Saint Quotes
“St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life. That is why Scripture praises Joseph as ‘a just man’. And in Hebrew a just man means a good and faithful servant of God, someone who fulfills the divine will, or who is honorable and charitable toward his neighbor.”—St. Josemaria Escriva
“What could Jesus Christ refuse St. Joseph, who never refused him anything during his mortal life on earth?”—St. Augustine
“He [St. Joseph] is head of the Holy Family, father of the trinity on earth which resembles so closely the Holy Trinity on high.”—St. Peter Julian Eymard
“Joseph carried Jesus Christ first to Egypt, then to Judea, and so traced for us the path of the apostles who preached his name to the Jews and to the Gentiles.”—St. Hilary of Poitiers
“The dignity and glory of St. Joseph is such that the Eternal Father conferred upon him with greatest liberality, a likeness to his own supremacy over his incarnate Son.”—St. Bernadine of Siena
“What many kings and prophets desired to see, and saw not; desired to hear, and heard not; he [St. Joseph] was allowed not merely to hear and see, but also to carry, lead, embrace, kiss, nourish, and protect.”—St. Bernard of Clairvaux
“Jesus wished to become indebted to St. Joseph for the necessaries of life, and of this holy patriarch alone it may be said that he saved the life of his Savior.”—St. Madaleine Sophie Barat
“Saint Joseph is most powerful against the demons which fight against us at the end of our lives.”—St. Alphonsus de Liguori
“According to [St.] Jerome and Origen, Joseph had no suspicion of adultery because he knew the modesty and chastity of Mary. Moreover, he had read in Scripture that the virgin would conceive and that ‘a shoot shall sprout from the stock of Jesse, and from his roots a bud shall blossom’. He knew also that Mary was descended from the line of David. Thus it was easer for him to believe that Isaiah’s prophecy had been accomplished in her than to think that she could have let herself descend into debauchery. This is why, considering himself unworthy to live with a person of such great sanctity, he wanted to send her away secretly—like when Peter says to Jesus, ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!'”—St. Thomas Aquinas
“I know not how anyone can ponder on the sufferings, trials, and tribulations the Queen of Angels endured whilst caring for Jesus in his childhood, without at the same time thanking St. Joseph for the services he rendered the Divine Child and his Blessed Mother.”—St. Teresa of Avila
“Saint Joseph did not do extraordinary things, but rather by the constant practice of the ordinary and common virtues, he attained that sanctity which elevates him above all other saints.”—St. Joseph Marello
