named the patron of the universal church by Pope Pius IX in 1870.
Saint Joseph is celebrated by Western Christianity on the 19th of March.He is also commemorated on the third Wednesday after Easter Sunday andon the 1st of May.
5 Interesting Facts About St. Joseph
- Did you know that Saint Joseph is the Patron Saint of many things
including Fathers, Immigrants, Craftsmen, and Cebu? - Did you know that Saint Joseph’s supposed father is Jacob?
- Did you know that Saint Joseph was named the patron saint of several
countries like America, Croatia, Belgium, and Peru? - Did you know that there is no recorded quote of Saint Joseph in the
Holy Bible? - Did you know that some accounts record Saint Joseph dying in Jesus
Christ’s and the Virgin Mary’s arms?
Prayer to St. Joseph
Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer,Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary.To you, God entrusted his only Son;In you, Mary placed her trust;With you, Christ became man.Blessed Joseph, to us, too,show yourself a fatherand guide us in the path of life.Obtain for us grace, mercy, and courage,and defend us from every evil. Amen.
Source:[https://portlanddiocese.org/prayers-st-joseph]{.ul}