I recently prayed a Saint Joseph novena concerning my future. I pray to Saint Joseph for a lot of reasons. Saint Joseph, after the Blessed Virgin Mary, is the saint who is closest to Jesus. He is the foster father of the Son of God. This intimate connection makes Saint Joseph a powerful intercessor for all who call upon him. Saint Joseph took care of Jesus during his childhood and hidden life in their home in Nazareth. Of course, Jesus takes care of Saint Joseph in Heaven by answering the prayerful petitions he receives in God’s heavenly kingdom. Knowing this truth, I trust in Saint Joseph’s intercession by placing my future into his hands.
Since Saint Joseph is the model of husbands and fathers, I also pray to Saint Joseph for my future husband that he may be faithful and have a close relationship with Jesus Christ. I pray that my future husband may avoid sin and worldliness. Furthermore, I pray that we may be the domestic church God wills and that, by Saint Joseph’s intercession, we may one day enter God’s heavenly kingdom.
Listed below are a couple of quotes from Sacred Scripture showing that God the Father chose Saint Joseph to be a good husband to Mary and father for His Son, Jesus Christ.
“Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ ” Matthew 1:20-21
“After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, ‘Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.’ And he said to them, ‘Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?’ ” Luke 2: 46-49
As a Catholic writer who is always looking for a job, I pray to Saint Joseph since he is a model worker for those seeking work. I know if I persist in my prayers, Jesus will see my faithfulness. He will answer my prayers through Saint Joseph.
A beautiful detail about Saint Joseph is that what he said in Sacred Scripture is not recorded. He simply surrendered himself to God’s will and did whatever the Lord asked, no matter what it was. He had the gift of silence and trust.
In the “Litany of Saint Joseph” prayer, an intriguing detail about Saint Joseph is that one of his titles is “Terror of Demons.” A piece of artwork that I love by Cecilia Lawrence displays this title and truly shows Saint Joseph’s courage and heavenly power over a demon. Saint Joseph is always ready to protect us from the Evil One, anywhere and at any time we are tempted.
I truly want to imitate him and pray to him so I can live a life according to Christ. Saint Joseph lived such a holy life. Even from the little information we can gather from Sacred Scripture about Saint Joseph, we can piece together a wonderful image of a just man who loved Jesus so much that he was willing to go above and beyond all to follow the will of God. Whether that was taking the Blessed Virgin Mary as his wife or escaping to Egypt with her and Jesus, Saint Joseph placed his entire trust in God and lived a beautiful life because of it.
Even though these are my personal reasons why I pray to Saint Joseph, he is truly a saint for all souls. He is a saint for anybody because he is the saint of the universal church. He is the saint of anybody trying to be devout Catholic in a selfish world. There is so much corruption in the modern era, especially in the noisy media. Saint Joseph was a saint of silence and was moreover a devout follower of the Son of God. He will help you in your needs, whatever they may be.
If you are looking for a spouse, pray to Saint Joseph. If you are looking for work, pray to Saint Joseph. If you are just looking to become closer to Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Most Sacred Heart, run to Saint Joseph. Ask for his holy intercession and protection, because he is one on which any soul can rely.
6 thoughts on “Saint Joseph: A Saint for All Souls”
Thank you for this beautiful article on Saint Joseph, Diana! Your writing is very refreshing and uplifting. It is so true; St. Joseph has great intercessory power. His closeness to Jesus makes him an ideal intercessor. If one imitates Joseph most obedient, he or she will undoubtedly grow closer to Christ. All husbands and fathers should look to St. Joseph as the perfect model to strive to emulate. St Joseph was such a just and faithful husband to Mary, and a patient and protective legal father to Jesus, hence another one of his titles, “glory of home life”. His holiness is inspirational and leads followers of Christ to endeavor toward holiness. Your article truly highlights authentic ways in which to show devotion to this fine saint while also emphasizing St. Joseph’s many gifts such as his holy silence and trust. What a blessing it is to be able to “ite ad Joseph” (go to Joseph)! Dear St. Joseph, beloved spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, foster father of Jesus Christ, and spiritual father for all, pray for us!
Thank you, Diana, for your thought on Saint Joseph.
I really needed to hear this, right about now.
You are welcome, Bob! God bless you.
Hello Robert! I love praying to Jesus too! I actually try to pray the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus novena every day. As for why I pray to St Joseph, it is because God wants us to honor and imitate the saints and I find St. Joseph to be someone that I can ask for prayers for so many different reasons that I state in my article above. Like in the Sacrament of Confirmation, Catholics getting confirmed each choose a saint to be a spiritual ally to help them in each of their journey to Heaven. Overall, saints inspire us and lead us closer in our relationship with Christ. And to answer your second question about the Infant Jesus, I would say there is statues like that simply because it is a part of salvation history that he became the Word Incarnate. And Jesus will come again in the Second Coming and we will be judged for our sins whether we will go to Heaven or Hell. Thanks for commenting, Robert! God bless!
Why does the Catholic Church have statues showing Jesus as an infant when He has been seated at the right hand of God for almost 2,000 years and will return as a warrior to save Israel?
Just wondering, why wouldn’t you seek the intercession from Jesus (who is seated at the right-hand of God)? After all, we do profess two times during the Catholic mass that Jesus is seated next to God.
Paul wrote at least twice that Jesus intercedes for us. See 1 Timothy 2: 5-6 and Hebrews 7:25.
Give it a try!
May God bless you on your life’s journey.