Ite ad Joseph, the saints have said, which means Go to Joseph. Have you gone to St. Joseph? Do you think of asking his intercession? There are some formal ways we could do that. There are several prayers that one could recite and pray: the Litany of St. Joseph, the Holy Cloak, a novena prayer to St. Joseph (they are numerous!), or the prayer after the rosary, To Thee O Blessed Joseph by Pope Leo XIII. Suffice to say, there are many ways we could go to Joseph. Let me offer you another—the Seven Sundays of St. Joseph. Traditionally, this is a devotion that is prayed the seven Sundays preceding the feast of St. Joseph. It could be prayed at other times too, perhaps from the feast of St. Joseph, which would conclude right around his second feast day as St. Joseph the Worker. 

Why Seven Sundays?

Why Seven Sundays? It is a remembrance of his seven sorrows and seven joys. Just as Mary has her seven sorrows (promoted by the Servites) and seven joys (promoted by the Franciscans), St. Joseph has his own. One of the bigger promoters of the Seven Sundays devotion is the Opus Dei movement. Here are the Seven Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph:

Sorrows

1. His sorrow when he decided to leave the Blessed Virgin
2. His sorrow when he saw Jesus born in poverty
3. His sorrow when he saw Jesus’ blood shed in circumcision
4. His sorrow when he heard the prophecy of Simeon
5. His sorrow when he had to flee to Egypt
6. His sorrow when he was afraid to return to his homeland
7. His sorrow when he lost the Child Jesus

Joys

1. His joy when the angel told him the mystery of the Incarnation. 
2. His joy when the angels announced Jesus’ birth.
3. His joy in giving him the name of Jesus.
4. His joy when he learned that many would be saved through the sufferings of Jesus.
5. His joy in being always with Jesus and Mary.
6. His joy on being told by the angel to go to Nazareth. 
7. His joy in finding him in the temple.

The sorrows and joys are straightforward, but worthy of meditation and reflection. We see how each sorrow has a joy that corrects it. The sorrow of wanting to divorce Mary quietly is corrected by the joy of the angel’s announcement to him. There was sorrow at Jesus’ circumcision but at the same time he was given the name of Jesus, the name by which we all are saved, including Joseph. There is a marvelous connection in the sorrow of Jesus shedding his blood at the circumcision with the absence of Joseph at Calvary. He was present at least once for the shedding of Christ’s blood. Even when he has to flee, there is joy because they are together as a family and not separated. 

The sorrows and joys of Joseph are quite beautiful. Maybe like me, this is one of the first times you are being introduced to them. I had anticipated one that is not included. I would have thought that the death of Joseph would be a sorrow. For example, his sorrow when leaving behind Mary and Jesus and his joy when Jesus descended to deliver those in Sheol. Allow these events in the life of Joseph to lead you into further prayer and meditation about Jesus’ earthly father, Sunday after Sunday. Will you go to Joseph next Sunday? I hope so!

If you are interested in praying the devotion of the Seven Sundays Devotion to St. Joseph, you can find the texts which include a prayer, scripture passage, and reflection from the St. Jose Maria Institute: https://stjosemaria.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Seven-Sundays-Devotion-to-Saint-Joseph.pdf

If you would like to learn more about the study of St. Joseph, check out the Josephology Society International- https://josephologysociety.com and consider becoming a member. 

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Saint_Joseph_.jpg