In the Old Testament, when famine struck in Egypt and its surrounding nations, Pharaoh instructed the people seeking food, “Go to Joseph and do all that he shall say to you” (Gen 41:55). Pharaoh was referring to Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel). Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery out of jealousy but his honest character earned Pharaoh’s trust: Joseph was made second-in-command. Under Joseph’s leadership, Egypt was able to prepare for the seven-year drought that hit it, even sparing help to its neighboring countries.
At this time of the pandemic, when people are seeking not only physical nourishment but also security, clarity, and courage, the Church—through His Holiness Pope Francis—tells everyone, “Go to Joseph!” This time not to Joseph the beloved son of Israel, but to his namesake: St. Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus. On December 8, 2020—the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as the Patron of the Catholic Church—Pope Francis declared the Year of Saint Joseph (to close on December 8, 2021), entrusting this most difficult period of time to him whom God relied on to keep His Only-Begotten Son, Jesus, and His Mother, the Blessed Virgin, safe.
Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC, author of Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father, sees the declaration of the Year of St. Joseph as a message from the Church saying that, with all the battles we are facing right now, it is time to bring in the big guns. So bring St. Joseph in.
Pillar of families
“The key word of this year and time with St. Joseph is his patronage,” said Fr. Calloway in an episode of the show and podcast The Catholic Talk Show, where he appeared as guest. The Michigan-born member of the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (MIC) talked about the spiritual fatherhood of St. Joseph and the significance to the Catholic faithful of this special year dedicated to him.
“Patronage,” or “patron,” is derived from the Latin pater, which means “father,” and this fatherhood of St. Joseph is what this year hopes to honor. It is a key element, according to Fr. Calloway, “of the crisis that we’re having today in the world: patricide—the killing of fathers—perhaps not literally, but casting them aside” in the marriage or by the family.
“People have to see the complementarity [between man and woman] because today, people have made it [marriage] a competition: ‘I have to prove myself by being better than you. And being better than you, basically I have to cancel you. You’re out of here,’” Fr. Calloway sounded off. “No. It [marriage] is a dance. You have to have two to tango.”
He explained how St. Joseph must have led the Holy Family in their prayers and in the observance of the Jewish practices, and how families today have to realize the importance of fatherhood in the family.
According to the American Psychological Association (2009), research suggests that the love of a father “helps children develop a sense of their place in the world,” which furthers the children’s development socially, emotionally, and cognitively.
“Moreover, children who receive more love from their fathers are less likely to struggle with behavioral or substance abuse problems.”
Diligent protector of Christ
“St. Joseph is given a title that not even Mary has. He is the Savior of the Savior,” asserted Fr. Calloway, whose devotion to Jesus’ adoptive father urged him to write to the Holy See to recommend the celebration of the Year of St. Joseph.
“He [St. Joseph] saved Jesus from a mad man who wanted to kill babies,” the priest continued. “Think about the relevance of that today, when we’ve got so many people who seem to be anti-life and who are going after children in the womb and rejoicing in this. What madness is this? So we need to bring St. Joseph into this battle. He is the most pro-life saint, outside of Our Lady, that there is.”
Terror of demons
The chastity that is asked of every Christian, no matter what one’s vocation is, is found most abundantly in St. Joseph, who guarded the purity of the Virgin Mary. Not everyone understands, however, how married individuals can practice chastity.
Fr. Calloway mentioned how, one time, he spoke with a married man who thought that he could do whatever he wanted in his marriage. Fr. Calloway countered, “No, brother. You have to be dignified. Being married does not give you a right to live like a filthy animal in your marriage. You have to treat your wife with respect. You too are called to chastity.”
“If we do not have purity, we are spiritually impotent. We have no power. This is why St. Joseph is the ‘Terror of demons.’ Because he is pure,” explained Fr. Calloway, whose own conversion to the Catholic faith was preceded by years of promiscuity, drug addiction, and brushes with the law. He was introduced to St. Joseph by “these little Filipino women” who helped him convert, Fr. Calloway remembered with a smile. He continued, “Jesus Himself said [that] it is the pure of heart who will see God.”
Fr. Richard Pagano, one of the talk show hosts, commented how it did not occur to himself that this beatitude Blessed are the pure of heart, for they will see God found its expression early on with St. Joseph, who was the first to “see God” in the person of the Baby Jesus when Mary gave birth to Him.
Joseph most strong
Though St. Joseph was depicted in most instances with a cane, Fr. Calloway had this to say: “That’s not a cane of an old man. That’s the staff—the lance—of a spiritual warrior. He is the father of Marian devotions. He is the first knight of the Immaculata [Immaculate Conception].”
St. Joseph’s strength must be so solid that he would be able to look after his young wife and his young Son as they travel from Bethlehem to Egypt in order to save the Child God. He must be so spirited that he would be able to catch up with the teenage Jesus in order to teach Him the ropes of his trade as a carpenter. Hence, Fr. Calloway believes that St. Joseph could not have been the old man that some people say he was when he married the Virgin Mary. He must have been at the prime of his strength, and he must have known how to find holiness in that strength: by protecting his family and loving them most.
“He can swing an ax, he can shave wood, he can carry stones… and yet he’s gentle. He’s so tender and loving,” Fr. Calloway remarked.
At present times, the use of physical strength against another person is viewed as a testament of manliness. Fr. Calloway pointed out, however, that the root word for “manliness” or “manhood” is “man,” which is vir (adult male human being) in Latin. “Vir is also the root for ‘virtue,’” said Fr. Calloway. “That’s what we need today: a saintly man, a virtuous man.”
Ryan Dellacrosse, the show’s co-host and a father to six kids, affirmed: “Meeting St. Joseph is a very critical step in finding that [manliness] for a lot of people.”
We have all of this year to grow closer to St. Joseph. The Decree of the Apostolic Penitentiary on the granting of special indulgences on the occasion of the Year of St. Joseph, which you can read here, lists the many ways by which we can get to know St. Joseph better and gain a plenary indulgence along the way. Fr. Calloway, however, left a reminder.
“All of these is all about Jesus. It’s just that Mary and Joseph will help us get super close to Him. In this time of crisis in the family, in marriages, bring in the father. Bring in St. Joseph to close the gaps.”
References:
American Psychological Association. (2009). The changing role of the modern day father. https://www.apa.org/pi/families/resources/changing-father
Opus Dei. (2021, February 3). Special indulgences during year of Saint Joseph. https://opusdei.org/en/article/special-indulgences-during-the-year-of-saint-joseph/
Scheel, R., Pagano, R., & Dellacrosse, R. (Hosts). (2021, February 22). St. Joseph & Spiritual Warfare with Fr. Donald Calloway, MIC (No. 125) [Video podcast episode]. In The Catholic Talk Show. https://catholictalkshow.com/st-joseph-spiritual-warfare-with-fr-donald-calloway/
Banner photo from website of Carmel Holy Land DCO.
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