Today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of Mary. In one of his first homilies as Pope, Pope Francis spoke of St. Joseph’s role as protector of Mary and Jesus (especially while fleeing from Herod to Egypt) but also taking his example to heart as an inspiration for us to consider what needs protecting around us.

“The vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness.

In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!”     Pope Francis, (19 March 2013)

grace, peace & protectors

Virginia : )