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| St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Pray for us! |
It's the topic which comes up with overwhelming frequency in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It's the subject which the U.S. Bishops felt compelled to address in their recent document, "Create in Me a Clean Heart: A Pastoral Response to Pornography."
It's the one of the issues of the day which calls for the spiritual support of St. Joseph, universal patron of the Church:
- According to a recent study, 64% of 13 to 24-year-olds actively seek out pornography each week. Male and female, God created us; yet--male and female alike--the 97-billion-dollar "porn" industry is systematically stripping away basic human respect for the image of God within each person.
- This is not just an issue of moral turpitude writ large. Rather, it is a matter of intense spiritual warfare--a battle with powers and principalities for immortal souls. We have an Enemy who wants not only to derail us from God's invitation to Eternal Life but also to destroy our peace and joy here on earth.
St. Joseph, the righteous man, understands how the world, the flesh and the devil conspire to drive the human person into a pit of destruction. St. Joseph also knows the surpassing power and glory of God's grace.
St. Joseph, the chaste spouse, understands that human sexuality must be integrated into a deeper appropriation of one's personal identity. First and foremost, each human being is a beloved son or daughter of our Heavenly Father; every human person is made for communion with infinite love. God's grace can properly order human sexuality toward this End, or goal, as long as we stop trying to make human sexuality into an end in itself.
St. Joseph, the foster-father of the Redeemer, knows that human sexuality is ordered toward transmitting infinite love, which is very different from the mere satisfaction of physical and emotional desires. The function of the human body follows its form or design, not vice versa. God created the human race male and female so that a total gift of self to the other might bring new life into the world.
Finally, St. Joseph, always attentive to the Angel of the Lord, knows that God asked him to name the Baby "Jesus" because "he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:21). He also knows that the Angel told Mary that "nothing will be impossible for God" (Lk 1:37).
With St. Joseph's heavenly help, it is time for us to awake from our slumbers and to do as the angel of the Lord continues to command: Go forth and reclaim the glorious image of God inherent in each human person.
