“The purpose of this little book,” Fr. Gilsdore says in Chapter 1 of Go to Joseph, “is to concentrate on St. Joseph, the ‘just man,’ as St. Matthew calls him.”

Though it only took me a few days to read this small treasure of a book, I am still pondering it, and will still have it on my heart and in my reflections for months to come.  This is a book I’ll be coming back to again and again.

By examining Joseph through various lenses — the man by the manger, for example — Fr. Gilsdore stretched my appreciation for this integral influence of the Holy Family.

Reading and reflecting on Joseph gave me a new regard for my own strong and silent husband.  Joseph isn’t recorded as saying anything in Scripture, but he must have spoken.  I’m reminded that what I do says so much more, with far greater impact, than the words I use.

Using the title, “Go to Joseph,” as an encouragement is my favorite part of this wonderful book.  In the last few years, I have found myself going to Joseph with an increasingly regular frequency.

How can I not?  Without fail, going to Joseph takes me to my Mother and her Son, those who were safe in Joseph’s tender care on earth. He will do no less than care for me too.

This book came to me thanks to the Catholic Company‘s Book Reviewer Program.  If you are interested in it, let me also recommend Saint Joseph: His Life and His Role in the Church, an excellent examination of him by Louise Bourassa Perrotta (out of print but available used from various places).