The Snoozing Saint by Lynsha Lobo Back

The Snoozing Saint

“Even when St. Joseph is asleep, he is taking care of the Church!”- Pope Francis

In a world that is fast-paced, responsibilities and worries often keep us awake at night. Sleep is that luxury that many among us are deprived off due to the impending burden of demanding work schedules. Further, stress and anxiety wake us at odd hours leaving very little room for adequate sleep. I would often envy my friends who could fall asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow. Probably the only time I got some sound sleep was during family vacations. 

During one such vacation, I drove with my family to the famous St. Anthony’s Basilica at Dornahalli, Mysore. Although this was not my first visit, it was for the first time that I set my eyes on a statue of a saint that seemed very different from the ones that I had seen earlier. In fact, most icons and statues of saints are those that are standing still or gazing serenely into the distance, hands folded or holding something of significance. The one that I had seen at Dornahalli was a statue of St. Joseph, lying on his side, fast asleep. The pedestal of the statue read, “Sleeping St. Joseph.” 

I became curious and spent the whole evening searching for information on the significance of ‘Sleeping St. Joseph.’ While the origins of this statue is somewhat obscure, it is believed to have its roots in the Franciscan tradition in the 17th century. However, it is said that Pope Francis popularized this image of Sleeping St. Joseph at various occasions. During his visit to the Philippines in 2015, he states, “I like St. Joseph very much. He’s a strong man of silence. On my desk, I have an image of St. Joseph sleeping. Even when he is asleep, he looks after the Church. Yes! We know that he can do that.” He adds, “So when I have a problem, a difficulty, I write a little note, and I put it underneath St. Joseph, so that he can dream about it! In other words, I tell him: Pray for this problem!”

Pope Francis has been linked to St. Joseph right from 1953 when his seventeen-year-old younger self received the call to priesthood. He belonged to St. Joseph’s parish in Argentina. In fact, he is said to have assumed his office as Pope on March 19, the feast day of St. Joseph, where Pope Francis brought a statue of Sleeping St. Joseph to Vatican. In addition to this, Pope Francis, in the midst of Covid-19 Pandemic had declared the year 2020 as the year of St. Joseph. All this information made me realize how little I knew about St.Joseph. I thought of him only as Jesus’ father, a carpenter. Beyond this I had probably not given any thought to his significant role in the Catholic Church.

I turned the pages of the Bible and noted how God spoke to St.Joseph while he was asleep and each time St. Joseph awoke and acted on God’s words. Initially, an angel appears to St. Joseph in his dream and asks him to proceed with his intention to marry Mary despite her pregnancy. Following Jesus’ birth, St. Joseph is warned in his dream to leave Egypt with his family, due to the slaughter of innocents, as Herod had ordered to kill Jesus. While St. Joseph receives solutions to his worries in his sleep, he rises up from his slumber and acts on the Word of God.

The statue of the Sleeping St.Joseph sends a strong message to all of us, that, God speaks to us in moments of silence and when we trust him completely. While it seems impossible to fall asleep with mounting worries, a simple prayer to Sleeping St. Joseph to intercede for us, brings peace to our minds. Just as St. Joseph watched over and safeguarded the Holy Family while they were asleep, we too can turn to him for guidance and assistance. The image of the sleeping saint serves as a reminder of St. Joseph's unwavering faith and obedience to God's will, even in the midst of uncertainty and adversity.

Moreover, the statue of Sleeping St. Joseph carries a special message of surrender. St. Joseph, depicted in a state of rest, exemplifies how one can surrender one’s worries to God. When anxieties and worries mount over our shoulders, this image offers solace and encouragement to those who turn to St. Joseph in prayer.

The statue of Sleeping St. Joseph is now on my altar. When things go out of hand, as they sometimes will, I write down my worries and place them under the statue. Truly, I receive my consolation in the form of answered prayers, miraculous interventions and sometimes through strength to accept things that cannot be changed.   

Article by Lynsha Lobo