Figure of Saint Joseph, gift for father's day
Figure of Saint Joseph
All the religious images in our catalog are very important. Now that March 19 , Father's Day, is approaching, we want to highlight the figure of Saint Joseph. Central figure in the lives of Jesus and the Virgin Mary .
Giving or buying an image of Saint Joseph can be a nice gift for any parent.
Joseph, father figure chosen by God
The figure of Saint Joseph is one of the props on which God wants to base the life of Jesus. For this reason, God gives Saint Joseph a great responsibility, that of being the husband of the Virgin Mary and that of adoptive father of the Child Jesus . He will thus be the protector of the Holy Family from the moment of his commitment to Mary until his death.
We can learn the details of the life of Saint Joseph through the Gospels of Saint Matthew and Saint Luke .
Saint Joseph lived in Nazareth and made his living as a "tekton" (meaning a craftsman builder, a carpenter or mason). When he was old enough he was called by the priests to come to the temple. The priests had summoned all the bachelors of the tribe of David to find a suitable husband for a young girl, Mary. This young woman was known to all, she was the living image of purity and beauty.
Given the abundance of singles, the priests decided to put the candidates to a test in order to know the will of God. They were to find a young man who would be a good husband for Mary, and a good father.
They distributed a branch to each one. Mary would commit herself to that man who, with his devotion, would make the branch flourish . God showed his will and made the branch of Saint Joseph blossom. Some sources tell us that the flower was from an almond tree, others from a lily or lily. Nowadays this fact is remembered represented to most of the images and figures of San José with a flowered rod.
Through this divine sign, Mary of Nazareth became engaged to Joseph of Bethlehem. God had chosen Saint Joseph as the husband of the Virgin and father of Jesus.
Saint Joseph, the Mystery of the Annunciation
Once the engagement was confirmed, Mary returned to her parents' house, as the Hebrew tradition said, while preparations were made for her entry into her husband's house, Saint Joseph.
In this interval of time, a fundamental event takes place, the Annunciation (Gospel according to Saint Luke (Lk 1,26-38)):
“In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; the virgin's name was Mary. And going in, he said to her: “ Rejoice, full of grace , the Lord is with you. » Maria was disturbed by these words, and thought about what that greeting meant. The angel said to her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, because you have found favor with God; you will conceive in the womb and give birth to a son, whom you will name Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father; He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end." Mary answered the angel: "How can this be, since I do not know a man?" The angel replied: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore he who is to be born will be holy and will be called the Son of God. Look, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is already the sixth month of her who was called barren, because nothing is impossible with God." Mary said: “ Behold the handmaid of the Lord; Let it be to me according to your word. " And the angel, after leaving her, was gone."
The Virgin Mary feels the visit of the Holy Spirit, she knows that the Son of God is being generated in her body. She decides that she must tell her future husband about the role for which the Lord has chosen her.
When Saint Joseph listens to the story of the Virgin Mary, he does not know how to react. Not because he doubts the word of his future wife, but because the Mystery of the Virginal Conception is a divine plan that is difficult for any human being to understand. San José is facing a situation that is beyond it. He makes a decision that he considers fair, secretly leaving Maria . In this way, it would prevent the Virgin Mary from being condemned as an adulteress and stoned to death along with her son as established by law.
Determined to leave as soon as possible, he lies down and rests for his escape. While he sleeps, God sends an Angel to understand what is happening and the importance that the son of the Virgin Mary will have: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to receive Mary, your wife, because the son you are expecting is the work of of the Holy Spirit ." When he woke up, Saint Joseph understood that he should give name and be the adoptive father of Jesus, be the husband of the Virgin Mary, because, in truth, the one who would be born in his home, from the womb of his wife, would be the Son of God.
Information produced by Brabander Religious Images . If you find any errors do not hesitate to contact us, we will rectify it as soon as possible.