Spanish Joe in Omaha

I had the opportunity to spend some time at the Cathedral of St. Cecilia (Archdiocese of Omaha, NE). Behind the sanctuary, there was a collection of historical pieces of art and there were several images of Joe there. One in particular caught my attention. It was a carved wood altar and reredos (the back decorative "wall" of an altar). The bottom-center piece is the Holy Family. 

A couple interesting observations:

1. Joe and Mary are clothed in the same colors as Our Lady of Guadalupe.
2. Joe and Mary are crowned as king and queen.
3. Joe is wearing sandals, Mary is wearing shoes, and Jesus is not wearing any footwear.
4. Joe is not holding a lily (Lilies have petals in multiples of three, but the flower Joe is holding has five.)
5. Joe is depicted as young, mature man.

St. Joseph Gems: Daily Wisdom On Our Spiritual Father

A friend of mine gifted to me Fr. Donald H. Calloway's book, St. Joseph Gems: Daily Wisdom On Our Spiritual Father. It's a collection of short quotes from various saints on St. Joseph - one for each day of the year. For example, today's quote is from St. Peter Julian Eymard, "He [St. Joseph] will be the spiritual director of my interior life, in order that I may lead the same life with him, hidden with Jesus and Mary."

I highly recommend this little book. It's great for everyone. As the title suggests, it is indeed full of "gems". You can find it almost anywhere online, but as I always encourage others, so I encourage you, buy from "the small guys". I recommend the following:

• Your local Catholic Bookstore
• Direct from Fr. Calloway's website
• The Catholic Company
• Aquinas and More

Joe, Our Tax Collector

Last Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, the first reading at Mass were taken from the last chapters of the Book of Genesis. We could easily call these chapters (37-50) 'The Book of Joseph' since it primarily tells the story of the Old Testament Joseph, the last of the great Old Testament Patriarchs.

On Wednesday, I was struck with the image of tax collectors. The Gospel of the day listed the names of the twelve Apostles and referred to Matthew as "the tax collector". Often tax collectors received and continue to receive a bad rapt for their work; however, we learn that the Old Testament Joseph was himself a tax collector--"he collected all the food of these years of plenty that the land of Egypt was enjoying and stored it in the cities" (Gen. 41:48). I know that I have often complained that the government takes too much of my income in taxes; however, one thing is true, they have never taken all of it (despite it feeling like it at times!). Yet, we could say that Joseph did; he collected all the food, not some, not most. How do you think that made the Egyptians feel during those seven years of plenty? Here is a foreigner, ex-slave, and accused sex-offender, demanding all of the produce of their hard earned labor. I would have been extremely upset. But Joseph, unlike so many of the tax-collectors in the New Testament, did not impose ridiculously high taxes for his own sake, but for the sake of others placed under his care by the "god"-man, Pharaoh.

We already know that the Old Testament Joseph prefigures Joe in many ways, so can we say that he prefigures Joe in this way as well? I think the answer is yes.

In my experience in prayer, has been that when I give to Joe any intention -whether in times of spiritual plenitude or famine- he has always taken it and made the situation better. In a way, Joe has become my heavenly tax collector. For the last year or so, I've begun adding to letters "All for Jesus. All through Mary. All with Joseph." This is exactly what the Old Testament Joseph did. He collected the grain with the Egyptian people. I encourage you, maybe I'll even say that I dare you, let Joe be your heavenly tax collector in times of plentitude and famine, whether spiritual or physical. You will not be disappointed! You will survive whatever famine may be coming your way. He has been appointed by the true God-man, Jesus Christ, to this office, and he will not let you die of starvation!

A Year with Joe

It’s hard to believe that it has been a year since we’ve begun “looking for Waldo” on this blog! I’m not exactly sure whether it feels like it’s been more or less than a year ago. (it's been a really wacky year for me!) He truly has blessed my life with his intercession over the course of the year, and I pray that he has blessed you too!

Looking back... I think my favorite post was Joseph in Hades. And I loved all the paintings, iconography, statuary, and mosaics.

Looking forward, please pray for me, and know of my prayers for you and for every person who visits this blog. Joe wants to help us survive whatever famine each of us may be enduring, whether it be spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, or all of the above. “Go to Joseph and do whatever he tells you.” (Gen. 41:55)

I am convinced that if we are obedient to Joe as Jesus was, we too shall "advance in wisdom and age and favor before God and man." (Luke 2:51-52). May this next year be fruitful and blessed!

A New-Old Litany

I recently came across this old Litany of St. Joseph. It was published in a Carmelite prayer book published in 1846.

Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, spouse of St. Joseph, pray for us.
St. Joseph, confirmed in grace, pray for us.
St. Joseph, guardian of the Word Incarnate, pray for us.
St. Joseph, favorite of the King of heaven, pray for us.
St. Joseph, ruler of the family of Jesus, pray for us.
St. Joseph, spouse of the ever-blessed virgin, pray for us.
St. Joseph, example of humility and obedience, pray for us.
St. Joseph, mirror of silence and resignation, pray for us.
St. Joseph, patron of innocence and youth, pray for us.
St. Joseph, exiled with Christ into Egypt, pray for us.
St. Joseph, intercessor for the afflicted, pray for us.
St. Joseph, advocate of the humble, pray for us.
St. Joseph, model of every virtue, pray for us.
St. Joseph, honored among men, pray for us.
St. Joseph, union of all Christian perfections, pray for us.

Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
     spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
     graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takes away the sins of the world,
     have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy St. Joseph,
     that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray,
Holy St. Joseph, who is the good and faithful servant, to whom God committed the care of his family and to whom He appointed guardian and protector of the life of Jesus Christ, the comfort and support of His holy mother, and co-partner in His great design of the redemption of mankind.

You Who have the happiness of living with Jesus and Mary, and of dying in their arms; chaste spouse of the mother of God; model and patron of pure souls; humble, patient, and reserved; be moved with the confidence we place in your intercession, and accept with kindness this testimony of our devotion.

We give thanks to God for the signal favors He was pleased to confer on you, and we implore Him to make us imitate your virtues by your intercession.

Pray for us then, O great saint, and by that love, which you had for Jesus and Mary, and by the love which Jesus and Mary had for you, obtain for us the incomparable happiness of living and dying in the love of Jesus and Mary. Amen.

(I revised a bit of the final prayer to be more "modern English" so to say...)

Joe in Omaha, NE

This past Sunday, I went to St. Joseph's Church in Omaha for Mass. I truly was a beautiful church. I particularly loved the stained-glass which depicted scenes in Joe's life:

Returning Home and the Eucharist

In the Roman Rite, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) either tomorrow or this coming Sunday. A couple months ago, I had a post (House of Loreto) about the House of Loreto in Italy--the house of the Holy Family that was miraculously transported from Israel to Italy. St. Therese of Lisieux stopped at the House of Loreto on her pilgrimage to Rome. She wrote about this stop in her autobiography, particularly on receiving the Holy Eucharist there, A Story of a Soul (Chapter 6):

On to Loreto with my heart full of joy; Our Lady certainly chose an ideal setting for the Holy House, everything poor and simple and primitive, the women still in their charming national costumes, not as elsewhere in the latest Paris fashions, and I was enchanted. But what of the Holy House itself! This very roof had once sheltered the Holy Family; Our Lord's divine eyes had gazed upon these walls; the earth had known the sweat of Joseph's toil, and Mary had here borne Jesus in her womb, then in her arms; how deeply I was moved! I saw the little room where the Annunciation took place and put my Rosary in the bowl once used by Jesus as a child. What enchanting memories these are!

The greatest joy of all was to receive Jesus in His own house and become His living temple in the very place where He had dwelt on earth. According to the Roman custom, the Blessed Eucharist is only reserved at one altar in each church, and the priest only gives Communion to the faithful from there; in Loreto this Altar is in the Basilica which enshrines the Holy House like a priceless diamond in a casket of white marble. This would not do for us; it was in the diamond, not merely in its casket, that we wished to be given the Bread of Angels. Father, docile as ever, followed the rest, but his daughters, who were more independent, made for the Santa Casa itself. A priest with special dispensation was saying Mass there, and we told him what we wished so much to do. This considerate priest at once asked for two small hosts and placed them on the paten. You can guess what a joy that Communion was, a joy beyond words. So what will an eternal Communion be like in the House of the King of Heaven?

The joy of that will never be clouded by the sadness of farewell; there will be no need to steal fragments from the walls which His presence sanctified, for His house will be all our own forever and ever. It is not His earthly house He wants to give us. He shows us that only to make poverty and the bidden life dear to us. It is His palace of glory that He is keeping for us, and we shall see Him then, not in the guise of a child or under the form of bread, but as He is, radiant in His infinite beauty.

St. Joseph on Fire

I'm sure that Joe must have felt as if his own house was on fire when he found Mary to be pregnant. This past May 1st (coincidentally, Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker), the church of St. Joseph Parish in Phoenix, Arizona caught fire. You can check out pictures here. But very much like their patron, the did not allow the fire in their life to extinguish their worship of God. Now, they continue to celebrate the Mass and other sacraments.

If you are willing and able, you can donate to help with the reconstruction of their church in honor of Joe. You can do that either online at the parish website, or I'm sure that you could mail them a check:

St. Joseph Catholic Church

11001 N. 40th Street

Phoenix, AZ 85028

As in all things every little bit counts... most especially prayers!

Traveling to Bethlehem

I'm writing this post early because this week, I'm on an actual 8-day silent retreat--meaning, no internet! Yeah!!! Please, pray for me and the other men with me.

Last week, I shared a little about the Coptic feast of the Entrance into Egypt, but we know that this was not the first time the Holy Family had to travel.

I love this icon written by Brother Claude Lane, O.S.B. particularly because Mary is clothed the same as when she appeared at Guadalupe. You can learn more about the particular symbolism in this icon here. The last little section connects the Holy Eucharist with Joe. There will be more on this connection next week!

By the way, did you know that the Aztec symbols in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe indicate that she was pregnant. You can learn more about the symbolism in the Guadalupe image here.

Go Into the Desert

I've found it very interesting that in the Roman Rite, we do not celebrate a memorial of the Holy Family's flight into Egypt when King Herod tried to kill the infant Jesus--especially during these times when refugees are in the news frequently.

In the Coptic Orthodox Church, which is centrally in Egypt, this feast is of particular importance. Imagine that Jesus, Mary, and Joe visited and stayed in your country for several years. I would find that to be of particular importance too!

The Coptic Church celebrates the Holy Family's entrance into Egypt every year on June 1st, which they call the 24th of Pashons and is coming up this Saturday. The icon on the above is a Coptic icon. Check out this other blog post explaining the significance of Egyptian images in it.

Here are two other icons of the flight into Egypt:

 

Notice the difference in how Joe is depicted. In the first icon, Joe is depicted as an elderly man and there is a young man following; the young man is St. James, who is Joe's biological son by previous marriage according to the usual tradition that Joe was elderly. Also, notice that even though Joe is elderly in this icon, he's still carrying Jesus on his shoulders--giving witness to the tradition that even if Joe was elderly, he remained physically strong.

This past Monday, I started a 9-week spirituality "program," although, it feels more like a quasi-academic retreat. It has been a major part of the Catholic Tradition to consider times of retreat like going into the desert to pray. So, I ask for your prayers as I join the Holy Family in going into the desert for these next 8 1/2-weeks.