St Joseph and His Workshop

 

Continuing with the series leading up to the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19, today we have two images of St. Joseph in his workshop.

The image above is the St. Joseph panel from the Merode altarpiece (circa 1427-1432).

The tools depicted in this and/ or other images of Joseph's workshop include a saw, hammer, chisel, and the following:

Carpenter's square - Symbolizing Joseph's uprightness - his integrity as a just man

Axe - Symbolizing St. John the Baptist's warning that the "axe is already at the root of the tree". (Matt. 3:10; Luke 3:9)

Auger or drill - Foreshadowing the nails used in the Crucifixion

Mousetrap - Used frequently in Flemish art as a symbol for Jesus defeating evil.  In this Merode altarpiece, Joseph is making a mousetrap.

The image below by Georges de La Tour (1642) is of Jesus holding a candle while Joseph works.

The above image reminds us of the wood of the Cross.  It also reminds us that St. Joseph is the patron of carpenters.

 

 

St. Joseph Novena - Starts March 10

This is another in the series of posts related to St. Joseph leading up to the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19.

 A popular devotion is the Novena to St. Joseph starting on March 10.  The complete text of the prayers for all nine days can be found at Pray More Novenas.

Prayer to St. Joseph in Time of Distress

This is another in the series of posts leading up to the Solemnity of St. Joseph on March 19, during which altar flowers are permitted though it is Lent.

Pope Leo XIII in his 1889 encyclical Quamquam Pluries provided this prayer to St. Joseph, recommending that it be prayed at the end of the Rosary, particularly during October, the month of the Holy Rosary.  In Latin, it is called Ad te, Beate Joseph, and in English, Prayer to St. Joseph in Time of Distress.

Foremost in the Holy Father's mind was apparently distress in the Church but the prayer also seems appropriate in times of international strife.

"We come to thee, O blessed Joseph, in our sore distress. Having sought the aid of thy most blessed spouse, we now confidently implore thy assistance also. We humbly beg that, mindful of the dutiful affection which bound thee to the immaculate Virgin Mother of God, and of the fatherly love with which thou didst cherish the Child Jesus, thou wilt lovingly watch over the heritage which Jesus Christ purchased with His blood, and by thy powerful intercession help us in our urgent need.

"Most powerful guardian of the Holy Family, protect the chosen race of Jesus Christ; drive far from us, most loving father, every pest of error and corrupting sin. From thy place in heaven, most powerful protector, graciously come to our aid in this conflict with the power of darkness, and as of old thou didst deliver the Child Jesus from supreme peril of life, so now defend the holy Church of God from the snares of her enemies and from all adversity.

"Have each of us always in thy keeping that, following thy example, and borne up by thy strength, we may be able to live holy, die happily, and so enter the everlasting bliss of heaven. Amen."

Source: Prayerbook.com