Saint Joseph

Saint Joseph There is no certain date when Saint Joseph was born, but he was said to be born around 100 BC. Saint Joseph is one of the three people in the Holy Family, also including Mary and Jesus. Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus. Although he was a humble person, Joseph came from a royal lineage. His genealogy marks him as a descendant of David. Saint Matthew said that Joseph was the son of Jacob, but Saint Luke said he was the son of Heli. He was a carpenter and a working man. Joseph did decide to divorce Mary, but did so quietly because he knew that Mary would be stoned if he had done it publicly. It is also assumed that Joseph might have taught carpentry to Jesus. Joseph was a man of faith, obedient to God, and did whatever God asked of him. When an angel came to Joseph in a dream telling him about the child Mary was carrying, he immediately took Mary as his wife. Joseph followed all of God’s commands, including going to Jerusalem with Mary and Jesus so that Jesus could get circumcised and Mary could get purified after Jesus’ birth. Like there are prayers for the Seven Joys of Mary and Seven Sorrows of Mary, there are also prayers for the seven joys and seven sorrows of Saint Joseph. They include prayers for a happy marriage, vocation, daily protection, happy death, and happy cases. There are also some beliefs that by placing a statue of Saint Joseph in front of a house, it will help sell the house. The date of Saint Joseph’s death is unknown, but it is said that he died on 11 AD, at 111, before the beginning of Jesus Christ’s public ministry, but it is still not sure. Joseph is the patron saint of the dying because he died in the “arms of Jesus and Mary” and he is considered the “model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, and prays especially for families, fathers, pregnant women, travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.” Saint

Cited: “St. Joseph.” catholic.org. Saints & Angels. 2013. Catholic Online. Souvay, Charles. "St. Joseph." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 29 Apr. 2013 < http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08504a.htm> Thomas Nelson Inc. Extreme Teen Bible. New King James Version. Nelson Bibles. 2001, 2006