Just Men: Saint Joseph and Blessed Frassati

March is the month the Church dedicates to Saint Joseph.  As part of the Litany of St. Joseph, I have been saying daily,  "Joseph Most Just, pray for us." So when an Italian book I was reading last week described Pier Giorgio as a "just man," it caught my eye. I hadn't ever really made a comparison in my mind between St. Joseph and Blessed Frassati.

What does it mean to be a just man?  In St. Joseph's case, it meant in part that he followed all the laws of the Jewish religion.  But there is more to the virtue of justice than that.  The Catechism defines it as giving what is due both to God and to our neighbor.  A just man gives God the love and gratitude He deserves and practices faithfully the virtue of religion.  He gets to Mass on Sunday, for example; he honors the Sabbath.  A just man also respects his neighbor (co-worker, family menber, etc.) and treats him fairly and gives him honor where it is due.

Some other titles of St. Joseph in the Litany include Chaste, Prudent, Courageous, Obedient, Faithful.  All of these describe Pier Giorgio accurately, as well.  As I recognized the many similarities between the two, I began to wonder about Pier Giorgio's relationship with St. Joseph.  It stands to reason, after all, that someone who had such a great devotion to Our Lady would have also had great reverence for her holy spouse. 

In any case, I did discover how Pier Giorgio spent the Solemnity of St. Joseph - March 19th - in the last year of his life.  Coincidentally, in Italy, this day is now also the traditional Father's Day.  I don't know how much emphasis, if any, was placed on Father's Day during Pier Giorgio's lifetime but it was a major religious feast and, therefore, a public holiday.

Pier Giorgio's friends planned to celebrate the holiday with what else but a trip to the mountains.  He was conflicted about going.  Anyone who was named for St. Joseph would have been celebrating their feast day that day and that included Pier Giorgio's grandmother Josephine.  As much as he wanted to go on the mountain trip, he really wanted to celebrate with his grandmother.  This is a simple illustration of how he was a just man - he wanted to give his grandmother the respect she was due on her special feast day.

It was his father who ended up making the decision and insisting that Pier Giorgio go on the mountain trip.  There was a priest who was also going and Mr. Frassati felt Pier Giorgio should be along.  (That gives us a glimpse into the respect Mr. Frassati had for the Church even though he wasn't a practicing Catholic.)

The priest who went on the excursion witnessed that Pier Giorgio was determined to observe the fasting rules so that he could receive Holy Communion later.  According to Monsignor Piatrelli, even when a friend offered him a snack, he wouldn't accept it.  Pier Giorgio was already used to making sacrifices during Lent and would routinely go without food or water until after noon. His self-control was rewarded.  He was able to attend Mass on the feast of St. Joseph and offer it for his grandmother Josephine and he also got to enjoy a trip to the mountains with his friends!  All in all, a pretty wonderful celebration.

Unfortunately, there will be few dioceses in the United States that will have public Masses on the feast of St. Joseph this week.  During the current worldwide crisis, there couldn't be a more critical time to invoke the Patron of the Universal Church and ask for his intercession.  Please take a few minutes now to pray the Litany of St. Joseph that we may all soon be able to receive the Eucharist again and that churches everywhere will be filled with Just men.

Saint Joseph and Blessed Frassati, pray for us!


Verso l'alto!  ///cmw