SW News: All believers should seek the intercession of Saint Joseph at difficult times in their lives, said the Holy Father Pope Francis as he concluded his series of catechesis on the foster father of Jesus on February 16 in the Vatican. The pontiff said that when scandals plague a community, its members should pray to St Joseph for the strength to speak the truth and seek forgiveness and start on a clean slate.

During times when persecution prevents the preaching of the Gospel, the intercession of the saint should be sought, exhorted the pope. He said Catholics who are called to take care of the orphans, the sick, those rejected by society should seek the help of this illustrious saint when they run out of resources and money. The pope also reminded believers that countless saints over the centuries have taken recourse to St Joseph, who is a guardian and a father.

The catechesis on the saint is based on the Apostolic Letter Patris Cordis that was penned to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St Joseph as the patron of the Universal Church by Pope Blessed Pius IX. The Holy Father compared Jesus, Mary and Joseph to a primordial model of the Church. He said Christ is both Man and God while His Mother is the first disciple and St Joseph is their guardian. “And we too should always consider whether we ourselves are protecting Jesus and Mary, for they are also mysteriously entrusted to our own responsibility, care and safekeeping.”

He also reminded them that a Christian should imitate St Joseph by safeguarding life-not only his own but that of others just like the foster father of Jesus protected both the Infant and His Mother. “In this sense, Saint Joseph could not be other than the Guardian of the Church, for the Church is the continuation of the Body of Christ in history, even as Mary’s motherhood is reflected in the motherhood of the Church. In His continued protection of the Church, Joseph continues to protect the child and His mother.”

In spite of its numerous sins and failures, the Church has to be loved and protected as each believer is a part of the Church, which comprises sinners who encounter God’s mercy, reminded the Holy Father.