Like many saints, St. Teresa of Avila had a particular devotion to the Blessed Mother, but she also admired and loved St. Joseph, much like a child loves her father. In fact, according to catholicexchange.com, she even attributed her recovery from serious illness to the intercession of St. Joseph. This may be the reason she named new convents for him.
My dad was also a big fan of St. Joseph, largely because of the image of the Holy Family. Family meant everything to my dad, and he certainly passed that along to me. I plan to do a post dedicated to St. Joseph sometime close to Christmas, but I thought we could take St. Teresa’s lead and consider Christ’s mother and earthly father this week.
When we think about the spiritual role models in the communion of saints, certainly Mary and Joseph come quickly to mind. I think each of us connects to certain saints more than others. It probably has to do with finding something in their lives that intrigues us or feels familiar. But one of the easiest connections to make is that of parents. Most of us are lucky enough to know the love of a parent, so Mary and Joseph might be easier for us to imagine.
I wonder if that’s what drew Teresa to them. She lost her mother at a fairly young age, and it sounds like she was never really close to her own father. In that light, I’m sure Mary and Joseph were a comfort to her.
I remember that it took a long time after my dad passed to lose the impulse to call him every time something new was happening in my life. Of course, I still talk to him sometimes, just quietly in my head. Then again, I suppose that’s how we talk to the saints, too, when we want to ask for intercession. So it just makes sense for me to think of it as a parent/child conversation.
You know, there are very few things in life that make me so happy as quality time with my family. Now that my children are young adults, it is such a treasure when we are all together and having fun. I am so thankful for the relationship that we have, that I thank God every day. That’s not to say we get along in every moment, but we rest comfortably knowing that we love each other.
That unconditional familial love is one way that God sends us to share his love in the world. I don’t know if I could even begin to understand God’s love for us without the perspective of the love I received from my parents over the course of my life and the love of my husband and children now. Certainly that is why our families are so important. We need to be grateful for them, while we have them, since we know some people are not so lucky. Maybe that should be our prayer today.
Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for the gift of Your Holy Family on earth as an example for all of us and for sharing them with us now. Thank You also for blessing us with wonderful family, by blood or by circumstance, who give us a glimpse of the beautiful love that You have for all of us. Please send special blessings to anyone who is not fortunate to have a strong loving family in this life. Let us recognize these people and take them into our lives as extended family members so they, too, can experience that wonderful love.