Feast of St. Joseph: A Holy Widowhood for Our Lady

The statue of St. Joseph watches over the gate to the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lourdes, as St. Joseph watched over the Blessed Mother and the Christ child in life.

We began our Lenten journey with the words, “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” We all will pass from this life to the next. Where are we going and how will we get there? St. Joseph is our patron for a holy death; tradition holds that he died surrounded by Jesus and Mary. Would that we all have the company of Jesus and Mary in the hour of our death!

Yet, there are still tears of grief, even in a holy death. Death was not God’s original design, but the wages of humanity’s sin; and with death come grief and sadness for those left behind. Surely, Jesus and Mary wept at the passing of St. Joseph. In St. Joseph’s holy death, Our Lady became a holy widow, who would carry this unseen cross through this valley of tears.

Let us pray for all those who grieve a loved one today, especially our Lourdes Volunteers Consecrated Widows. For more information about our Consecrated Life Community, click here.