Holy Week with St. Joseph; Increase in Signs and Wonders

A blessed Holy Week to all.

Did you ever think that Jesus' Passion may have, in part, began with the death of St. Joseph? As the beautiful movie, A Child Called Jesus, illustrates, Jesus' sufferings may have began when St. Joseph began to die. It is one of the best movies ever made portraying St. Joseph as a humble, caring, loving father figure raising Jesus, and the spouse of Mother Mary. It also shows the depth of his faith and love for God, as well as his protection and provision for them as a carpenter.

The death of a loved one, it is said, is one of the hardest things to go through. As the movie also shows, Joseph himself underwent a certain kind of passion of his own, as he grieved departing Jesus and Mary, whom he loved so deeply and purely.

Please enjoy the following clip from the movie, which shows Jesus as a 7-year old, beginning to have visions of the future death of St. Joseph. The movie imagines what would have happened if Jesus were separated from Joseph for some weeks, when Joseph nearly dies from a fire in a shipyard, where he was doing carpentry work on their way back from Egypt to Nazareth. It truly reveals the tenderness and attachment they had for one another. The joy of their reunion is truly moving.

Perhaps you also have been experiencing an increase in signs and wonders through the intercession of St. Joseph during this holy year. Through the suggestion of the Holy Father in this holy year, and at our spiritual director's encouragement, we have increased our calling upon St. Joseph for every little thing. Truly, we have seen an increase in "help miracles," people showing up and offering help just in the nick of time, in general, practical life becoming much easier. It's when we call on St. Joseph for help, somehow we have never been disappointed.

It reminds us of the scenes from It's a Wonderful Life, when George Bailey's guardian angel Clarence calls on "Joseph! Ohhhh Joseph!" when he gets in trouble, and St. Joseph always gets him out of it, even making him disappear!

To God be the glory! If Joseph was chosen by the Father to be the foster father of His only-Begotten Son, truly he must both be worthy of our honour, and a powerful intercessor with Jesus and Mother Mary in Heaven.

St. Joseph, intercede for us and help all of us, and the entire Church this year, to experience the depth of God's love.

"Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble." -Pope Francis