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THE SEVEN SUNDAYS OF SAINT JOSEPH THE SEVEN SUNDAY THE FATHERLY INTERCESSION OF SAINT JOSEPH I. The intercession of the saints. The church has taught on any number of occasions that the saints in Heaven offer to God for the benefit of the faithful the merits which they won while on earth. The Church has also recommended that people pray to the saints to make intercession before the Lord. Saint Thomas has explained that the mediation of the saints is an appropriate way to God to share his mercy. In this way, God respects the natural order of things since his saints are, in fact, the people closest to him. This is why the intercession of the saints is by no means a sign of imperfection with God. The saints partake in God’s glory by helping those in need. They are collaborators with God, above whom there is nothing more divine. Even though the saints do not actually ‘deserve’ divine attention, they are able to win divine favour because of the merit gained by their holy lives. They ask for God’s mercy by offering up their own past works and our good works also. The saints are able to help other because their prayer were heard by God during their lifetime. The degree to which a saint can be of help to us depends on the degree of his or her sanctity. It also depends on how great devotion we have to that saint, and whether God wants to make manifest that person’s sanctity. Certain saints are known to be powerful intercessors for particular intentions: to get someone who has gone astray to come back to god through the sacrament of Penance, to attend to family needs, to help in problems concerning work or in sickness. According to Saint Thomas, the intercessions of saints depends a great deal on the ‘accidental’ merit which they obtained in their lives. The saints who acquired extraordinary merit in sickness or in the execution of some particular task should have a special ability to help those who suffer from the same sickness or have to perform a similar task. When regard to intercession of Saint Joseph, Saint Teresa Avila has written: To other Saints our Lord seems to have given graces to succour men in some special necessity; but this glorious Saint, as I know by experience, (He has given graces) to help us in all; and our Lord would have as understand that, as He was himself subject to him upon earth ‒ for Saint Joseph, having the title of the father, and being his guardian, could command him ‒ so now in heaven He performs all his petitions. We would not fail to go to Saint Joseph for his help in everything that concerns us. in Conversation with God Daily Meditations Volume VI Special Feast January ‒ June 
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