The reason Blessed Virgin Mary is the greatest among all creation is that she is in so close a union with Christ Jesus. She carried Christ in her womb for ten months before his birth. And she was with him until his crucifixion and burial. From the moment of the Annunciation to the burial of the Lord, probably over thirty years, the Blessed Virgin was in union with her son during the time of his life on earth. And as she passed, Christ did not let her body decay. He lifted her body and soul into heaven. Thus, once again, our Lady is in union with Christ.
But so often and so long, Christians have not recognized another person who had also spent so many years with Christ Jesus. It is the foster father, the legal guardian of Christ on earth, St Joseph. He knew the presence of the Son of God from the time He was in the womb of the Blessed Virgin. And St Joseph was the closest protector of the Son of God since then. But he was not a hired guard. Instead, he was the earthly father of Christ. St Jospeh was the teacher and trainer of the Son of God on earth. After the Blessed Virgin, St Joseph had spent the most time with Christ on earth. We often do not keep it in mind that St Joseph is so close to Christ Jesus. Not because of his roles, but because of his relationship to Christ Jesus, St Joseph was in so close a union with Christ. Let us not forget St Joseph is the earthly father of the Son of God!
But his relationship to the Son of God did not end at his departure from the earthly life. St Joseph must continue his relationship with Christ in heaven. It is why we can safely believe that St Joseph is the protector of the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church, as he was the protector of Christ on earth. As much as our Blessed Virgin is our mother, so much is St Joseph our father.
However, Christians do not go to him for help and protection due to a lack of recognition and knowledge. Much of our knowledge and devotion to the Blessed Virgin came from reflections, meditations, prayers and devotions. Compared to the Blessed Virgin, St Joseph has not received our attention so far. Perhaps it was his destiny. Although St Joseph was always with Jesus and Mary, not a single word from his tongue was written in the New Testament. It feels almost intentional not to have written about the earthly father of the Son of God. But without his protection, care, and sacrifice, Jesus and Mary could not have survived all the threats. Usually, Satan severely attacks a saint with all kinds of temptations and threats. Then, imagine how many snares and threats of Satan against the Son of God St Joseph had to face and fight off to save Him. And St Joseph successfully defended Christ from Satan and his evil plans. Then, we realize how powerful St Joseph is. And we can imagine how close to Christ he is in heaven.
It is time to go to St Joseph and learn about St Joseph. It is time to pray to him for his powerful intercession. Let us ask Jesus to give St Joseph as our foster father, our protector, and our intercessor.
