Thought for the Day – 20 March – Meditations with Antonio Cardinal Bacci (1881-1971)
The Patronage of St Joseph
“St Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Universal Church, as he was Patron and Head of the Holy Family, from which the Church developed.
Devotion to St Joseph has increased greatly in recent Centuries, so much so, that nowadays, his name is always linked with the names of Jesus and Mary.
St John Chrysostom had already spoken of St Joseph with the utmost veneration.
He interpreted the expression ‘just,’ applied to Joseph in the Gospel (Mt 1:19), as indicating the synthesis of all the virtues.
At a later date, St Bernardine of Siena wrote in praise of the power and holiness of St Joseph and roused the faithful to an increased devotion to the Holy Patriarch.
St Therese of the Child Jesus had great devotion to him and claimed that she invariably received any favour for which she asked, through his intercession.
Many other Saints had the same experience.
We also should have recourse to St Joseph in our spiritual and bodily necessities.
St Joseph had to endure a great deal in order to provide for the wants of the Holy Family and to protect them from the many dangers which threatened them.
For this reason, he is especially attentive to requests of any kind, as long as they are made with a lively faith and submission to the Will of God.”
AnaStpaul 
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