ST JOSEPH THE WORKER; FEAST DAY 1st MAY

 ST JOSEPH THE WORKER

1st MAY



Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955 in recognition of the long history of the Church of an identification of St Joseph with the ordinary working man, the father and protector of the Holy Family. St Joseph led his family to safety and protected them in their flight to Egypt. St Joseph supported his family with his skilful work, by his hands. However, while St Joseph is recognised as a working man, not nobility, not wealthy, nevertheless, his qualities are not ordinary, but rather, are those that are to be desired to be attained as qualities by the faithful Catholic man.
The dignity of human work has always been valued by the Church, from the time of Genesis, in the command to care for the earth (Genesis 2:15) and to labour productively. Christ Himself worked as a carpenter, a working man, before His public ministry. His masculinity too, was one of chivalry – of value and respect for His Mother, the Blessed Virgin, and protection of her.
Work, in fact, is a holy act, and workers must be valued, both for their actions and as individuals, as reflecting the image of God.
“In his encyclical Laborem Exercens, Pope John Paul II stated: “the Church considers it her task always to call attention to the dignity and rights of those who work, to condemn situations in which that dignity and those rights are violated, and to help to guide [social] changes so as to ensure authentic progress by man and society.”
Saint Joseph is held up as a model of such work. Pius XII emphasised this when he said, “The spirit flows to you and to all men from the heart of the God-man, Saviour of the world, but certainly, no worker was ever more completely and profoundly penetrated by it than the foster father of Jesus, who lived with Him in closest intimacy and community of family life and work.” (1)
In an article in The Catholic Thing, (2) Professor Michael Pakaluk emphasises three characteristics of devotion to St Joseph, these being, first, qualities of happiness and serenity:
“Always be our protector. Let your inner spirit of peace, silence, work, and prayer in the service of Holy Church always cheerfully enliven us.”
Secondly, sweetness (Italian: dolcezza), a quality Professor Pakaluk illustrates with: “We are all familiar with the note of sweetness from the closing line of the great Marian hymn, Salve Regina: O clemens! O pia! O dulcis Maria! Perhaps like me you will shed a tear when you sing this line, which is itself so sweet. But an emotion is not a character trait. To be known for crying when singing is not to be known for gentleness and sweetness of character. But St. Joseph was gentle, and devotion to him is meant to soften someone’s character, making it appealing, softly receptive of what is good, and appealingly “sweet.”
Professor Pakaluk observes: “Happiness, serenity, and sweet attractiveness – these seem a good start, and necessary corrections” and, quoting Pope John XXIII, highlights the qualities of St Joseph, the model for masculinity as:
“the gentle and amiable character of St. Joseph, the kingly husband of Mary, so dear to the hearts of souls who are more sensitive to the attractions of Christian asceticism and its expressions of religious piety, reserved and modest, but much more pleasant and friendly.’”
Character traits which are “not likely to be attained by sheer acts of will but rather by habits of resting in the joyful consideration of Catholic truth, and by keeping clear of serious sin – graces which the Church has constantly sought from St. Joseph.
Indeed, John XXIII refers to the famous prayer of Leo XIII to St. Joseph, “whose sweetness suffused much of our childhood,” which includes these lines:
Defend, O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family, the chosen off-spring of Jesus Christ. Keep from us, O most loving Father, all blight of error and corruption. Aid us from on high, most valiant defender, in this conflict with the powers of darkness. As you once rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril, so now defend God’s Holy Church from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity. Shield us ever under your patronage, that, following your example and strengthened by your help, we may live a holy life, die a happy death, and attain to everlasting bliss in Heaven. Amen.” (2)
(1) Justice and Peace Office; justice and peace.org.au
(2) Michael Pakaluk, “How the Year of St Joseph Should Change Me” The Catholic Thing.
Image: St Jospeh and the Christ child, Jusepe de Ribera, 1630-35, from the Catholic Thing.

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