This is one of the stained glass windows at the Shrine. It depicts Joseph as patron of the universal Church, a title I have mentioned several times already in the short life of this blog. You can see Joseph standing guard and radiating influence on different types of church buildings, small and large. He watches over from heaven the entire Church.
How the Church needs heavenly protection today! We can no longer depend on government or society at large to protect the Church. We should do what we can, but we know are fighting with forces that are stronger than us. We know our strength is not enough. We need the help of the Church triumphant in heaven, and that includes all the Saints, including Joseph, who have fought the battles here on Earth that we are fighting, and have won the prize of eternal life with the Blessed Trinity.
Yet, in their love for the Lord, which translates into love of the people he has created (remember, one cannot have one without the other, according to the Word of God), they still fight for us. You think they could and would rest, take it easy, say something like, "Heck, I made it. Let them still down there duke it out themselves. I'm going to rest." They would be justified in believing and doing that.
However, that is not a Saint's character. Saints, who are typically very busy on Earth, continue to be very busy in heaven. As they did on Earth, they continue to love and thirst for souls, in imitation of their Divine Master. They will not rest until all souls have joined them up there.
We need to today think of the Church in heaven more often than we do. The more proper term, actually, for the Church in heaven is "Church triumphant". The Church is made up of three groups; the "Church militant" (those of us still fighting the battle here on Earth), the "Church suffering" (the souls in purgatory who have died, and will be in heaven, but need to be purified first because of their sins), and then finally, the aforementioned "Church triumphant" (the saints in heaven).
I think we need to stop thinking of heaven as a place in space and time. It is beyond space and time, but it is not necessarily very far away. Think of Our Lord after the Resurrection, he walked through doors. He was beyond space and time. He was in heaven, so to speak, but He was still very much right next to the disciples. My point is heaven and earth are not distant realities from each other. How we live on Earth, what we do, and do not do, has profound implications for our life in heaven. This is why I believe "Church triumphant" is more accurate to say than "Church in heaven" because the former signifies a state of being, while the latter signifies a place. Heaven is more a state of being than it is a place.
Saints like Joseph, members of this Church triumphant, are here to help us. They intercede for us. They pray for us. They sometimes do miracles (in fact, to become a canonized saint, a miracle or two is usually required that can be attributed to that Saint.). They are our family. We need to remember them, as they remember us. The Church is not just what we see around us; the people, the buildings, the good things, and the not so good things. There are other dimensions to the Church we need to consider, be aware of, and for lack of a better word, take advantage of, in our struggles here on Earth.
Joseph, who was chaste, just , obedient, and faithful, can help us when we are tempted against any of those virtues. Despite all the troubles going on in the world and the Church, he does not want to just watch afar from heaven. He wants to send down rays of light and hope, as he is doing in the stained glass window pictured here, and fill us with faith, hope, and love to help us carry on in the battle for Christ and His Bride, the Church, whom He appointed Joseph as guardian and protector.
Joseph, Protector of Holy Church, pray for us.
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