The Death of Saint Joseph

I was doing some filing earlier today and ran across this image. It's a paper print, mounted on brown construction paper with a cardboard backing and faded even browner with age. It hung in my grandmother's bedroom for as long as I can remember. That's going on 50 years, and I'm sure it was there long before that.

Those were simpler days, faithwise, one that one could have a devotion to a saint -- kind of a spiritual quid pro quo, but in a nice way: I pray to you, you do me favors -- that even grown-up people didn't feel silly doing. Nowadays, our heads are too full of science, books, movies, politics and TV to be able to pull off such a devotion without causing our selves a major migraine. Anyway, I thought I'd share this with you all -- a prayer for those of us on the brink of death, who have experienced a death recently, who are care for the dying or who still mourn a death. May the blessing of Jesus on his own father give you comfort and healing and bring our suffering ones to holiness. Amen.