When Liz Kelly was about 10, her mother gave her a prayer to St. Joseph the Worker, used for “good employment.”
“I must have prayed that prayer for 30 years,” she said. “I took it into every job I had. I remember when I was singing (as a career), it was in my gig book I relied on.”
She said she has not prayed it for the last 10 years because she has had “such good work.” St. Joseph so abundantly answered the prayer, she said. Kelly loved “the language of it” — about Joseph as model and guide, “and that we (workers) want to be able to provide with dignity for those who depend on us.”
Liz Kelly
Kelly is an author, Catholic speaker and retreat leader, and a columnist for The Catholic Spirit. And she is the next presenter, Sept. 7, in the Cuppa Joe series of 10 talks by 10 theologians on the 10 wonders of St. Joseph, taking place at 10 locations in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis that are entrusted to the patronage of our spiritual father.
Kelly recently joined “Practicing Catholic” host Patrick Conley to preview her remarks. Her topic pertains to St. Joseph as “adorer of Christ,” a topic she felt drawn to even if not immediately understanding it.
“But adoration was such an important part of my own reentry into the Catholic Church,” she said. Once she figured that out, “or once that idea of Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament began to unfold in my imagination,” the topic was irresistible, she said.
An aspect of adoration is very hidden, she said. “We don’t see Christ in the host in a real way, but we believe that he is present there. And it just struck me that Joseph must have had a similar experience. That is, there must have been an unfolding in him of understanding whose presence he was in. The might and the glory of this incredible mystery of being the one to feed Jesus, who would go on to feed the world, literally with his body and blood.
“So that connection of feeding Jesus, who would feed us all, I just thought was really something just delightful to plumb in prayer,” she said.
When asked how St. Joseph can help the faithful adore Christ, Kelly said it comes back to a willingness to live and enter into the hidden mystery of Christ. Even much of St. Joseph’s life is a mystery, she said. “We don’t hear him. We don’t see him a lot. We don’t know a great deal about him.”
St. Joseph protected the years of Christ’s life when he was growing and preparing for public ministry, she said. “That can teach us what kind of posture we want to bring in to adoration. That is, we’re entering into this very vulnerable space where God can protect and help us, nurture us, keep us hidden with him, help us to be preparing for our public ministry …. But I hope that people will come away with a stronger sense that to hide oneself away with Jesus in adoration is a great sign of reverence for oneself and for him.”
To hear the full interview with Kelly, including her experience living in Alaska, where she spent time attending an evangelical church and praying at a monastery of cloistered nuns whose sisters pray 24 hours a day, rotating in and out of adoration in the presence of a “huge host encased in jade,” listen to this episode of the “Practicing Catholic” radio show. It airs at 9 p.m. Aug. 27, 1 p.m. Aug. 28 and 2 p.m. Aug. 29 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
To learn more about the Cuppa Joe series of talks related to St. Joseph and listen to them, visit archspm.org/cuppajoe. A new talk is available the first Tuesday of each month at 4 p.m. through December. The virtual talks are posted on the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Facebook and Instagram pages, and YouTube channel, and linked from the website. It also includes a link to sign up to receive monthly videos and Synod updates.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes interviews with Bishop Andrew Cozzens, who gives tips to parents in serving as primary educators of their children when it comes to faith, and FOCUS missionary Megan Roder, who describes how she helps give college students a chance to encounter Christ and respond in faith.
Listen to all of the interviews after they have aired at:
soundcloud.com/PracticingCatholic
tinyurl.com/PracticingCatholic (Spotify)
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