(photo via aggiecatholicblog.org)
Every now and then, when it’s my turn to write the Jesus-Justice-Joy article, I’m left completely devoid either of inspiration or of time to write once inspiration strikes. Such is the case today. So, I’ll lean on the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church, which tells me that today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Joseph was such a good and righteous man that the Church long ago declared him to be a saint. Appropriately, his likeness is featured prominently in most Catholic sanctuaries. And yet, despite his faithfulness and his role as Jesus’s earthly father, we Catholics tend to drag St. Joseph through the mud — LITERALLY!
For a very long time, many prospective home-sellers, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, have dutifully adhered to the practice of using a small statue of St. Joseph to help them sell their home, a practice detailed in the following bullet points taken from st-josephstatue.com:
- Bury the statue in the yard in the front of the house. Favorable spots are either close to the “For Sale” sign or close to the road.
- Bury the statue upside-down, facing the house.
- Pray to Saint Joseph when you are burying him and keep praying until the house is sold.
- But the most important part is to have faith all the time, in yourself, in your Sale and in Saint Joseph.
- After your house is sold take him with you to your new home and put him in a place of honor.
- If you live in a condo, bury the statue of St Joseph in a pot.
I have long thought this practice was weird. And, what must St. Joseph think?! His reward for having been a devoted and hard-working husband and father is to spend eternity trying to help broker home sales, with all the blood rushing to his head.
So, several years back, Orin and I wrote a song to make fun of the whole practice. Why not?! It seemed like the reasonable thing to do. :)
Check it out below!
-Shannon