Page 4 - St. Joseph Messenger October 2020

fàA gxÜxát Éy Tä|ÄtËá WxäÉà|ÉÇ àÉ fàA ]ÉáxÑ{

I
t is a well-known fact that St. Teresa of Avila was dedicated to St. Joseph
throughout her adult life. When she was struck by a serious illness which left
her paralyzed and near death she constantly prayed to St. Joseph for healing.
Her prayers were answered and although she would always be affected to a
degree by the illness, she went on to become the founder of the Discalced
Carmelites (among many other accomplishments) and in 1970 was named a
Doctor of the Church for her writings and teachings. She credits St. Joseph with
the answers to all of her prayers, from the most insignificant to the most
important. The following is an excerpt from the autobiography of St. Teresa of
Avila in which she acknowledges her devotion to St. Joseph

I took for my advocate and lord the glorious Saint Joseph and
commended myself earnestly to him; and I found that this my father
and lord delivered me both from this trouble and also from other and
greater troubles concerning my honor and the loss of my soul, and
that he gave me greater blessings than I could ask of him.
I do not remember even now that I have ever asked anything of
him which he has failed to grant. I am astonished at the great favors
which God has bestowed on me through this blessed saint, and at the
perils from which He has freed me, both in body and in soul. To other
saints the Lord seems to have given grace to succor us in some of our
necessities but of this glorious saint my experience is that he succors
us in them all and that the Lord wishes to teach us that as He was
Himself subject to him on earth (for, being His guardian and being
called His father, he could command Him) just so in Heaven He still
does all that he asks.
This has also been the experience of other persons whom I have
advised to commend themselves to him; and even today there are
many who have great devotion to him through having newly
experienced this truth.

Teresa recognized that St. Joseph, although living a hidden life, lived his life
doing God’s will, protecting Jesus and his mother Mary no matter what the cost.
She noted: “It would seem that God has only granted the other saints power to
help us in one kind of necessity; but experience shows that Saint Joseph can help
in every kind of need.” SJM

2