Nothing Will Be Denied Him (St. Joseph)

Nothing Will Be Denied Him
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President Human Life International

When the Lord Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father accompanied by the mightiest angels in all their glory, a simple, humble man emerged from the multitude of redeemed souls to greet his Lord with deepest joy. As he approached the throne of grace all the angels and souls reverently formed a passage for the man to come into the Lord’s presence.

“My dear father!” replied the Lord of heaven and earth, “How long I have waited in the valley of tears to see you again! My labors are now over, the kingdom of darkness is vanquished, and we are reunited. You who fed, bathed and clothed my body on earth in your authority as father must now come up higher and take your place as master of my mystical body, the Church. When Mother arrives in due time, we will reign as a family once again! I promise that nothing will be withheld from you who held nothing back from me in your earthly life. Welcome into the joy of our Father’s kingdom!”

And Joseph bowed and kissed his Son with the same fatherly tenderness as on the day he first laid eyes on his newborn Child in Bethlehem.

I don’t believe that there is any way to calculate Our Lord’s love for his earthly father—the word “infinite” does not quite capture its breadth. Nor can we begin to estimate the reverence that the Queen of Angels has for her earthly spouse. Both Jesus and Mary spent the prime years of their earthly lives at his side—being served by him—and will open our eyes to the virtue of this man if we seek to know him better.

It is Joseph’s discerning strength that we need after all, isn’t it? We beg for an adequate mentor to overcome life’s innumerable challenges and temptations. We need a spiritual Rock of Gibraltar to shore up our flagging spirits. We are striving to make it to the very end of this journey through the valley of tears and we need a strong companion, one who is familiar with the role of protective guide on a long journey.

Who of us could deny any request of a father who sacrificed his livelihood, his career ambitions and the best years of his life to form us and make us who we are today? Jesus witnessed the mature obedience of Joseph to the will of His heavenly Father and therefore knows that Joseph’s intercession for us will always be in perfect conformity with God’s plan of salvation. He knows that Joseph will teach us, guide us and strengthen our vocations just as he did for the Divine Son of God. This is another way of saying that anything Joseph asks from Jesus on our behalf will not be denied.

When it comes to our devotion to St. Joseph, we only lack one thing: we don’t ask enough!

"When the Lord Jesus ascended to the right hand of the Father accompanied by the mightiest angels in all their glory, a simple, humble man emerged from the multitude of redeemed souls to greet his Lord with deepest joy. As he approached the throne of grace all the angels and souls reverently formed a passage for the man to come into the Lord’s presence. “My son,” said the man, “how is your mother?” “My dear father!” replied the Lord of heaven and earth, “How long I have waited in the valley of tears to see you again! My labors are now over, the kingdom of darkness is vanquished, and we are reunited. You who fed, bathed and clothed my body on earth in your authority as father must now come up higher and take your place as master of my mystical body, the Church. When Mother arrives in due time, we will reign as a family once again! I promise that nothing will be withheld from you who held nothing back from me in your earthly life. Welcome into the joy of our Father’s kingdom!” And Joseph bowed and kissed his Son with the same fatherly tenderness as on the day he first laid eyes on his newborn Child in Bethlehem."

WOW! Just plain WOW! I have this huge grin on my face; this item made my day! Thanks for posting this, Pyro! Excellent!

St. Joseph

Readings | Prayers | Family activities

Pope John Paul II, in his Angelus Message on March 17, 2002, stressed that Saint Joseph is a model of fatherhood in the following excerpts:
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The day after tomorrow, March 19, we will celebrate the solemnity of Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary and patron of the universal Church. The extreme discretion with which Joseph carried out the role entrusted to him by God highlights his faith even more, which consisted in always listening to the Lord, seeking to understand his will and to obey it with his whole heart and strength. This is why the Gospel describes him as a "just" man (Mt 1,19). In fact, the just man is the person who prays, lives by faith, and seeks to do good in every concrete circumstance of life.
Saint Joseph and fathers
Faith nourished by prayer: this is the most precious treasure that Saint Joseph transmits to us. Generations of fathers have followed in his footsteps who, with the example of a simple and laborious life, imprinted on their children's souls the inestimable value of faith, without which every other good runs the risk of being in vain. So even now, I am happy to assure all fathers of a special prayer, on the day dedicated to them: I ask God that they be men of a robust interior life, in order to fulfil their mission in the family and society in an exemplary way.
Saint Joseph
What we know about the life of Saint Joseph is contained in the gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke. He has become known as the "Just man".
The name foster-father of Our Lord appears in local martyrologies of the ninth and tenth centuries. The first church dedicated in his honor was in 1129 in Bologna. Pope Sixtus IV(1471-84) added the feast of Saint Joseph to the Roman Calendar. Pope Pius IX placed the whole Church under the Patronage of Saint Joseph in 1870.
In 1989, Pope John Paul II reflected deeply on the life and witness of Saint Joseph in Redemptoris Custos "Guardian of the Redeemer" (q.v).
Among the saints known to have had particular devotions to Saint Joseph are Saint Bernard, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Gertrude, Saint Bridget of Sweden, Saint Alphonsus and Saint Teresa of Avila.
As the Bible tells us, Saint Joseph was descended from the royal house of David. A village carpenter of Nazareth, he was chosen among all men to be the husband and protector of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ. To his loving care was entrusted the childhood and youth of the Redeemer of the world. He reveals to us the perfect model of Christianity through his purity of heart, patience, and fortitude.
Poor in worldly possessions, he was rich in grace. Devotion to Saint Joseph, was fervent in the East from the early ages, and has spread and increased. Today, Catholics of all nations honor him.
There are many stories about the miraculous intervention of Saint Joseph. One is a medieval account of how a famine in Sicily was ended after a Novena to Saint Joseph. A more recent story is of the mysterious "itinerant carpenter" who volunteered to build an architecturally unique spiral staircase in a convent chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is as sound today as when it was first built, and has never needed repair.
According to ancient tradition, Saint Joseph watches over and protects the Church. He is considered the model of perfect Christian life and the patron of a happy death. His patronage extends over the Mystical Body of Christ, over the Christian family and schools, carpenters, fathers, laborers, and all individuals who appeal to his charity and intercession, especially in the hour of death. Joseph, when dying, received the loving ministry of his foster Son, Jesus, and his spouse, the Blessed Virgin Mary, so it is believed that his intercession may well obtain the mercy of God and the grace of a peaceful and holy death.
His feast is celebrated on March 19, and a special memorial to Saint Joseph the Worker is observed on May 1.

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