“. . . go to Joseph.” // Genesis 41:55
A vacuum hummed in the distance, and my four-year-old built a house of hymnals beside me. But the empty church still felt quiet and still. I had come in the middle of the morning as part of my preparation for a consecration to Saint Joseph. I was praying the Litany of Saint Joseph and a series of titles stood out: Glory of Family Life, Guardian of Virgins, Cornerstone of Families, Support in Difficulties. While my son gingerly added a missal as a roof, I paused in the litany to pray over those phrases.
They were like neon lights, blinking the answers to so many of my desperate prayers over the last couple of years.
My daughter’s first year out of parochial school and at a public high school filled me with worry. As we navigated dress codes, new friends, and screen time, much of my parenting came from a place of fear. And then, in that moment, Jesus used Saint Joseph to help me understand. My prayers were not unheard and unanswered.
"Go to Joseph," we read in today's passage from Genesis, a message from Pharaoh to the people of Egypt. That Joseph, the son of Jacob, preceded Jesus' foster father by more than 1600 years, but the message of "Go to Joseph" is fulfilled in our beloved Saint Joseph. "Go to Joseph" is not just for the Egyptians. It's for you and me too.
The man who is the “Glory of Family Life” understands my desire to keep our family values in place. The “Guardian of Virgins” would protect my own children’s innocence and chastity. The “Cornerstone of Families” would be the strong point in my own family, holding us together with one another, with Christ, and with the Church. And the “Support in Difficulties” would be there for me, my husband, and all our kids to walk with us through our mistakes and trials.
All my fear can be given to God. All of yours can too. We are not alone. Saint Joseph is waiting for us. Go to him.
Bonnie Engstrom is a writer, baker, speaker, and homemaker. She lives with her husband and eight children in Illinois. Bonnie is the author of 61 Minutes to a Miracle which tells the story of her son’s miracle that was approved by Pope Francis for the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen. She is the author of Blessed Conversations Mystery: Believe. Find out more about her here.
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