“Go to Joseph” (in Latin, Ite ad Joseph). This message is found on the base of the statue of Saint Joseph that welcomes us to Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, Quebec. The words are from the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament and refer to Joseph, son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery by his brothers, but became providentially second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. He was not only able to save Egypt, but also his own brothers, from famine:
“Then all the land of Egypt went hungry and the people shouted for bread from Pharaoh, but Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians: Go to Joseph and do what he will tell you” (Gen 41: 55).
Tradition has drawn a similarity between Old Testament Joseph and New Testament Joseph, foster father of Jesus. His holiness is great as it was to Joseph that God entrusted the care of his most precious treasures, Jesus and Mary. He was the protector of the Holy Family and is recognized as the protector of the universal Church.
Whoever emulates Saint Joseph can reach great heights of both virtue and holiness. This was the case of Saint Brother André, founder of Saint Joseph’s Oratory. Brother Andre’s first assignment was as the porter of the Congregation of Holy Cross brothers’ college in Montreal, a position he held for almost forty years. As he jokingly remarked:
“When I joined the Congregation of Holy Cross, they showed me the door... and I stayed there for forty years!”
Our only goal in life should be to become holy and get to heaven. We only experience a short passage on earth compared to the eternity that awaits us after physical death. After physical death, since our soul is immortal, there are only three destinations: heaven, purgatory, or hell.
To become a saint and get to heaven, we must practice virtue. A minimum of material goods is necessary to practice virtue, according to St. Thomas Aquinas. We are not pure spirits, but must also feed ourselves, clothe ourselves, and be housed. This is why it is important that all human beings have access to material goods - at least to guarantee a minimum subsistence. One can read in the book of Proverbs in the Old Testament:
“Give me neither poverty nor wealth, let me taste my share of bread, lest, fulfilled, I turn away and don’t say, ‘Who is Yahweh?’ or, needless, I do not steal and profane the name of my God (30: 8-9).”
It is the guarantee of the necessities of life; this minimum of material goods, that Social Credit financial reforms have promised since Louis Even founded MICHAEL many years ago. Many others have endorsed this monetary reform movement, including Father Peter Coffey of Ireland.
The first right of all, even before that of having access to material goods, is the right to exist; the right to be born. This means that abortion, the murder of the innocent child in the womb of his or her mother, is a very grave crime in the eyes of God.
The following was part of the opening remarks preceding the March for Life in Washington, D.C. on January 24, 2020:
“Every life brings love into this world and every child brings joy to a family, and every child is worth protecting! But above all, we know this: that every human soul is divine. And every human life, born and unborn, is made in the holy and almighty image of God.”
Who said these words? U.S. President Donald Trump. Were his words sincere or was he simply garnering votes? Read the homily given by a priest from the state of Indiana on the Sunday following. Happy reading!