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St. Joseph, St. Joseph: Guardian of Virgins, Pray for Us!
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October 27, 2021Guardian of Virgins is the next title from the Litany of St. Joseph found in the St. Joseph Chapel. To get a better understanding of the depth of this title, we look to this insight from Pope St. John Paul II, “The total sacrifice, whereby Joseph surrendered his whole existence to the demands of the Messiah’s coming into his home, becomes understandable only in the light of his profound interior life.” From this intense interior life, St. Joseph can make “the decision to put his liberty immediately at the disposition of the divine designs, to make over to them also his legitimate human calling, his conjugal happiness, to accept the conditions, the responsibility and the burden of a family, but, through an incomparable virginal love, to renounce that natural conjugal love that is the foundation and nourishment of the family.”
In his book titled: Model of Faith: Reflecting on the Litany of St. Joseph, Leonard J. DeLorenzo explores the impact of this total sacrifice of St. Joseph that comes from a “profound interior life” and how it relates to the title of Guardian of Virgins.
St. Joseph’s inner life grew and expanded to embrace all his external activities; or put another way: “his body is integrated with his soul.” That is one way of recognizing this profound interior life: it manifests itself even externally in all the things that St. Joseph does. Due to this intense relationship with the Lord, St. Joseph can make the offering of himself wholly to be at the service of the coming of the Messiah. In this way, St. Joseph came to be known as the one who guards all others who make the promise of virginity.
St. Joseph’s life shows the beauty and value of living the life of virginity. He instills courage in those called to a life of virginity – both for a brief time or lifetime – by the example of his life. This life that he lived and for those who are called to live it is not easy though; doubts about this calling and the awareness of one’s own weaknesses make it a challenge to accept. However, St. Joseph, as the father of the Messiah, demonstrates what at first seems daunting (the life of virginity) and instills within others the confidence to do remarkable things. This is seen in the silent, but courageous, way that St. Joseph lived. He was always ready to respond to the Lord and to the needs of the Holy Family. This, then, is the influence of St. Joseph on others who look to his example for courage when called by the Lord to live a life of service to the Lord.
The Sisters of St. Joseph are those women who have been called and inspired to follow the ways of St. Joseph and who trust his guardianship over them. It is not always an easy to live, the life of virginity. However, having the example of St. Joseph and the confidence in his fatherly care for them was surely a boost to the sisters who answered the invitation of the Messiah to follow him in a life as Joseph and Mary lived. This confidence allowed them to venture out to start new schools and hospitals. It was what gave courage and strength to those sisters who came over from other countries to serve the needs of the church by caring for the “dear neighbor.” St. Joseph’s example of a “profound interior life” would have been a pattern for them to follow as they went forth on assignment.
On the east third floor entrance is a magnificent statue of St. Joseph. This statue was originally found in the sanctuary of St. Henry Catholic Church in Medaryville, Indiana. The wonderful image of St. Joseph was relocated to the retreat center in 2017 when the parish closed. In its new location, St. Joseph welcomes those visitors to the third floor. A small bench is located by the corner table on which he stands to provide a quiet space to make a short prayer to the Guardian of Virgins to watch over those who come to the retreat and conference center that bears his name and to guide them to a more “profound interior life” with the Holy Trinity – a life that prepares us for eternity!
