“Joseph teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties, and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course.” (Pope Francis)
Suggested Prayer: O, St. Joseph, do assist me by your powerful intercession and obtain for me from your divine Son all spiritual blessings through Jesus Christ, Our Lord, so that having experienced here below your heavenly power, I may offer my thanksgiving and homage to the most loving of fathers.
Suggested Activity: Consider making a St. Joseph Table on Mar. 19, (see DID YOU KNOW? article below) decorate with candles, flowers, or a statue of St. Joseph as you enjoy your meal. Maybe visit an Italian bakery for traditional shaped breads.
Did You Know? The Tradition of the St. Joseph Day Table
St. Joseph’s Day is, in Italy, also Father’s Day which isn’t at all surprising as St. Joseph was the foster-father of Jesus. The tradition of the “St. Joseph Table” of food (“la tavala di San Giuseppe”) has its origin in Sicily. Legends from the Middle Ages attributed the end of
a devastating drought to a prayer-devotion that the Sicilian people made to St. Joseph. This celebration is a symbolic “thank you” and
renewal of the Sicilian people’s devotion to St. Joseph. It is a shared celebration with the entire community, friends, relatives, strangers, and especially the poor.
The St. Joseph’s Day altar, contains a plethora of non-meat dishes and breads in symbolic shapes. Italian breads are decorated with sesame seeds (teardrops). The shapes include the Latin Cross (our Lord’s suffering and salvation), The Bambino (baby Jesus), St. Joseph’s Staff (blossomed into a lily, symbol of life and death), St. Joseph’s Purse (reminder to give alms to the poor), Heart, Crown of Thorns, and others. Stunning to behold and delicious to partake in, a St. Joseph’s Day Table is a tradition which is still carried on to this day. St. Joseph’s feast day is March 19th.
(ncregister.com)