It was a little more than a year ago today that St. Joseph (whose feast day is Wednesday, by the way) began pulling on my heart. I can hardly find the words to tell you but he was suddenly everywhere. In my prayers, in holy cards I’d long since lost, his statues were everywhere, he was just there. All the time. When his feast day rolled around last year I had a stunningly clear sense that I needed to pray for St. Joseph’s intercession for my future husband. I didn’t know why, but I began praying every day for his intercession for my future husband, that he would keep my husband safe and pure, that he would prepare my husband’s heart for me, for marriage, for fatherhood, and for all that was and is to come.
Two weeks after I really started to pray for St. Joseph’s intercession, the guy I was dating at the time broke up with me. While I was hurt, I trusted that even this was in St. Joseph’s hands and that he was getting me closer to the one I was to marry. Three weeks after the break up, Anthony asked me out for our first date. It might sound fast, but the truth was that I had always found Anthony attractive in more ways than one and I couldn’t have been more excited that he, this man I’d been admiring for well over a year, wanted to take ME out on a date! I kept praying for St. Joseph’s intercession, still not knowing what would come and I asked good ole Joe to keep an eye out for my future husband.
On our second date I brought up the totally Catholic conversation topic of Confirmation saints. I told Anthony about how I picked St. Rose because I liked her name, and I actually thought she was a little crazy. I mean really, who rubs PEPPER on their faces to make themselves undesirable to men?! I nervously rambled on about St. Rose as Anthony and I rode bikes and I tried (and probably failed) to make it seem like I was totally in shape and the bike ride wasn’t killing me. (Fun story: sitting for the next two days was a painful experience. I was so not ready for what he called a “short” bike ride.) When I finally quit yammering on about St. Rose so that I could effortlessly catch my breath as we crested yet another hill, Anthony told me who he picked as his Confirmation saint: Saint Joseph. I kid you not, I almost fell off my bike. It was as if St. Joseph was saying, “See, I’ve been tugging on your heart and watching out for your future husband and here he is! You’re welcome.”
I told my mom that story a few days later. My mom doesn’t always see signs like I see signs, but even she admitted how cool that all was and what a sign that was. I was floored! It wasn’t until after Anthony proposed that I told him about how much St. Joseph had been after me, and how floored I was when he explained why he chose St. Joseph as his Confirmation saint.
So this week, preparing for the feast of St. Joseph, I can’t help but be grateful for his intercession and for finding me such a holy husband-to-be. As I eagerly count down the days to our wedding I’m even more grateful for St. Joseph’s intercession and for the ways he continues to prepare Anthony for husbandhood (go with it, I just invented the word) and fatherhood, and for the ways he prepares both of our hearts for marriage and parenthood so that we can imitate Joseph, Mary, and Jesus – the perfect, holy family.
St. Joseph, pray for us!
