I Sing of Joseph
A Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving to St. Joseph
by Deacon Bruce Olsen
Hail, O holy St. Joseph,
my spiritual father, my model, my inspiration, my guide, my teacher.
Protector on earth. Advocate in heaven. My friend!
You, spouse of the sinless Mother of the Word Made Flesh,
and Virgin Father of the Son of God, have loved me with a father’s heart.
You have listened to my sighs; you have heard my pleas;
and have taken me into your heart.
I come to offer you my sincere praise and thanksgiving.
Thank you, St. Joseph, for simply being who you are:
Man of grace, man of virtue, faithful servant of God.
Man hand-chosen by the Father from the foundation of the world
to be the loving father, wise mentor, of the Son of God.
Loving and faithful spouse, ever respectful protector of the virginity of Mary.
Diligent provider and valiant defender
of those who the Father entrusted to your safekeeping.
Man of prayer, ever attentive to the promptings of God, even in your dreams.
Joseph, meek and humble. Joseph, brave and courageous.
Joseph, strong and powerful against the forces of evil, natural and supernatural.
Joseph, who spoke by action and example rather than by words.
Joseph, whose fatherly love is a reflection of God's love for His Only Begotten Son
and for all His children.
And who am I that the eyes that beheld the Son of God and the Queen
of both heaven and earth, have also been cast upon me?
How is it that the ears which heard their sweet conversations, their laughter, their singing, have also been attentive to my cries, my prayers, my pleading?
And how is it that the arms that once held Godly perfection
now embraces a sinner such as me?
You, who loved the son of your heart, love me!
You, who received the One who was not flesh of your flesh as your son,
now accepts me as your child!
You, who protected the Word Made Flesh and His Holy and Immaculate Mother,
has thrown the cloak of your protection over me!
You who provided for the needs of those closest to your heart
have heard and answered my prayers!
You who taught the one who is the Way, the Truth and the Life,
teaches me by example to listen, to hear, to discern, to obey the Will of the Father!
You teach me the value of silence, to be still;
and in the stillness, to discover Emmanuel, the God who is with us.
You have done for me what you did for shepherds and kings at the stable in Bethlehem;
you, in humility, point me to Jesus and Mary,
and take me to them.
You see past my faults to the person God created me to be,
and see good in me even when the world cannot.
You love me even when I find it difficult to love myself.
You have heard my desperate cries and have not abandoned me.
You have dried my tears and restored my hope.
You have used the mighty power given to you by the Eternal Father
to slay the demons that have threatened my soul.
You have responded to my needs with a Father's love and compassion,
and have taken my prayer to your son, as my advocate,
pleading for His mercy,
interceding for the graces and blessings
of which I so desperately need.
Thank you, O St. Joseph, for being my father, my spiritual guide.
Thank you for taking into your most chaste heart my prayers, my hopes, my hurts.
Thank you for blessing me with your presence, with your patience,
with your goodness, and with your love.
Thank you for knowing all that I am, all that I’ve done, and for loving me anyway.
Thank you for understanding my weaknesses, yet still seeing all that I can be.
Thank you for drawing me close within the intimacy of your holy cloak when so many others have abandoned me.
Thank you for prayers answered and miracles rendered.
Thank you for your example and virtues that inspire me.
I desire to be just like you and make you proud.
I pray that someday when people see me,
they can say, as they did about Jesus,
"Is he not the carpenter's son?"
Sometimes human language is limiting.
Sometimes things like “I love you” and “thank you” aren’t expressed with the sincerity
and eloquence that we hope to convey.
But Joseph, do not just hear the feeble syllables that I utter,
but listen, instead, to the song in my heart.
Forever I will sing of you, St. Joseph.
I sing a song of praise, a song of thanks, a song of love.
Forever I will shout to the world of your kind benevolence,
of your grace, of your power, and of your love.
Forever I will tell of your glories and of all your blessings to me.
Mine, is but one voice among the choir of angels and saints,
and the great chorus of humanity,
that sings a love song to you, Joseph.
It is not the loudest, the strongest, nor the most beautiful.
Sometimes off-key, often not melodic.
And although the song I sing isn’t the anthem you deserve,
nor the hymn I hoped it would be,
since you, yourself, have left us none of your own words in Scripture,
perhaps you will understand and accept the inadequacy
and imperfection of my words,
but look, instead, at the love of the singer
and the passion with which he chants his simple tune.
May the name of Joseph be praised and loved by me and by the world,
both now and forever!
Amen.
