Joseph Titles
every day of the year with a Scripture
verse, short reflection, and prayer focusing
on his deep faith, trust, and love for
God, his family, and the Church. A limited
edition commemorating Catholic
Book's 100th anniversary will be available.
192 pages.
Saint Joseph passes through the Gospel without our hearing him utter as much as a single word. But God had selected him for a special mission: to look after two of the greatest treasures who have ever been on earth – Jesus and Mary. And Joseph has a personality of uncommon richness. The figure of Joseph is also an incentive God has given us to stir up hope in the ordinary person.
Joseph of Nazareth is a series of reflections on the life of Saint Joseph in the light of faith and based on revelation. At the end the reader’s love for and devotion to this great saint will have grown considerably. For Joseph, the last of the patriarchs, shows how any one of us can come to be a great saint.
THE AUTHOR
Federico Suarez (1917-2005) obtained a doctorate at the University of Madrid. In 1948 he was appointed Professor of Modern History at the University of Santiago de Compostella. From 1953-1960 he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Navarre; and from 1975 until his death he was chaplain to the Royal household.
A member of Opus Dei since 1940, he was ordained in 1948. He carried out extensive pastoral work in university circles and among secular clergy. In addition to more than 20 titles of historical research, he wrote a series of books, including Mary of Nazareth, The Narrow Gate, When the Son of Man comes and About being a Priest, most of which have been translated into several languages. These books have proved useful for people from all walks of life.
Who was St. Joseph? Was he just a passive, incidental figure in the drama of salvation? On the contrary, in every way that Jesus needed a father, St. Joseph was that for him. And how overwhelming it must have been for Joseph to be asked to stand in the Father's place! No man has ever been asked to do so in such an unthinkable way. Every priest, and certainly every man who is a father (biologically or otherwise), should take this to heart.
Caster's book provides a unique, in-depth presentation of Joseph from the perspective of the evangelical counsels and the theological and cardinal virtues. Each section begins with an explanation of what each counsel or virtue means and then shows how Joseph models it for us.
The descriptions of St. Joseph's life and character found in this book, while rooted in the Scripture passages that mention him, are chiefly inspired by Jesus, who spent the majority of his life at home with Joseph and Mary. For years, the three of them lived, prayed, celebrated, studied, and shared, all the while uniting their lives more intimately with God's own.
Those years in Nazareth were a real preparation for the foundation upon which Jesus would build his saving ministry. And as much as Joseph and Mary offered Jesus, he offered them an ever-expanding awareness of the God that had changed both their lives. The reciprocity of love that perfectly defines the home in Nazareth is the very pattern for all family life--and therefore of the Church itself.
Let Fr. Gary Caster introduce you to the man who risked everything to care for Mary and her Son, safeguarding them from harm and cherishing them with a pure and true love. Joseph was a flesh-and-blood testimony of what it means to live according to the Father's will with one's mind and heart centered on Christ.
The Gospels tell us almost nothing about St. Joseph, yet his life is full of spiritual treasures. Michel Gasnier O.P., here shows you where to find them and how they can enrich your own relationship with God. In this series of brief meditations he explores St. Joseph’s work as a carpenter, his marriage, his character, the flight into Egypt, his return to Nazareth, Simeon’s prophecy, and more. He gives you an enlightening portrait of this man who remains one of the Church’s most extraordinary saints and intercessors.
From the author's Introduction: Though the role of St. Joseph is limited in the New Testament, his function is not insignificant in the plan of God. He is recalled briefly in the Gospels of Luke and Matthew; the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, the visit of the king-astrologers, the flight into Egypt, the Presentation in the Temple, and life in Nazareth. I will focus on these excerpts of the New Testament in order to sketch the most accurate portrait possible of Joseph.
I shall also speak of his veneration, which developed slowly throughout history and which has seen a renewal since the 20th century. I will conclude with some prayers that will awaken our contemplative glance on this great Saint, the Patron of the Church and of works, whom we celebrate with solemnity on March 19th.
