St. Joseph: the Greatest Foster Dad

March is a special month for me for many reasons.  For one, it commences the summer season, a most awaited respite after ten months of a regular school year. For another, it also is the feast month of my favorite saint - Jesus' foster father -- St. Joseph. My very own earthly father was born on St. Joseph's feast day as well as my dear friend, Joseph Leslie.  So yes, I have a few Josephs in my life.  And they are all very dear, and influential figures to me.


I cannot quite recall how my devotion to St. Joseph began exactly.  I am guessing it started sometime in college already -- in my age of awakening.  My dad, Jose, left us.  It was also the time I came to know Joseph -- the friend I found in a then, confidant.  

I have not gone to the extra mile of getting to know better other saint other than St. Joseph.  The unhappy events that transpired in our family life has left in me a deeper, more thorough veneration for the Saint.  In fact, I has often yearned in the past for Him to send me a man who would love me and take me the way He loved Mother Mary.  To me, St. Joseph was the perfect gentleman.  He epitomized the virtues of a man who obeyed God's will, surrendered Himself completely and remained faithful to the duty that was entrusted to Him by the Almighty.  His humility is beyond compare that as one priest in the past described it, "God's Son, Jesus, has once walked in the shadow of this man, Joseph.  He was the one who taught Him carpentry.  Isn't that Jesus came to be known as the Carpenter? What could be a greater honor then than to foster God's very own son?"

Considering that now His feast is approaching, I have decided to undertake a 9-day novena dedicated to Him.  The truth is, the Novena booklet I now hold has been with me for quite sometime already but eversince I bought it for PhP18 (about 4US cents) at St. Paul bookstore, I never have had the privilege of reading it in its entirety.  Now, I am in deep awe reveling in the magnificence of the contents of the flimsy pages of this wonderful work.  No, it does not indicate any author..  Which is why I undertake to share the contents by posting them here... No, not to plagiarize the blessed soul who has eloquently expressed such powerful devotion to the blessed Saint but to impart this joyful treasure which is a source of delight and inspiration to my weary soul.


The novena booklet consists of 40 pages and is divided into two parts: one for a nine-day daily devotion (which can also be made into a nine consecutive Wednesday devotions) and a nine-Sunday devotion in honor of St. Joseph.  I opted for the nine consecutive day devotion and began mine on March 10th.  The daily prayer begins with a statement of the virtue which should be the focus of the day's meditation. Such virtue is one which has been lovingly exemplified by St. Joseph.  The virtue is followed by a short relevant quote by another saint or one lifted from the scriptures.  Then a short descriptive analysis of how St. Joseph manifested the virtue mentioned follows after which comes the reflection.  The reflections, I discovered, are  beautifully written.  Each is seemingly a guide in self-introspection.  It enables one to reflect more on the virtues of St. Joseph on a more personal basis.  Thus, it leads into the realization that such virtues are realistic and are indeed worth-emulating.


The last part is the prayer which varies from day to day.  It is short but in its brevity, it nevertheless encapsulates the very essence of St. Joseph's blessedness.  


(I shall post the contents, dividing them in days, in the succeeding posts..)