Pope Francis has declared this year to be the year of Saint Joseph, patron of workers, husband of Mary, foster father of Jesus.
Joseph often gets overlooked because of his more famous family members. Also, not a word of his is recorded in Scripture! He is the definition of the strong, silent type. But he’s also an amazing model for men and women, alike, fathers, and family life. He’s even a great friend to single Catholics.
Diving into the world of Catholic dating in this year of St. Joseph? Here are some reasons why you should get to know him and ways that can aid you in that journey.
Why should you get to know St. Joseph this year?
He’s part of the Holy Family
Joseph lived with the two holiest people to ever walk our earth: Jesus and Mary. He learned how to be holy with them. Then, he created a fruitful family with them.
Because of his role as the foster father of Christ, he’s a great teacher for you on your path to holiness. Discerning family life as your vocation? There’s no one better to learn what that entails from than the man who chose to help raise and protect the Son of God.
He knew when to speak (and when to stay quiet!)
There are no words of Joseph recorded in the Bible. As far as we know, he was completely silent. Of course, we can assume that he wasn’t completely silent throughout his life. We just know that none of his words are found in the pages of Scripture. This is a huge lesson for all of us.
Joseph had perfect discernment of what and when to speak and executed that perfectly. We could all use that lesson! It’s easy to say whatever we’re feeling, whenever we want. It’s sometimes hard for us to temper our speech properly and uplift those around us.
Joseph is a perfect model of this and we can look to him for help in this area.
He’s reliable
Joseph is a steady and stable heavenly presence. He’ll never leave you, he’ll never lead you astray, he’ll always help you do the will of the Lord, and he’ll always lead you straight to the one he loves most, Jesus Christ. Who doesn’t need firm and steady in their lives? St. Joseph is the epitome of steady and firm! He also knows that, since he took on being the foster father of Jesus, that he is the father of all Jesus’s people and that he must help us grow and protect us from anything that could lead us astray (including ourselves).
Cultivating a relationship with Joseph this year
Start praying for his intercession
This is a good first step to getting to know any saint! If you’re having work troubles or family issues or are worried about the relationship you’re in, pray for his intercession that you might have a clear mind and heart and the courage to do what is necessary.
Of course, you can really pray to him about anything, including how to best utilize online Catholic dating.
Read about him
There are so many wonderful books out there about Joseph. It’s amazing what we can know about him even though he’s barely mentioned in Scripture! Part of a relationship is getting to know the facts and personality of someone. Since we can’t ask Joseph directly, reading about him is a great way to do this.
There are a lot of books out there, so here are a few to look up and get you started:
- St. Joseph and His World by Mike Aquilina
- The Life and Glories of St. Joseph by Edward Healy Thompson, M.A.
- Truth about Saint Joseph by Fr. Maurice Meschler, S.J.
Find an image of him you like
It’s easier to have a relationship with someone if we know what they look like. We don’t have any photographs of Joseph, but any image of him that calls to you will do. There are so many! There are ones of him holding the Christ Child and a lily, ones of him working as a carpenter, the whole Holy Family, him younger, him older, and everything in between.
You can do a simple Google search to find images of him. Then pick out one or two that really embody for you what you’re looking for in Joseph (a friend, a father figure, a model of manhood, a model of holiness, etc.). Get that image and display it prominently in your home or in a way that you’ll see it often.
Just as you’re more likely to look at someone’s dating profile who has a picture, you’re also more able to develop a deep relationship with Joseph if you have an image of him.
Consecrate yourself to him
You may have heard of Saint Louis de Montfort’s consecration to Jesus through Mary. But did you know there’s one to Joseph as well?
Father Donald Calloway has written one specifically to this silent giant. Why would you want to do that? In a way, consecration is like saying that you’ll be devoted to this saint forever in a special way, like when we become engaged or married. It’s a spiritual bond, of course, but it’s one that brings you deeper into the person of Joseph, deeper into yourself, and deeper into the mysterious love of Jesus. For someone who is specially devoted to him, Joseph will be specially devoted to him or her.
As you’re living and dating in this year of St. Joseph, remember to look to him for guidance, love, and hope.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
