'Can't Build It Myself"

Many who came through the enormous challenges of 2020 feeling wobbly in their faith may resolve to make it stronger this year. 

With Pope Francis’s announcement that 2021 is the Year of St. Joseph, Catholics, especially those in the Diocese of Baton Rouge, where St. Joseph is the patron saint, can be confident they have a heavenly companion to help them pick up the spiritual hammer and nails and do that. 

Father Chris Decker, pastor of St. Joseph Church in Grosse Tete, Immaculate Heart of Mary in Maringouin and St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in Livonia, suggested looking at one’s faith life from the “layers” of a house.

An important layer upon which the others rest is the foundation, said Father Decker.

“(This means) recognizing God’s fundamental love for me and desiring to receive that love and return it to God; acknowledging my own sinfulness and my dependence on God for life, salvation and ultimate fulfillment,” he said.

To do so, one must acknowledge “I can’t just build it myself,” said Father Decker, who pointed to St. Joseph’s trust in the words of the angel for the future of his family.

Erected on a house’s foundation is the skeleton or studs. In a spiritual sense, this means becoming immersed in the life of prayer – communicating with God, according to Father Decker. People find his voice in the Scriptures, especially the Gospels where Jesus speaks directly to us.

Nailed right on top of the studs are the walls. Spiritually this means immersion in the life of the church and her sacraments. 

“The Scriptures come to us from the church and the sacraments nourish our desire to deepen our understanding of Christ in the Bible,” Father Decker said.

The crowning layer of a house is the roof, which spiritually equates to the rich treasury of the church’s teaching.

“(This is) rooted in the Bible and the teaching of the Apostles who knew the eternal word personally. By learning what the church teaches and why she teaches us can help us to weather the storms of life by giving us a shelter when we encounter suffering or difficulty,” said Father Decker.

And to fully make a house a home, one must include furnishings, noted Father Decker. People must “fashion their family so they become an image of the holy house at Nazareth and the holy ones who dwelled within it.”

Father Paul Counce, pastor of St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge, pointed out that St. Joseph’s example of having a firm faith foundation is based on his quiet obedience to God, rather than speech.   

“There’s not a single word that was said by him in the Bible, but what is described about him is pretty rich,” said Father Counce. 

He said there are many devotionals and books written about St. Joseph that can help people learn about him and call upon his intercession.

One of those is the book “Consecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father” by Father Donald Calloway MIC.

The book focuses on a 33-day consecration to St. Joseph. It contains information on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph and prayers and devotions to St. Joseph. Each day includes a litany of St. Joseph, the official prayer to St. Joseph of the Church. 

Readers get to know him under his titles such as “Pillar of the Family,” “Glory of Domestic Life,” “Terror of Demons” and others. The book will be distributed to attendees of The Men of the Immaculata Conference in February at St. George Church in Baton Rouge.

Father Al Davidson, pastor of St. Joseph the Worker Church in Pierre Part, said his faith community is taking a determined approach in honoring St. Joseph this year to receive the plenary indulgences offered.

“I think the pope’s intention is to get people back to prayer. And especially since so many people have more time because if they are not in quarantine or lockdown and not going out as much, they are spending it in prayer and not a vessel for the evil one, who attacks and misleads,” said Father Davidson.

On Wednesdays at St. Joseph Church, the day of the week that is devoted to St. Joseph, confessions are heard before the 7:30 a.m. Mass, and at the Mass, the faithful pray for the pope’s intentions, Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be. And instead of a homily, everyone prays the litany of St. Joseph, according to Father Davidson.

People can do one of 15 acts to receive the acts to receive these indulgences. These acts must be accompanied by sacramental confession, eucharistic Communion and prayer for the pope’s intentions, the usual conditions to obtain any plenary indulgence.

Additionally, the consecration and devotions to St. Joseph are being practiced at small group gatherings.

“We are taking every opportunity we can to have people pray and release some of the yuck, and everyone holds a grudge it seems, somebody, something in their past, to receive that plenary indulgence and purify that stain of sin. It is definitely needed and we want to make it as readily available as possible,” said Father Davidson.

And lead by St. Joseph’s example of how God communicated to him through prayer, people can develop their own prayer life and learn how God is speaking to them, Father Davidson said. 

“What little bit we have of him in Scripture, speaks about how he listens to that inner voice – he dreams. His relationship with God is such when that little voice speaks he listens to it. (Whereas with us) that little voice is who? (often our own),” mused Father Davidson. “Getting to that point where you know the difference whether that little voice is yours or God is essential and that is done through prayer.”