St Joseph the Worker

Wed 25^th Aug 2021, Josephinum

Today we’re keeping a votive Mass of St Joseph.

• Formators want us to focus our house Josephinum devotion 
• Wednesdays and the 19^th of the months are days traditionally given to St Joseph
• I have special prayer I always say on those days 

What to say about St Joseph?

• It might be thought that we don’t know much about St Joseph, 
• but
• what we do know gives us much to reflect in and much to learn from

How start?  Votive Mass of St Joseph the WORKER

• Start of lectures and schoolwork today, thus the WORKER
• What to say?
• What to LEARN?
• Not only an example, also a powerful patron and protector
• But, today, focus on example

3 points

(1) He slept

• What do the Gospels record St Joseph doing?
• More than ANYTHING, they record him sleeping
• 4 times the Gospels record an angel speaking to him while dreaming, while SLEEPING
• So, he slept
• WHY did he sleep so much?
• He worked HARD
• You can’t work unless you sleep
• Do you want to work well?  
• Then sleep well -go to joseph
• Do you struggle to sleep?  Go to Joseph
• Sleep:
• You can’t be a good priest or seminarian UNLESS you have a regular pattern of sleep
• How many hours do you take?  Enough?
• Do you go to bed on time?
• Do you get the physical exercise you need to sleep well?
• St Joseph slept

(2) Silent Doer

• St Jospeh is often called a 'silent' man
• There is not a single recorded word spoken by St Joseph
• He went to Bethlehem
• He went to Egypt 
• He returned 
• and went to Nazareth 
• he went to the temple in Jerusalem
• -not a single recorded word
• A DOER not a chatterer
• A MAN
• Scientifically, we know women speak many more words in a day than men
• Women talk and communicate
• Men DO
• St Joseph: a man’s man
• Be a DOER
• Get stuff DONE
• Don’t chat about what you plan to do, DO IT
• Nike: Just do it

(3) Union with God

• WHAT did St Joseph do? 
• The things God told him (via the angel), 
• in fact, ONLY things God told him
• “He did all that the angel told him to…” (Mt 1:24)
• Our Lady at Cana, “do whatever He tells you”.  
• St Joseph, probably deceased already, but he’d been living this in everything we see recorded of him
• What should WE do?  
• What God wants, 
• looking to what He wants, etc

• Lord, what do you want ME to do now?  
• Lord, would like me to procrastinate a little longer right now?
• Lord, would you like me to do this easy thing rather than this important thing?
• Tidy my sock drawer rather than write that paper? 
• Be like St Joseph:
• Always seek to God’s Will
• Be a DOER
• But a DOER of what GOD wants of us,

(4) Many other things -other sermons to be given...

Summary:

• We’re in his seminary, the 'Josephinum' 
• We’re starting our school work of classes
• Let’s look to him as a model of work:
• Sleep, 
• as he slept, 
• 4 times recoded in the Gospels
• Do 
• -without needing to talk 
• get it done, don’t get it talked about
• Do it in union with God 
• look to God to do the right work, 
• as he “did the angel told him to do”