Today, on the Feast of St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church, and the Diocese of Sioux Falls, of which I am a priest, and in the Year of St. Joseph, Holy Mother Church, in the Traditional Latin Mass, gives us a most interesting Lesson. It follows below.
Lesson
Lesson from the book of Ecclesiasticus
Ecclus 45:1-6
Beloved of God and men, whose memory is held in benediction. He made him like the Saints in glory, and magnified him in the fear of his enemies, and with his words He made prodigies to cease. He glorified him in the sight of kings, and gave him Commandments in the sight of his people, and revealed to him His glory. He sanctified him in his faith and meekness, and chose him out of all flesh. For He heard him and his voice, and brought him into a cloud. And, face to face, He gave him the Commandments, the law of life and understanding.
R. Thanks be to God.
Now, some of you may be asking what is so interesting about this reading? Well, it’s so interesting because the author is speaking about Moses, and not St. Joseph. Which means that Holy Mother Church is making a connection between the two.
The connection is actually quite striking. Moses was a great leader of men, and so is St. Joseph. He is now, from his place in heaven, a leader of men who so desperately need one. St. Joseph, like Moses was a worker of great miracles. He continues to work prodigies today. We have, in recent days, heard much about Milo Yiannopoulos, the conservative commentator who for many years lived a flagrant homosexual lifestyle. He was raised Catholic, but long ago abandoned the faith. Recently, he announced that he had experienced a conversion through the intercession of St. Joseph. He publicly renounced his past lifestyle, and endorsed the Church’s teaching on the topic. This brought down the wrath of social media who quickly banned him and killed the story. This is just one example of the way St. Joseph can bring healing, especially for men who struggle with sexual sin.
Moses gave Commandments in the sight of his people, whereas St. Joseph taught the Christ Child the Commandments of God regarding sin, goodness, worship, and prayer. Moses saw Almighty God veiled by cloud, but St. Joseph habitually looked Jesus in eye, and washed his divine face. Moses held the tablets of the Law in his arms, but St. Joseph held in his arms the author of the Law given to Moses. The holy man, Moses, heard the voice of God in peals of thunder and out of the burning bush, St. Joseph, however heard the voice of the Lord of glory in the voice of the Messiah. Not only that, but St. Joseph lived with her who was consumed by God’s love, yet remained a holy virgin before and after the birth of Jesus, just as Moses lived near the bush that was burned but not consumed.
Yes, St. Joseph is a new Moses! A man so blessed among men! Chosen from among all flesh to be the true spouse of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of the Lord of all! Chosen to be a leader of men in these days, so wounded as it is by sin! It is no accident that there is a resurgence in devotion to him now. The Church needs St. Joseph now more than ever to protect her from enemies, both within and without, just as he protected Jesus and Mary from the wicked Herod. The world needs St. Joseph, Terror of Demons, to drive out the demons that are thick as thieves in society, in the media, in the halls of government, in the pornography industry, in schools, in the ideology of transgenderism, and in many other places where they lie in wait to drag us down to hell!
So, my spiritual children, let us beg St. Joseph, on this his feast day, to work many miracles, protect Holy Mother Church, and drive away the evil in our world!
Let us pray:
Let us praise our God in veneration of Blessed Joseph, our protector
V. He made him master of His house.
R. And Lord over all His possessions.Let us pray: O God, Who in Thine unspeakable providence didst deign to choose Blessed Joseph for Thy most holy Mother’s spouse, grant we beseech Thee, that we who revere him as our protector upon earth may become worthy to have him for our intercessor in heaven. Who livest and reignest for ever and ever. Amen.
Saint Joseph, Terror of Demons, cast thy solemn gaze upon the devil and all his minions, and protect us with thy mighty staff. Thou didst flee through the night to avoid the devil’s wicked designs; now with the power of God, smite the demons as they flee from thee! Grant special protection, we pray, for children, priests, fathers, families, and the dying. By God’s grace, no demon dares approach while thou art near, so we beg of thee, always be near to us! Amen.
