Me, “Oh, look, a Front Row Joe!”
From the backseat, “Thank you, St. Joseph.”
In our family, we attribute front row (or just really, really great) parking spaces to the intercession of St. Joseph, whether he likes it or not. He hasn’t given us indication of any grievance or indignation regarding our humble devotion, so we persist. Thank you, St. Joseph, indeed.
St. Joseph, after all, is the provider for the Holy Family.
He is the man God chose as his own human father figure here on earth. He is the foster father for Jesus. As a good and righteous man, we can presume that he did all the things that a good dad does.
But, much of what we believe about St. Joseph is just that– a presumption.
Most of his earthly life is a secret kept in the Immaculate and Sacred Hearts, the ones who shared in the intimacy of family life with him. They know the things that we will never know–including the ultimate Dad jokes. I do hope they are part of the beatific vision, though! The canonical Gospels give us very little to work with, so we have made use of our imaginations, illumined by love for this holy and quiet saint.
The things we do know about St. Joseph from Sacred Scripture have been well gathered by the Oblates of St. Joseph. They have composed a delightful and easy tracing of what the evangelists offer us about the man Joseph. Click here to read through their thoughts.
And, next time you get a great parking space, you might consider a nod to good St. Joe.
