I encourage you to make, with me, a 33-day preparation for consecration to St. Joseph, which will take place on May 1st (the feast of St. Joseph the Worker). I’m using Fr. Donald Calloway’s fine book Consecration to St. Joseph. Each day’s reading takes about seven or eight minutes, and I render full credit for these thoughts, respecting copyright laws, to Fr. Donald H. Calloway, author of the book.
Day Eight
Each day Fr. Calloway focuses his meditation on a line from St. Joseph’s Litany (which we pray every day, on page 233 of his book). He began with the first lines of the Litany (the persons of the Holy Trinity, have mercy on us), then yesterday’s meditation from the ninth line of the Litany (“Holy Mary, pray for us”), and then today simply “St. Joseph, pray for us.” The rest of our readings will meditate on the particular titles of Joseph, such as Testament “Noble Offspring of David,” and then “Light of Patriarchs,” “Mirror of Patience,” etc.
On this Monday of Holy Week, therefore, we consider the first title in the Litany, simply “St. Joseph.” And what is his fundamental identity, his essential meaning for us? It is Joseph’s vocation as head of the New Covenant family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. St. Joseph is essentially husband and father, the “head of our Head,” Jesus’ earthly father and the husband of God’s mother. The Old Testament begins with a family (Adam and Eve), but that family failed. The New Testament also begins with a family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph), and that family did not fail. Joseph, father of Jesus and husband of Mary, pray for me!
Day Eight
Each day Fr. Calloway focuses his meditation on a line from St. Joseph’s Litany (which we pray every day, on page 233 of his book). He began with the first lines of the Litany (the persons of the Holy Trinity, have mercy on us), then yesterday’s meditation from the ninth line of the Litany (“Holy Mary, pray for us”), and then today simply “St. Joseph, pray for us.” The rest of our readings will meditate on the particular titles of Joseph, such as Testament “Noble Offspring of David,” and then “Light of Patriarchs,” “Mirror of Patience,” etc.
On this Monday of Holy Week, therefore, we consider the first title in the Litany, simply “St. Joseph.” And what is his fundamental identity, his essential meaning for us? It is Joseph’s vocation as head of the New Covenant family, the Holy Family of Nazareth. St. Joseph is essentially husband and father, the “head of our Head,” Jesus’ earthly father and the husband of God’s mother. The Old Testament begins with a family (Adam and Eve), but that family failed. The New Testament also begins with a family (Jesus, Mary, and Joseph), and that family did not fail. Joseph, father of Jesus and husband of Mary, pray for me!
RSS Feed