Wonder Worker even in Slumber - The devotion to the Sleeping St. Joseph in the Philippines

-
Sleeping St. Joseph of the Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph in Anonas, Quezon City

During the recent Papal Visit of our current Pontiff, Pope Francis in 2015, Our Holy Father unconsciously sparked a new devotion to the  Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Foster Father of Jesus - St Joseph, this time in his sleep. It might be unusual, however when Pope Francis revealed this seemingly little information on his spiritual life, it created a massive effect to the Filipino faithful that as soon as the Papal Visit ended, almost every religious store where a plethora of images of the Sleeping St. Joseph are available were immediately sold out and these images are now seen in numerous altars, rooms, cars, chapel, churches and shrines in every part of the country.

Le songe de saint Joseph at Cathédrale Notre
Dame-et-Saint-Castor de Nîmes, France
But how this devotion began, how it came to be and what were the effects of this devotion?

Scriptural Basis

The devotion to the Sleeping St. Joseph was somehow rooted from Scriptures. In the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, they have individual accounts were during St. Joseph's sleep, the Archangel Gabriel would visit him to give messages and warnings. First was when he was about to quietly call off their betrothal with the Blessed Virgin Mary, after  discovering her pregnancy, the Archangel revealed the plan of God that Mary will be the Mother of the Redeemer as the fulfillment of the prophecy by the Prophet Isiah where the Messiah will be born from a Virgin. Another instance is that were the angel visited him in his sleep again, this time to warn the Holy Family about the evil plot of King Herod to kill the Infant Jesus and must immediately flee to Egypt.

The Origin of the Devotion

There were scant records on how the devotion to Sleeping St. Joseph began. However, there were numerous artworks in that are seen in Europe and Latin America depicts the slumber of St. Joseph.

The Pope's speech that started it all

On January 16, 2015, during his second day of his Papal Visit in the Philippines, Pope Francis revealed in his address the families at the SM Mall of Asia Arena :

“The Scriptures seldom speak of Saint Joseph, but when they do, we often find him resting, as an angel reveals God’s will to him in his dreams.  In the Gospel passage we have just heard, we find Joseph resting not once, but twice.  This evening I would like to rest in the Lord with all of you, and to reflect with you on the gift of the family.

 Joseph’s rest revealed God’s will to him.  In this moment of rest in the Lord, as we pause from our many daily obligations and activities, God is also speaking to us.

 I would like to tell you something very personal. I like St Joseph very much. He is a strong man of silence. On my desk I have a statue of St Joseph sleeping. While sleeping he looks after the Church.  Yes, he can do it!  We know that. When I have a problem or a difficulty, I write on a piece of paper and I put it under his statue so he can dream about it. This means please pray to St Joseph for this problem."
The image of Sleeping St. Joseph in the desk of Pope Francis
Since that Papal address, the Filipino faithful immediately started to look for such image of St. Joseph and soon enough, production of such image came in vogue and when numerous religious stores in the country started to sell such image, it was proven to be a commercial success.

Several Churches and Shrines in the country soon commissioned images of Sleeping St. Joseph that will be placed in prayer chapels or in a specific area in the church where the faithful can place their petitions.

One of the earliest known parishes that enshrined an image of St. Joseph are the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Parañaque City and the Diocesan Shrine of St. Joseph in Cubao, Quezon City. This move was proven to be popular and the rest of the Churches and Shrines in the country followed suit.

As of this writing, there is no official feast of the Sleeping St. Jospeh, however, some of the Filipino faithful commemorate this whenever the Gospel of St. Joseph's sleep falls on one of the Sundays of Advent or on one of the Masses of Simbang Gabi.

A reflection on the image 

In his homily, Fr. Rey Zerrudo, parish priest of San Jose Obrero Parish in Molo, Iloilo City, and professor of Biblical Studies in St. Joseph Regional Seminary, the image of the “Sleeping St. Joseph” should be understood in the context of the Gospel. Lest the faithful be misled as to the true message of the “Sleeping St. Joseph”, Fr. Zerrudo warned: “St. Joseph’s sleep is the well-deserved rest of a hard-working carpenter. It is not the sleep of the indolent or of a ‘Juan Tamad’ of local lore, who slept under a tree just to wait for the fruit to fall into his mouth.” He further explained that the rest of St. Joseph, although well-deserved, was not a time exclusively for himself. “In his sleep, St. Joseph dreamt and it was in the dream that he learned of God’s plan of which he acted upon immediately.”

As we end this blospost dedicated to the famed Sleeping St. Joseph, here a prayer that can be said if we will ask for his help, or maybe before we slip a piece of paper to place one's petitions:

Prayer to the Sleeping St. Joseph

 O St. Joseph, you are a man greatly favored by the Most High. The angel of the Lord appeared to you in dreas, while you slept to warn you and guide you as you cared for the Holy Family. You were both silent and strong, a loyal and courageous protector.

 Dear St. Joseph, as you rest in the Lord, confident of His absolute power and goodness, look upon me. Please make my need (mention your petition) into your heart, dream of it, and present it to your Son. Help me then,  Good St. Joseph, to hear the voice of God, to arise, and act with love, I praise and thank God with Joy. Amen.

 St. Joseph, pray for us!

References:

Cardenas, Mickey (2015), St. Joseph, patron of workers, not of sleepyheads, Retrieved from http://www.cbcpnews.com/cbcpnews/?p=55086 on December 5, 2017.
Francis, (2015), Message to families at SM MOA Arena, Retrieved from http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/01/17/1413935/full-text-pope-francis-message-families-moa-arena on December 10, 2017.
Hall, James, (1983), A History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art, John Murray, London
Honner, Lucy (2017), Sleeping St. Joseph, Retrieved from https://rcspirituality.org/sleeping-st-joseph-weekly-message-for-3-14-17/ on December 5, 2017.
Pope Francis’ message about the devotion to sleeping St Joseph, Retrieved from http://sleepingstjoseph.algarr.com/pope-francis-message-about-devotion-to-sleeping-st-joseph/ on December 9, 2017.

Comments

  1. MilsJanuary 12, 2019 at 5:41 AM

    Where can I purchase this statue?
    Do you ship to Australia?

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownJune 28, 2020 at 11:35 PM

    I love St Joseph, Terror of Demons, even while sleeping.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular Posts

Mga Imaheng Relihiyoso sa Buhay Pagsamba ng mga Katoliko by Rev. Fr. Tim Ofrasio, SJ

-
Image
The icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help that was set to return to her altar in 2019 A talk from Rev. Fr. Tim Ofrasio, SJ for "Visitacion III: Halina sa Marikina" of Esculturas Religiosas en las Filipinas  Transcribed by Mr. Sherwyn Aban Blogger's photo of +Rev. Fr. Tim Ofrasio, SJ during the said event Blogger's note: The night of December 1, 2020 was rocked with a sad news of the passing of Rev. Fr. Timoteo "Tim" Ofrasio, SJ due to COVID-19. Fr. Tim is known as  one of the pillars on Philippine Liturgical Music, a scholar and advocate of celebration of Ad Orientem worship for the Mass (The priest facing the altar at the direction of the east) and Traditional Latin Mass, The Filipino Catholic faithful from different sectors mourned on his passing. I then remembered the talk that he gave to one of the events I attended years ago which it's message is still important and relevant today, especially in the social media age where some non-Catholic extremists...
Read more

Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu - The Patroness of the City and the province of Cebu

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu Cebu, the cradle of the Catholic faith in the Philippines and center of the devotion to the Child Jesus in the country. The city and its province also have a plethora of devotions, sacred traditions and patrons and their shrines are frequently visited by pilgrims from the province and other parts of the country. One of the most visited shrines in Cebu is the Archdiocesan Shrine of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in Guadalupe, Cebu where the miraculous statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the City and the province of Cebu is enshrined. The image The brown skinned image of Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Cebu is a de tallado image of the Blessed Virgin Mary carved in a folksy manner. The images sports a crown, a rostrillo around the face,a set of jewelry from necklaces, earrings, rings, bracelets, etc., carried a scepter and at times, a  rafaga surrounds the image. The image also wears a set of vestments patterned from of the fame...
Read more

Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Naga - The Ina of Bicolandia

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Naga The Image of the Mother of the Bicolanos - Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia (Complete title: Nuestra Señora del Santisimo Rosario de Penafrancia de Naga)- is arguably one of the most popular and most venerated image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the country. The image is a wooden statue of the patterned after the image of Virgen del Santo Rosario de Peña de Francia in Salamanca, Spain and Nuestra Señora de Peñafrancia de Manila of Paco. With several miracles that would fill many volumes to its history and the affection that Bicolanos showered to her earned her the title the Principal Patroness and Queen of Bicol Region or simply "Ina" to her devotees, Bicolanos and non Bicolanos alike. It is currently enshrined at the Basilica Minore de Nuestra Senora de Penafrancia in Naga City, Camarines Sur and millions of pilgrims and devotees arrive in Naga City every September for the nine-day  novanario and Fiesta festivities in honor of Our Lad...
Read more

The Resilient devotion and Tradition of the Holy Cross of Wawa

-
Image
The Holy Cross of Wawa In the town of Bocaue, south of Bulacan, famous for its firecracker industry and its iconic festival next to Obando fertility rites, the famous Pagoda (Fluvial Procession) of the Holy Cross of Wawa. Long before the tragedy of 1993, the Pagoda gained throng of devotees for centuries and it is proven to be a resilient devotion when it was revived in 2015. Bocaue's Tree of Life The Holy Cross of Wawa was wooden crucifix without the Corpus that is intricately decorated with silver accesories from rayos (rays at the four corners), three decorative ends of the Cross, a sun, a skull. the Sacred Heart of Jesus and draped with an intricately embroidered cloth. Flonking the flat cross are the images of St. John the Apostle and Evangelist and the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mater Dolorosa which is reminicent of the moment where the Blessed Mother and St. John at the foot of the Cross. Detail of the Holy Cross of Wawa The origin and the miracles  The actua...
Read more

Nuestra Señora de la Regla: Cebu's Gracious Lady

-
Image
Nuestra Señora de la Regla de Cebu Aside to the famed Santo Niño de Cebu, there is another devotion that flourished in the island that pilgrims visit through the centuries succor in times of great need - the felicitous Nuestra Señora De la Regla. The miraculous image is venerated widely by the Cebuanos who believe that the prosperity they enjoy is a blessing achieved through the strength of her maternal intercession. The image is currently venerated at The National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de la Regla in Lapu-Lapu City, Mactan Island, Cebu. Features of the image The image of the Virgin is patterned to the original located in Chipiona, Spain. The Our Lady of the Rule image carved from the trunk of dark Philippine hardwood, was installed at the her own altar of Our Lady of the Rule Church in Lapu-Lapu City. The Brown Madonna holds the Infant Jesus in a form of offering and showing - as if she is presenting the Child Jesus to the people and telling them to worship his Son - ...
Read more