St. Joseph Novena Study – Day 6: Patron of Families

Welcome to Day 6 of the St. Joseph Novena Study!

Yesterday was about the Patron of the Church, and today is about Joseph, Patron of Families.

Our reading from EWTN that inspired this post can be found here: DAY 6: PATRON OF FAMILIES.

Day 6 St. Joseph List

• Gentle
• Head of Family
• Divine charity
• Union of heart and mind
• Deepest love
• Respect
• True fatherly love
• Admiration for Mary
• Holy love
• Peaceful
• Happy
• Fatherly rule
• Protector
• Counselor
• Consolation
• Model of piety
• Earnest and Devout Trust in God’s Providence
• Love
• Labor
• Loving fatherliness
• Unfailing intercessor

St. Joseph Patron of Families

Yesterday we discussed St. Joseph as patron and protector of the Church. As I started to apply that to my daily life, my first thought was that for many of us, we are protectors of the Church in our own homes. This flows well into today, as we look at St. Joseph Patron of Families, the Domestic Church.

Joseph was entrusted with raising Jesus and being a support for the founding of the Church. Jesus would have looked up to Joseph, so we too can learn from this man and try to model his traits in our family. Joseph led his household with gentleness, love, and peace. Yet, he also had respect in his fatherly rule.

He humbly served God within his family life.

Living Within Our Sphere of Influence

With all of the chaos in the world today it is easy to think that we are entrusted with more than we are, such as world events.

At the same time we can under-estimate the importance of the few things that we are entrusted with, namely our immediate household.

Patriarch of Families

How are we taking on the role of patriarch or matriarch in our own home and family life? Who and what are we entrusted with? Who and what should you support, nourish, protect, and shelter?

Scott Hahns book, The First Society, talks about how the Sacrament of Matrimony is the first building block and unit of society in the world. How we treat this sacrament and the extent that we live a life rooted in the Sacraments of the Church, is the extent that we will elevate the home. Elevating the home will then lift society and the world to God and His Goodness.

If we want to start healing the problems of the world, we need to start at home with this building block. Let’s model our families after St. Joseph, the Patron of Families.

Make the Home a Sanctuary

In the novena reading today, there is this nice line that I’d like to think about throughout the day today.

(St. Joseph,) Make our homes sanctuaries of prayer, of love, of patient sacrifice, and of work. May they be modeled after your own at Nazareth.

Day 6: Patron of Families – EWTN

We ask for intercession with these words, and some grace will be required in the areas of love and patience. Yet, is there a concrete way we can make our home more of a sanctuary of prayer and of work?

Is at least part of your home like a sanctuary? When you walk in, could someone tell that you love Jesus and strive to make him a focal point in your life? I think this is good to reflect on.

A Place in Every Home

The reading also mentions that Joseph “deserves a place in every home”. Other than the little nativity decorations that we put out in Advent and Christmas, I haven’t had a picture or statue of St. Joseph out since we last moved. I will have to work on that.

St. Joseph, Pray for Us

St. Joseph, help us to model our homes, marriages, and lives after your Holy Family. Guide and show us how to make Jesus and the Sacraments at the center of our daily life as it was for you. Amen.

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