Sleeping Saint Joseph, Pray For Me

I’ve always been a “go, go, go” type of person. Even on my free days, I make a to-do list and aim to get as much done as I can. If I’m not being productive, I sometimes feel like I’m missing something or like I’m forgetting something I need to do. There are times when I lie in bed thinking about what needs to happen the next day, sometimes fretting about it and sometimes just listing everything in my head to make sure it’s not forgotten. 

About seven years ago, I began to learn about a saint who could help me with my seeming obsession with productivity.

In 2017, I graduated college, and my roommate and I moved from Atchison, Kansas (population 10,000) to Omaha, Nebraska (population 500,000). We moved into a small apartment, our first step at “adulting.” We wanted to give our new home a fun name like some of our friends had in college – like The Barn, The White House, The Mansion, etc. 

We also wanted a patron saint to be our model for the year. We thought it would be nice to have a female saint as a patron who could be an excellent example for us. We agreed to take a couple of weeks to pray about it individually. When we came together, we were both hesitant to say who we thought would be a good patron. Eventually, we learned that each of us had been inspired by St. Joseph! 

In the Litany to St. Joseph, he is titled “Guardian,” “Cornerstone,” “Provider,” “Protector,” and so on. We thought he would be a good saint to watch over us, two young women living in “the big city.” My roommate also came up with the perfect name for our home: The Lilypad! St. Joseph is most often depicted holding a lily stem with three flowers. Lilies represent purity, and the three flowers represent the Trinity. The Lilypad gave honor to our protector and guardian, our foster father, as well as the Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit… and it sounded cool (or at least somewhat witty) on top of that! 

As we were decorating our house, my roommate introduced me to “Sleeping St. Joseph.” In the Bible, St. Joseph is not quoted saying one single word. However, there are three stories of words being spoken to him. Three times, all while sleeping, the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph. All three times led to the protection and care of Jesus and Mary. Other than that, all we mainly know about Joseph is that he did his daily duty, working as a carpenter and caring for his family.

My roommate introduced me to Sleeping St. Joseph by buying a statue of him (sleeping) and putting it in our apartment. It was comforting to know that sometimes, the holiest thing is to go to sleep and to trust that the Lord cares for my needs even when I’m not awake and being “productive.” In 2015, Pope Francis addressed families in the Philippines saying: 

“I have great love for Saint Joseph, because he is a man of silence and strength. On my table I have an image of Saint Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he is taking care of the Church! Yes! We know that he can do that. So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note and I put it underneath Saint Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words I tell him: pray for this problem!”

Nearly seven years have passed since we decorated our little apartment. I moved to Louisiana and joined FMC; I went on mission in Taiwan. I returned to the States, took on a new role, got married, moved back to Omaha, and forgot about sleeping St. Joseph. In the passing of the seasons (some more ordinary and restful than others) over the past several years, I have become more preoccupied with “doing” again, getting things done, and being productive to a fault or to a point that causes me worry. 

There are so many good things to care about, think about, and concern myself with: how to create a home with my new husband, how to love my family, how to get my work done, how to increase those who know about Jesus, etc. St. Joseph knew all of these concerns, too. He had the biggest job of all – to care for the Son of God and His Immaculate Mother, Mary. He knows what it is to be on the go and to have many things “to do.” 

St. Joseph, I entrust my cares and worries to you. Help me to rest as you did and allow the Spirit of the Lord to speak to me so that I can move peacefully when the time is right. Protect me, guard me, and pray for me that I will trust in the Lord and His timing, His movements, His providence, and His love!