This special Year of St. Joseph is a perfect time to live the tradition of the Seven Sundays of St. Joseph! Count backwards seven Sundays from the Feast of St. Joseph (March 19) and you hit today as the First Sunday. Let’s hear it from Pope Francis in his Apostolic Letter Patris corde: “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. St. Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”
St. Josemaría Escrivá had a lot of devotion to the Holy Patriarch. “Love St. Joseph a lot. Love him with all your soul, because he, together with Jesus, is the person who has most loved our Blessed Lady and been closest to God. he is the person who has most loved God, after our Mother.” (The Forge, 554) St. Joseph is a teacher of prayer, a teacher of work, a teacher of patience, a teacher of faithful love, a teacher of humility, a teacher of courage. These next seven weeks are perfect opportunity to put ourselves under his tutelage. St. Joseph, pray for us!