Book Study: The Divine Favors Granted to St. Joseph

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So it is well established so far the superiority of the graces in St. Joseph's possession. And yet how well hidden they are. . .

I truly love to think about how happy it was that St. Joseph was to behold Our Savior.. The whole world groaned, awaiting its Savior.. how many centuries.. millennia..

We must not take Our Lord for granted. . . It reminds me of Fr. Furniss's writings and how we take our bodies for granted.. until we lose something.. we often do not appreciate it.. It reminds me of the fifth Joyful mystery.

No man shall see God and live..

Those are words that one could think on endlessly.

St. Joseph, it is true, was not caught up to heaven; but heaven descended into his house.

What a thought..

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 My God! how unlimited is the confidence placed by the three Divine Persons in this holy man!

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Since, then, it has pleased the Most High, in His goodness, so marvellously to exalt this most blessed of Patriarchs, what honour should not be paid to him by heaven and earth, what love should not inflame our hearts for him! Should not our indifference and insensibility cover us with confusion? Great Saint, we most humbly beseech you in our own name, and that of all men, to pardon us; and, prostrate at your feet, from the bottom of our hearts, we desire to make reparation.

Amen.

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CHAPTER VIII.

THE ADMIRABLE AND INCOMPARABLE VIRTUES OF THIS HOLY PATRIARCH.

 The extraordinary graces with which it pleases God to enrich some of His servants are always infinitely precious; but it is not in our own power to obtain them, and it would be temerity on our part to desire them, since they depend only on the pure liberality of One, Who gives them to whom He pleases, when He pleases, and as He pleases. Hitherto we have considered and admired the magnificence of the Almighty, with regard to St. Joseph, whom He crowned with incommunicable graces, or at least, graces so special, that they were communicated to no other than himself. But in this admirable Saint there are also actions and virtues which may be imitated. The eminent favours, of which we have spoken are glorious for him; the virtues, of which we shall now treat, have more utility for ourselves. The first excite in us the desire to pay him the homage due to him; the second give us the hope that, by imitating him, we may partake, in some small degree, of his glory; which is for us of the greatest importance.


I. ---- His faith.

 The first virtue of St. Joseph is a faith so firm, that no trial, however rude, could shake it. St. John Chrysostom explains this, when he compares the seemingly contradictory words of the Angel at two different times. 'Fear not,' said the celestial messenger to Joseph, 'to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins.' What could be more encouraging than such a promise! And yet, a short time after, the same messenger of God returns, and says to him: 'Take the Child and His Mother, and fly into Egypt; and be there until I shall tell thee; for it will come to pass that Herod will seek the Child to destroy Him.' 'Divine Archangel,' might Joseph have replied, 'your words contradict each other; how shall He save others, Who is incapable of saving Himself?' But no, he answered nothing, but rather chose to believe that the word of God would be accomplished in its proper time, and meanwhile executed without delay the order he had received. How admirable was his faith when he believed, without a doubt, that his spouse was at once Virgin and Mother; when he believed, unhesitatingly, that the little Child, Whom he saw weeping and trembling on the straw, in a stable exposed to every wind, was indeed the God of heaven and earth!


II. ---- His purity.

 The purity of Joseph was quite angelical; or, according to St. Bernard, more than angelical, inasmuch as this virtue is more meritorious in men than in Angels. The holy virtue of virginity was so tenderly beloved by him, that had it been necessary to lose it, in becoming the spouse of the Virgin Mary, he would probably have chosen the virtue of the Angels, rather than the Queen of Angels; while she also would have preferred to be a virgin without Divine maternity, rather than Mother of God without virginity. Gerson has a very high idea of the excellence of St. Joseph's purity. He believes that he was sanctified in his mother's womb, and delivered from the source of concupiscence which singes and devastates human nature. (1) To me this opinion seems most probable. For if Jeremias was purified before his birth, who was only to be the prophet announcing the holy Word of God, how much more pressing were the reasons for granting the same favour to the spouse of Mary, the reputed father of the Messias, a man in constant communication with the Angels who came to confer with him about the order of the Incarnation, who, in a word, was one of the two flowers, the two lilies, between which the Word made flesh should take His delight!


III. ---- His fidelity.

 The first quality required in one to whom treasures are entrusted is fidelity. Now, to Joseph the Almighty confided three precious deposits: the Mother of God, the Son of God, and the secret of God. St. Bernard admirably expresses it in these words: 'St. Joseph was chosen among all men, to be the protector and guardian of the Virgin Mother of God; the defender and foster-father of the Infant God, and the only cooperator upon earth, the one confidant of the secret of God in the work of the redemption of mankind.' What perfect fidelity was necessary to preserve with suitable care those three ineffable treasures!


IV. ---- His humility.

 Origen, St. Bernard, and several other Fathers, (2) are overcome in contemplating the humility of this holy Patriarch. They believe that when he proposed to separate himself from Our Lady, it was because he considered himself unworthy to dwell under the same roof with the Mother of God and Queen of Angels. 'Depart from me,' said St. Peter to Jesus Christ, 'for I am a sinful man'; in the same way Joseph, penetrated by a sense of his lowliness, said to himself: 'How unworthy I am to converse with this chosen Virgin, whom the Holy Spirit has filled with grace, and adorned with so many virtues!' Afterwards, when he saw the Infant God submit Himself in all things to his direction and orders, he felt that he could not descend low enough into the abyss of humility, and said to himself the word written later by St. Bernard: 'How shall a man not be humble in the presence of a humble God?'


V. ---- His conformity to the Will of God.

 Our Lady revealed to St. Bridget, that her chaste spouse had constantly in his mouth these words: 'Heaven grant that I may live so as to accomplish the Will of my God!' (3) In the midst of his daily labours, this sweet aspiration, this simple expression of entire conformity to the Divine Will, often escaped from his mouth and heart. He gave striking examples of this virtue, as well at the time of the sudden flight into Egypt, as in many other very painful circumstances. Then he adored the judgments of God in profound silence, submitting his will without any reserve to the orders of Divine Majesty. When he sought in vain among the inns of Bethlehem, for a place wherein to shelter his spouse and the Child she was about to bring into the world, not one complaint issued from his lips, and he felt quite content in the poor stable.


VI. ---- His obedience.

 This virtue, the mother and guardian of all other virtues, has much in common with the preceding one. It was carried to such perfection by our glorious saint, that St. John Chrysostom cannot sufficiently admire him for it. Never did he expostulate, when receiving a command from God; never did he excuse himself; never did he delay for one moment the execution. He is ordered to espouse the Virgin Mary; at once he agrees. Afterwards he is inspired to make the vow of chastity, which in that age was a thing unheard of, almost held as a disgrace; he obeys at once. He perceives that this Virgin more pure than the sun, is about to become a mother; a thousand thoughts pass through his mind: but when the Angel orders him not to quit her, he submits at once without uttering a word. After the departure of the three kings , he is told to fly to a distant country where he knows no one, where the demon is adored, where he will perhaps have to remain for years. How many objections would have presented themselves to the mind of Joseph, or he rejected them all; for the truly obedient man has hands for the work, and feet for motion: but he has no tongue wherewith to oppose the decrees of God and of obedience.


VII. ---- His patience.

 His patience was admirable, and yet easy to imitate, for it consisted in bearing with resignation, and in silence, the trials which each day brought upon him. He was wont to consider all the events of life as the expression of the Divine Will, and therefore he adored from the bottom of his heart the eternal dispositions of Providence. He was ever willing to suffer without any sensible consolation, and esteemed himself happy in thus suffering. Consider how the Holy Family was banished into Egypt, reduced to poverty, persecuted and abandoned by the whole world. How great were the anxieties of Joseph for the safety of the Child and of the Mother! How great his labour for their support, while Heaven appeared to allow men to work their will, or even seemed to favour the enemies of Jesus! Amidst all these trials, Joseph suffered with invincible courage, and without uttering a word; or, if he did say anything, it was: 'My God, may I always live so as to accomplish Thy Will! ‘


VIII. ---- His charity.

 His charity was most ardent, and his heart was burning with love for the amiable Divine Child, Whom he recognised to be the Son of the Eternal Father and of his most chaste spouse, the Desired of all nations, and the Saviour of the human race. When on the day of the presentation in the Temple, he had to redeem his firstborn, how gladly would he have given, instead of the two doves, his heart, his life, heaven and earth a thousand times over! How tender was his most pure love for that incomparable Virgin to whom he had been given as a spouse! He knew that she was the well-beloved daughter of the Eternal Father, the well-beloved Mother of the Son of God, the well-beloved spouse of the Holy Ghost. He knew that this holiest and greatest of women respected him as her lord and master, loved him as the guardian of her virginal purity, and as, after God, the support of her own life and that of her Divine Son. You may imagine what ardent charity was burning in St. Joseph's soul. The God of his fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, had chosen his humble dwelling wherein to work the most astonishing of all miracles; He had confided to him, as to a good and faithful servant, His most intimate secrets! How could his heart escape being consumed, while constantly witnessing these marks of God's charity towards him, and ever abiding in the society of those two great teachers of divine love, Jesus and Mary!


IX. ---- His modesty and love of silence.

 Most edifying and delightful is the modesty and silence of the holy Patriarch Joseph. A man so great, the lord and spouse of the Queen of the universe, the supposed father of the Messias, and yet so retiring that he never appears unless strictly obliged to do so; that he never utters a word unless it be for the service or defence of Jesus and Mary; that in his heart he esteems himself the lowest of men, a worm of the earth----is not this most strange and, to a carnal mind, altogether incomprehensible? At the birth of the Infant God the shepherds hasten in crowds to adore Him in the crib. Afterwards, the kings arrive from the East to prostrate themselves at His feet, and offer Him presents. On different occasions the Angels appear to Mary and to Joseph, conversing familiarly with them. On the day of purification Simeon and Anna say marvellous things of the Divine Child, and, in their praises, forget neither the Virgin Mother nor the blessed man who is regarded as the father of Jesus. Do you believe that the honours attached to such rare priviliges excite in his heart the least sentiment of self-complacency? Observe but his conduct. If anything must be said, he lets his dearest consort speak, leaving all the honour to her, withdrawing himself from the attention of men. He speaks with Jesus and with Mary, but that only rarely, and in the retirement of their household; beyond that, he has no other eloquence but that of silence and modesty.

 Consider the manner in which he governed the Holy Family. Assuredly, there never was a man at the head of such an empire, since he had for his subjects the King of kings, and the Queen of heaven and earth. But how could he, who was so modest, command Jesus and Mary; he who esteemed himself unworthy to be under their feet, or to look them in the face? He commanded by requesting; he governed by beseeching, or rather, he himself did all, for I am convinced that he much preferred doing to commanding. But, on the other side, we may also suppose that Jesus and Mary, the Master and the Mistress of humility, use gentle violence to overcome the modesty of Joseph, and constrain him to submit to the order of God the Father, Who had established him as His representative upon earth. O empire, like to none other! All three are superiors, all three are inferiors, all three masters, all three subjects. No one wishes to command, each one perfectly fulfills what he has got to do, while the most entire subordination is observed, and the most admirable obedience is practised.


X. ---- His devotion.

 The devotion of St. Joseph was perfect in every point, since he possessed all its characteristics in an eminent degree. The masters of spiritual life esteem highly devotion to the presence of God, and they regard it, with reason, as one of the most efficacious means of attaining to perfection; according to the words of God to His servant Abraham: 'Walk before Me, and be perfect.' (4) But who ever practised this holy exercise better than St. Joseph, who had the Lord Jesus and His holy Mother constantly before his eyes? To others God is only present by faith; to Joseph He was present both corporeally and spiritually, without interruption, and without distraction of any kind.

 When St. Peter saw his Divine Master in the splendour of His glory on Mount Thabor he cried: 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles: one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias,' and let us never leave this happy abode. Now, the entire life of St. Joseph was like a day of transfiguration, without any evening. Every day he contemplated the divine Face of the Infant Jesus; he beheld the white cloud ---- I mean his holy spouse, in which the Sun of Justice had concealed Himself during nine months; He lived under the same roof with them. O how good it was for him to abide in that house more delightful than the terrestrial paradise, more holy than the Holy of Holies!

 Let us pass to some other comparison. The holy Church, our Mother, desiring from time to time to rekindle the devotion of her children by her pious solemnities, has established the forty hours exposition of the Blessed Sacrament. But was not the whole life of Joseph a continuation of these forty hours, an uninterrupted vision of Jesus Christ, a perpetual jubilee, a continual transport, a daily colloquy with God? and mark here the special character of Joseph's devotion. He saw in Jesus Christ at once God and man, a father and a son; he addressed Him at the same time with the respect of a son, and the authority of a father. We understand well the kind of devotion which begs and implores, for it is the devotion of all the Saints; but the devotion which supplicates in commanding is known alone to St. Joseph and his most holy spouse; it belongs to them exclusively and to no other. Yes, even in addressing his prayer to the Incarnate Word, Joseph uses the paternal authority given him by God, and the Son of God Himself desires that it should be so; He chooses to obey him as a son, and to do all that he commands.

 We will conclude this subject with pointing out some particular features in the devotion of the glorious St. Joseph.

Firstly. His contemplation was at once very sublime and very profound. Who can imagine what fervour, both sweet and burning, martyrized his soul; what unutterable joys the presence of those two Divine objects, Jesus and Mary, often produced in him? From them he learned the secrets of that sublime devotion which transforms the life of man into intimate intercourse with God.

Secondly. That state of the soul which is called ecstasy was habitual with him. For, having at his disposal the two sources of devotion ---- I mean the Saviour and His most sweet Mother ---- he felt 'inebriated with the plenty of God's house, and was made to drink of the torrent of His pleasure.' (5)

Thirdly. Often there escaped from his breast sighs, intermingled with tender and heart-felt words, or ejaculatory prayers which he launched, with force, like fiery darts into the Heart of God, knowing well that ' the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent bear it away.' (6)

Fourthly. It was easy for him to raise his soul to God. Indeed, what others have got to seek in heaven, he had in his own house, and close at hand. But when he raised his eyes from the vision of the humanity of the Word Incarnate up to its Divinity, O God, how must his heart have melted within him, and what transports must he have experienced! I am inclined to believe that the habitual sight of Jesus and Mary would have made his life one continual ecstasy, had not the effect, which these two Divine objects would naturally have produced on him, been moderated by a miraculous power.

Fifthly. The light which filled his mind, and the knowledge communicated to him by God of the most profound mysteries, are things which it is easy to believe but very difficult to understand. The royal prophet says: 'With Thee is the fountain of life, and in Thy light we shall see light.' (7) What an abundance of knowledge did this holy Patriarch draw from the heart of the Word Uncreated and Incarnate, and into what depths was his soul plunged!

Sixthly. To come into contact with God fills the soul with happiness; but who ever experienced this as Joseph did? He conversed daily with Jesus and Mary, and his whole life was a continual intercourse with God. While St. Antony, kneeling beside St. Paul, the first hermit, mingled his prayers with his, his heart was as if on fire. Imagine, then, how the heart of Joseph was inflamed when he prayed, when he meditated, when he offered himself entirely to God the Father, in company with the Divine Infant Jesus, and with the Virgin his spouse.

Seventhly. Who can describe the divine communications, the visits of God into a heart of such perfect dispositions? When the eyes of Jesus met those of Joseph, what an impression must have been made on his soul, and what an abundance of heavenly graces must have flowed into the breast of this man, who was indeed more favoured than the Seraphim!

Eighthly. His soul was an abode of peace, happiness, and heavenly delights. St. Francis Xavier and St. Ephrem, when receiving divine consolations, cried out that they could bear no more and live: what must St. Joseph have felt when he saw himself the object of the love and tenderness of Jesus, of Mary, and of the Angels of heaven! 'It is enough,' he repeated gently, 'it is enough!'

Ninthly. The highest summit of spiritual life is the close union of an extremely pure soul with God, Who is the essence of purity. Could Jesus have found on earth a soul more innocent than that of His foster-father, a soul which He loved with more tender affection, and of which He could say with more truth: 'I love them that love Me..... and My delights are to be with the children of men'? (8) Certainly not. No one, except the blessed Mother of God, has ever equalled in devotion that holy Patriarch St. Joseph.


XI. ---- All his other virtues.

 That the soul of St. Joseph was adorned with all virtues is a truth that we would loudly proclaim, even had it not been expressly affirmed by St. Bernardin of Siena.

'I believe,' says that great light of the Seraphic Order, 'that the spouse of Mary, and foster-father of Jesus, was endowed with virginity most pure, humility most profound, charity most ardent, contemplation most sublime, and most ardent zeal for the salvation of men, after the example of the most holy Virgin, to whom the Holy Spirit would not have given him as spouse, had he not been her faithful likeness.' (9) What renders St. Joseph still more dear to me, is that, as Gerson relates, the face of Jesus and his face resembled each other perfectly; for grace, which often is pleased to imitate nature, had given the Infant Jesus features which made Him appear the real son of Joseph. (10) But oh! my God, how much closer was the resemblance between his heart and the Heart of Jesus, since in the one as in the other was to be found the union of all virtues! Only in heaven, great Saint, shall we see your merits in all their splendour; for as long as you were on earth, your extreme humility kept all your treasures hidden in your heart.


XII. ---- The uninterrupted growth of all virtues.

 All though we know but very imperfectly the ineffable virtues of Joseph, we can be very sure that, as a good and faithful servant, he was careful to make fruitful the talent confided to him by the Lord. 'The path of the just,' says the Wise Man, 'as a shining light goeth forwards and increaseth even to perfect day.' (11) Even the name of Joseph expresses this continual progress, since it signifies 'augmentation, increase.'

 One must have got but a poor idea of the greatness of our Saint, were he to discourse at greater length upon such an incontestable truth? Indeed, if it be true, as Gerson believes, that St. Joseph was sanctified in the womb of his mother; if it be true that the fire of concupiscence, which inclines the heart of man to evil, was extinguished or repressed in this priviliged man; if it be true that from his birth he was endowed with the most special graces of Heaven; how could he fail to advance daily in the path of perfection? (12) Add the impression which the sweet and powerful examples of Jesus and of Mary must have made on his soul. The Child, as St. Luke tells us, advanced daily in wisdom and age, and grace with God and men. As for the most holy Virgin, the Saints tell us that such was the impression her presence produced, that people could not look at her without becoming more virtuous. (13) How then could Joseph, unceasingly dwelling in the presence of Jesus and Mary, have been one single moment without growing in sanctity?

 It was for the great Gerson a subject of regret, and almost of temptation, that he had not been able to hear the ordinary conversations of St. Joseph with Our Lady, or with the Child Jesus, or with both together. (14) He does not doubt that St. Joseph inquired from the Blessed Virgin the true meaning of the 'Magnificat,' of the 'Benedictus,' of Zacharias, and of the 'Nunc dimittis' of Simeon; that he asked her about all that the Angel had said to her of the Child, and about all those other things which she kept so carefully in her heart. Also his holy spouse, being filled with the light of the Holy Spirit, discovered to him the most sublime mysteries, and all the secrets of the Incarnation. If Elizabeth was filled with prophetic spirit at the first word she heard from the mouth of Mary; if it caused St. John the Baptist to leap in the womb of his mother; if the holy old man Simeon desired to die after having seen Him Who was the salvation of Jacob, and the light of the Gentiles; if Anne the prophetess was so transported as to speak of the Infant God to all who looked for the redemption of Israel; what must have been the condition of St. Joseph's heart, who, during so many years, spoke every day so familiarly with his dear spouse, and her Son Jesus Christ, and who listened to the replies they so willingly gave to all his questions! No one can imagine how sublime was his knowledge of all the mysteries of faith, and the ineffable greatness of God; for he learned all, either from the Archangels who often spoke to him, or from Our Lady who conferred with him every day, or from Jesus Who was his chief teacher.

 Gerson is carried even farther by his devotion to St. Joseph. 'Ah!' he exclaims, 'why can I not hear the voice of Our Lady, when, to rejoice her Divine Son, she sang to Him the songs of Sion, and the hymns of Paradise? (15) Must not St. Joseph whenever he listened to this, more than seraphic, voice, have been moved even to tears? We know only one canticle of the Blessed Virgin, the 'Magnificat;' but how often may the Holy Spirit have inspired her with others as beautiful, even more beautiful, since they were composed for the Incarnate Word! St. Francis of Assisi once heard an Angel sing, and he thought he must have died of joy; how is it that Joseph did not die each time that he heard Queen of Angels either sing, or discourse with her Blessed Son, and that he listened to the divine replies of this Oracle of heaven and of earth?

 From songs, Gerson passes to tears. He supposes, according to the general opinion, that St. Joseph died before the time of the Passion, for otherwise the Saviour would not on the Cross have recommended His Mother to St. John. He then continues: 'It is my belief that when St. Joseph was dying, he was assisted by Jesus and Mary, and that, since virtue makes natural affection more perfect, Jesus wept for His foster-father and served him in his last illness, consoling and strengthening him for the final passage. I believe that his holy spouse mingled her tears with those of her Son, weeping with tenderness for her well-beloved spouse, and thanking him affectionately for all the services he had rendered her.' (16) And why should not Jesus have shed tears at the death of Joseph His father, as he afterwards shed them at the death of Lazarus His friend? But who can describe to us the feelings of the holy Patriarch, when he saw himself the object of such tears? Who can make us understand the divine consolations with which Jesus inundated his soul, and the words of sweetness addressed to him by the most holy Mother of God, his spouse? Never did man repeat with more truth those touching words:

'Lord, into Thy hands I commend my spirit,' since with humble confidence he committed his into the hands of the Son of God Himself, Who had chosen him to be His guardian and His father. Could there be a death more holy, or in more holy company?


<sub>1. Gerson, Serm. de Nativ. gloriosa V. M. et de commendatione virginei ejus Sponsi Joseph. Considerat. ii. et iii.
2. Origen., Homil. I., in diversos Evangelistas.----Bernard., Homil. ll., Super Missus est.
3. ' Totum desiderium suum fuit obedire voluntati Dei.....Continue dicebat: Utinam vivam, et videam adimpletam voluntatem Dei ' ( S. Brigitt., Revelat., lib. 6, c. lix.).
4. ' Ego Deus omnipotens; ambula coram me, et esto perfectus ' ( Gen. xvii. 1).
5. Psa. xxxv. 9.
6. Matt. xi. 12.
7, ' Quoniam apud te est fons vitae; et in lumine tuo videbimus lumen ' ( Psa. xxxv. 10 )
8. ' Ego diligentes me diligo......et delicieae meae esse cum filiis hominum ' ( Prov. viii. 17, 31).
9. ' Credo istum virum sanctum Joseph, fuisse mundissimum in virginitate, profundissimum in humilitate, ardentissimum in Dei amore et charitate, altissimum in contemplatione, sollicitissimum pro hominum salute, ad similitudinem illius Virginis sponsae suae ' ( Serm. de S. Joseph, art. 2, c.i.).
10. ' Facies Jesu erat similis faciei Joseph; similem autem non caro, sed gratia fecit, gratia enim saepe naturae consona vult fieri.'
11. ' Justorum autem semita quasi lux splendens procedit, et crescit usque ad perfectam diem' ( Prov. iv. 18).
12. ' Maria sicut fuerat in utero sanctificata priusquam nasceretur, ita de Joseph, virginali viro suo, pia creduliatate credi potest quamvis non omnino similiter' ( Serm. de Nativ. B.V., Considerat. ii.).
' Maria sicut habuit repressionem fomitis originalis, ne in vitiosam excandesceret concupiscentiam; ita de Joseph, sponso suo intelligi pie potest, praesertim dum matrimonialiter eidem conjunctus est' ( Considerat. iii.).
13. ' Eam ( concupiscentiam ) potius extinguebat ille divinus aspectus, quasi frigidus quidam ex oculis ros virgineus spiraret vel efflueret a mente sua castissima ' ( Gerson, Serm. citato ).
14. ' Quis det interfuisse collocutionibus hujusmodi? ' ( Serm. citato).
15. ' Quis det hymnum de canticis Sion ex Maria suaviter audivisse in terra aliena?' ( Serm. cit., Considerat. iii.).
16. ' Christus adest cum matre pia,' etc. ( Gerson, Josephina, Distinct. xii.)</sub>

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He believes that he was sanctified in his mother's womb, and delivered from the source of concupiscence which singes and devastates human nature. (1) To me this opinion seems most probable. For if Jeremias was purified before his birth, who was only to be the prophet announcing the holy Word of God, how much more pressing were the reasons for granting the same favour to the spouse of Mary, the reputed father of the Messias, a man in constant communication with the Angels who came to confer with him about the order of the Incarnation, who, in a word, was one of the two flowers, the two lilies, between which the Word made flesh should take His delight!

This also reminds me of St. John the Baptist, another extraordinary case.

Origen, St. Bernard, and several other Fathers, (2) are overcome in contemplating the humility of this holy Patriarch. They believe that when he proposed to separate himself from Our Lady, it was because he considered himself unworthy to dwell under the same roof with the Mother of God and Queen of Angels. 'Depart from me,' said St. Peter to Jesus Christ, 'for I am a sinful man'; in the same way Joseph, penetrated by a sense of his lowliness, said to himself: 'How unworthy I am to converse with this chosen Virgin, whom the Holy Spirit has filled with grace, and adorned with so many virtues!'

This is a very insightful look into the scriptures there.. for St. Joseph knew the prophecies too, that a virgin would conceive the Messiah.

Most edifying and delightful is the modesty and silence of the holy Patriarch Joseph. A man so great, the lord and spouse of the Queen of the universe, the supposed father of the Messias, and yet so retiring that he never appears unless strictly obliged to do so; that he never utters a word unless it be for the service or defence of Jesus and Mary; that in his heart he esteems himself the lowest of men, a worm of the earth----is not this most strange and, to a carnal mind, altogether incomprehensible?

St. Joseph.. a model of the Carthusian life.. ?

Some beautiful statements about silence and modesty follow. . .

In the life of St. Joseph we can see a model for our own piety.. Firstly, secondly, thirdly.. as Pere Binet writes.. we can attempt to follow with our hearts.

Gerson is carried even farther by his devotion to St. Joseph. 'Ah!' he exclaims, 'why can I not hear the voice of Our Lady, when, to rejoice her Divine Son, she sang to Him the songs of Sion, and the hymns of Paradise? (15) Must not St. Joseph whenever he listened to this, more than seraphic, voice, have been moved even to tears? We know only one canticle of the Blessed Virgin, the 'Magnificat;' but how often may the Holy Spirit have inspired her with others as beautiful, even more beautiful, since they were composed for the Incarnate Word! St. Francis of Assisi once heard an Angel sing, and he thought he must have died of joy; how is it that Joseph did not die each time that he heard Queen of Angels either sing, or discourse with her Blessed Son, and that he listened to the divine replies of this Oracle of heaven and of earth?

Can there be any holier and more pure music imagined in Heaven or on Earth?

It is no wonder St. Joseph is the patron saint of a happy death.

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CHAPTER IX.

IS IT POSSIBLE TO PRAISE OUR LADY AND ST. JOSEPH IN A MANNER WORTHY OF THEM? CONTEST BETWEEN THE ABBOT TRITHEMIUS ON THE ONE SIDE, AND ST. BERNARD AND OTHER SAINTS ON THE OTHER.

 The celebrated and venerable Abbot Trithemius (1) of the order of St. Benedict, one of the ornaments of his age, and of the lights of Germany, was an ardent lover of Our Lady. The proof whereof you may find in his books in which he extols the Mother of God in the very highest terms, and places her on the most elevated pinnacle. Nay, he even seems to defy all others to say anything better in her praise. But here, as it were, St. Bernard takes up the challenge. Let the reader be judge which of the two is more eloquent in her praise. But, at the same time let him remember that, to whichever side the balance inclines, the cause of Mary must always gain, and that, whatever is said in her praise, must also turn to the glory of her spouse.

 1. Trithemius begins by borrowing the words of a French poet, (2) and says:

'Could you transform into tongues all the grains of sea sand, all the floods of the ocean, the drops of rain, the flakes of snow, the flowers of the fields, the leaves of the forest, and the stars of the firmament, could you employ the tongues of all the animals that are upon the earth, and of all the birds which fly in the air, you would still be unable to celebrate the Mother of God, in a manner worthy of her.' Is it possible to say more?

 'Yes,' replies St. Bernard, ' one must add: If all the Angels wished to explain to us the marvels operated by God in Mary, in spite of all their knowledge and of all the love which animates them for their Queen, they never would succeed, for none other than the Author of this divine masterpiece is capable of praising it according to its deserts.'

 Let us make an application of this to St. Joseph. Our Lady revealed to St. Bridget that all that has been said in her praise may be generally and proportionately applied to her spouse. She is the handmaid of the Lord; Joseph is His good and faithful servant, and so with the rest. 'It would be a small thing for Mary,' says St. Augustine, ' to have been Mother of God according to the flesh, had she not first been so according to the spirit, by her faith, her obedience, and her love.' But was not St. Joseph father of Jesus Christ according to the spirit, by the practice of all virtues? And as this spiritual paternity is very agreeable to God, and St. Joseph possessed it in the most sublime manner, it follows, from the passages quoted above, that no tongue can give us an idea of the excellence of this great Patriarch.

 2. ' The Virgin Mary,' continues Abbot Trithemius, 'whom God preserved from all stain, even of original sin, is the fountain of salvation, the fulness of grace, the reparation of mankind.' Can anything be added to these praises?

 ' Yes,' reply St. Bernard and St. Bonaventure, 'she is not merely a fountain, she is an ocean; she is not merely full of grace, but full of God Himself, and of all the plenitude of the Most Holy Trinity.' As St. Peter Damian says, the plenitude of Divinity has descended into her; and St. Chrysostom adds: 'You speak to us of a brook, of a rivulet of water, while we speak to you of an abyss which has neither bottom nor shore.'

 But who is the master of this fountain, the owner of this ocean? Who has the keys of this abyss, from which he may draw when he will and what he will? Is it not Joseph, the general administrator and representative of the Holy Spirit upon earth? Behold, how whatever is said to the praise of Mary, likewise redounds to the glory of Joseph.

 3. 'I maintain,' continues the learned Abbot, ' that Mary is the pearl of virginity, the ark of eternal salvation, a cloud filled with divine abundance, a treasure of all purity.' Can you, I pray, find more glorious titles than these?

 Still the other Saints go beyond all that and say: ' The most excellent Virgin is not merely an ark, but the paradise of the second Adam; she is not a cloud, but a golden firmament, more vast than the immensity of the universe; she is not merely a treasure for herself, but an inexhaustible source of spiritual riches for all who place themselves under her protection, and implore with filial confidence the help of her holy prayers.'

 Now, St. Joseph is a pearl resembling in all points that other pearl. It is he who has the golden key of that ark; who distributes all the riches and all the treasures it contains; who is the first to participate in all these glories. In a word, as there is nothing which so resembles a diamond as another diamond from the same mine, so there is no other so resembling the Mother of Jesus as that happy man who is called by Jesus His father. Truly, we cannot praise the Mother of Christ, without allowing the same praises to His foster father.

 4. Mary is the house of gold, in which Divinity makes His abode; she is the foundation of all perfection, the mirror of holy simplicity, in which Angels may contemplate and admire the incomparable excellence of their sovereign princess. These are the words of Trithemius.

 'Alas!' reply St. Bernard and St. Peter Damian, ' why be so niggardly in praising the Queen of the universe, the Mother of the Creator and Redeemer of the world? You say she is the golden house of Divinity; say rather that her heart, her soul, her whole being is transformed into pure love of God, and that, since she carried God in her breast, everything in her is, so to speak, deified. She is not merely the mirror of the Angels, but the mirror of God Himself, Who has made her so beautiful that He cannot look on her without exclaiming: "How beautiful are thy steps, O daughter of the Prince! and thy walk, how full of grace!" If what is the least great in this Queen, I mean by her walk and deportment, already transports the heart of the spouse, what must be her face, her heart, her soul, and her entire person, which partakes the charms of all that is beautiful in the world, and indeed surpasses it, as light chases away darkness!'

 But, as God and His Angels take their complacency in Mary, thus Mary turns to Joseph and acknowledges him to be the mirror of virginal purity, and the masterpiece that preceded from the hands of the Most High.

 5. Once more Trithemius returns to praising the Mother of God. 'Mary,' he says, 'is the aurora of eternal happiness, the splendour of divine knowledge, the palace of clemency and of all heavenly sweetness.'

 And yet the other Saints, as it were, consider these to be but poor praises in comparison of what Our Lady deserves. You call her the dawn of day, but why not affirm with St. Bernard, that she is a living ray of Divinity, and more resplendent than the sun? She is not merely the palace, but the mother of clemency and mercy. Who then is the man who, above all the world, praises most eloquently the Queen of Paradise? It is he who ingenuously confesses that nothing he can say can equal the extent of her almost boundless perfections.

 Consider now, that to St. Joseph belongs this spouse, with all that she possesses in the world. God spared nothing in enriching her who was to be His Mother; and when He had overwhelmed her with His favours, He gave her to this fortunate man, who was so little in his own eyes, and so great in the eyes of the Lord.

 6. Trithemius, as it were, makes yet another attempt to carry off the palm in the praises of Mary. He states eight reasons, which we refrain from quoting, to show that a great number of temples should be erected all over the earth, in which all men might be invited to honour in a worthy manner the most holy Mother of God, and her blessed spouse. Though the mouth and heart of one man, or even of many together be incapable of honouring them sufficiently, let all men, without exception, he says, unite in singing their praises.

 'No,' reply the other side, 'this would not be enough. Let the whole universe be but one temple: its vault, the sky; its lights, the stars; its incense, the perfume of the flowers; its music, the songs of birds; its ornaments, all the riches of nature; its ministers, all mankind. All hearts of men and of Angels should be so many temples dedicated to the honour of Jesus, of His sweet Mother, and of the Patriarch St. Joseph. There should be gathered the palms of the martyrs, the laurels of the Apostles, the lilies and roses of the virgins, all the sanctity of Paradise to form one chapel of light, in which to erect three altars, the first for Jesus, the second for Mary, and the third for Joseph.'

 But let us raise our thoughts still higher: let us say that three temples should be prepared for the Virgin Mary: the first, in the Heart of the Eternal Father; the second, in the Heart of the Uncreated Word; the third, in the Heart of the Holy Ghost; and then, even must St. Joseph be placed beside her. For if St. Elzear was justified in writing to his spouse, St. Delphine, that the abode in which she could always find him was the Heart of Jesus Christ, why should not we be allowed to say that the Queen of the Seraphim should dwell in the Heart of the three Divine Persons? There it is the Queen of the world must abide, not in temples made of dust. There all men and all Angels must contemplate her, so as to exalt as much as they are capable of doing, the glory of this chosen Virgin, and of her incomparable spouse; and when they have done so let them even confess that it belongs to God alone to praise worthily these chief marvels of His almightiness and mercy. (3)


<sub>1. Author of the Traite des illustres Ecrivains ecclesiastiques, and of several other pious and learned works. He died in 1516, at the age of fifty-four.
2. Peter Comestor, a native of Troyes, canon of that town, and chancellor of the Church of Paris in the twelfth century.------Joan. Trithem. de Miraculis Beatiss. Mariae semper Virginis in Ecclesia nova prope Dittelbach factis, lib. 1, c. x.
3. It is certain that though Abbot Trithemius praises the Mother of God in a most beautiful and varied manner, he is far from flattering himself that he has done so as much as it is possible to do. If our author seems to insinuate the contrary, we must say that he has made use of an innocent fiction in order to give more life and interest to his subject.-----( Note of the Editor.) Also, since Abbot Trithemius lived so long after the Saints with whom he is supposed to have had a contest, it is evident that Father Binet it is who has put into that form quotations from their different works.</sub>

[Shin]

I think it's a hard thing not to understand the virtue of piety at least a little better after reading this chapter. 

[martin]

So much for those who maintain that Catholics honor the Blessed Virgin too much when even the saints can't find words worthy enough to honor her and the great St Joseph.

Blessed be the name of Mary, virgin and mother,
Blessed be St Joseph her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.   

[Shin]

St. Joseph model and patron of those who love the Sacred heart of Jesus, pray for us! 

[Shin]

CHAPTER X.

THE GLORY OF ST. JOSEPH

 The most holy Virgin, as related above, revealed to St. Bridget, that St. Joseph frequently made use of these beautiful words: 'Heaven grant that I may live so as to accomplish the will of my God!' And she added: 'Therefore it is that the glory of Joseph is now so great.' (1) These words at first sight are plain enough. But to understand them fully, we ought to remember how moderate, in her assertions, Our Lady was. Had she wished to point out an object most sublime, she would simply have said: 'It is great.' Thus when Elizabeth said to her, 'Blessed art thou that hast believed, because these things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord,' her reply was, 'The Lord hath done great things to me,' which means things quite ineffable. In the same way, when she says, 'The glory of my spouse is great,' we must understand that it surpasses all that can be imagined in this world.

 Divine glory, according to St. Bernardin of Siena, plunges this great Patriarch into the infinite ocean of Divinity, absorbs him as in a bottomless abyss. His heart is not vast enough to receive all the glory prepared for him by God: hence, it is not God Who enters into him, but he it is that enters into, and loses himself in the Heart of God. (2) When on earth, Joseph received the Incarnate Word into his house, he pressed Him to his breast, and had it been possible, would have wished to make him enter into his heart. Is it not reasonable that now the same Word, receiving him into the house of His glory, should also press him to His Heart, and make enter so profoundly into His Divinity, as, in a manner, to identify Himself with him? Formerly, the looks, the caresses, even the breath of the Infant God (3) had been the unutterable delight of His adopted father: but now God shows the same, His glorious divine countenance, and rewards him with the embrace of His infinite perfection.

 Theologians teach that the amount of grace acquired in this life is the measure of the glory to be received in heaven. If this be true, which we cannot doubt, we may be sure that St. Joseph's place in the heavenly Jerusalem is an extremely high one. Let us hear what the learned Chancellor of Paris says on this point. In his sermon on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin, which he preached before the Fathers of the Council of Constance, he makes two assertions, the first of which is: 'I cannot tell you, my Fathers, which is the most admirable, the humility of Mary, or the sublimity of Joseph.' (4) Now the humility of Our Lady being, so to speak, infinite, what must we think of the equally surprising greatness of her holy spouse? Verily, if Jesus Christ still calls Joseph His father, and if the Blessed Virgin still calls him her lord, how ineffable is his glory! If he, of all men, holds still a claim to these titles in the presence of all Angels and Saints, how exalted must be his station amongst them!

 The second proposition of Gerson is as follows: 'Who will give me words to explain worthily the ineffable mystery of this admirable Trinity, Jesus, Mary, Joseph?' (5) For those three persons, are a true and living image of the adorable Trinity, where there is one Father, one Son, and one Spirit, Who is the bond, the love, and the gift of both. Here also we find a father, a son, and the immaculate heart of a Virgin, who is the love of both, and who forms a very close bond, uniting father to son, and son to father, mother to son, son to mother, husband to wife, and wife to husband. A bond so identifying, that these three hearts seem to be no longer three, but one and the same heart.

 From this sublime doctrine the learned chancellor draws the following conclusion: 'Where I am,' says our Lord Jesus, 'there also shall My minister be.' Since, then, Joseph was, with Our Lady, the nearest to Him upon earth, why should he not be, after Mary, the nearest to Jesus in heaven? (6)

Great God! can anything more be said in his praise? Alas! how little devotion, how little love is ours for a man endowed with so many graces, and crowned with such glory!
 It is here the place to remember an opinion of several learned authors, which we have already mentioned before. They think that St. Joseph is in heaven body as well as soul, having followed Our Saviour thither on Ascension Day. 'It is a pious belief,' say St. Bernardin of Siena and Suarez, (7) 'that St. Joseph and Our Lady are, body and soul, with Jesus Christ in the delightful life of glory, as they were together in the laborious life of glory, as they were together in the laborious life of exile.' This opinion is confirmed by the doctrine of those theologians who consider the order of grace in Our Lady and St. Joseph to be a hierarchy apart, destined for the immediate service of the divine person of the Messias. Now, if thus pre-eminence is given to them among all other Saints of the Church militant, St. Bernardin believes that they must likewise occupy the highest rank in the Church triumphant; and that there, above all Saints and Angels, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph form a Trinity apart, enjoying a love, a glory, and a union so sublime and so intimate, that in this hierarchy there is only room for those three. You may safely conclude from this, that St. Joseph is the greatest Saint in heaven. The pious and learned Suarez does not hesitate to say: ' It is not an article of faith, but a well-founded pious belief, that St. Joseph surpasses all other Saints in grace and in glory, and that he is, in body and soul, the nearest to Jesus and Mary in heaven, as he was the nearest to them while on earth.' (8)

 'Give, and it shall be given to you; good measure, and pressed down, and shaken together, and running over shall they give into your bosom; for with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.' (9)

Let this rule be observed with regard to St. Joseph. What, indeed, did he not give to the Incarnate Word! He gave Him his house to dwell in, his heart as a place of sweet repose, his hands to nourish Him by their labour. Now Jesus Christ renders him abode for abode, heart for heart, measure for measure in the glory of heaven. All other Saints, even the greatest in dignity and glory, are only servants, and are treated as servants; while Joseph is the legal father, the reputed father, the foster-father of Jesus, and is therefore treated as father. Glory does not change the natural relations, but brings them to perfection. Wherefore this admirable Patriarch, who constantly had the honour of commanding Jesus and Mary, and the happiness of serving them all his life, with incomparable love and fidelity, stands now highest in the glory of heaven. Truly my spirit loses itself in these ineffable heights, and the splendour of that incomparable glory dazzles me and reduces me to silence. I can but ask the pardon of this great and amiable Saint for treating of his excellence in so unworthy a manner.

 When Joseph, after some months of virginal marriage, desired, in his humanity, to separate himself from his holy spouse, it was necessary, that Gabriel should again descend from heaven and address these words to him: Joseph, son of David, fear not; do not separate yourself from your spouse; it is the will of God that you live in the same house with her, since you are one in heart. If Joseph, seeing his spouse so great and so elevated in heaven, should now, in respectful awe, wish to separate himself from her, it seems to me God would send a Seraph to say to him: 'Fear not, Joseph; nor think of separating yourself either from Jesus or from Mary; the Eternal Father desires that you remain near His Son, because on earth you occupied His place beside Him; the Son wills that you remain near Him, because you were His foster-father; the Holy Spirit commands you to remain near Mary, because you were the guardian-angel of His chaste spouse; Mary demands that the order of the three Divine Persons be respected, because you are her spouse; and all the inhabitants of the heavenly court declare, with one voice, that your place is beside Jesus and Mary, and that those whom God united, during so many years, on earth, must not be separated in heaven.' My heart rejoices, O great Saint, to see you so closely and so inseparably united to Jesus and Mary in glory. Never shall I separate you from the Son, nor from the Mother, in my devotions and prayers; and may I always be the humble and most happy client of Jesus, of Mary, and of Joseph.

<sub>1. 'Ideo nunc gloria sua magna est' ( Revelat.,lib, 6, c, lix.),
2. S. Bernardin., Serm. de S. Joseph, art. 2, c. ii.
3. 'Cum filiali aspectu, afflatu atque amplexu' (Serm. tle S. Joseph, art. 2, c. ii.).
4. 'Nescio sane, Patres orthodoxi, hic quid amplius habeat mirabilius, vel humilitas in Maria, vel in Joseph sublimitas' ( Serm. de Nativitate B.M.V., Considerat. iv.).
5. 'Cuperem mihi verba suppeterent ad explicandum tam altum et absconditum a saeculis mysterium, tam admirandam venerandamque Trinitatem Jesu, Mariae et Joseph' ( Ibid.).
6. 'Profecto si non mentiebatur Jesus, qui ait: " Ubi sum ego, illic et minister meus erit " ( Joan. xii.26 ): ille proximior videtur collocandus in coelis, qui in ministerio fuit vicinior, obsequentior, atque fidelior post Mariam inventus in terris ' ( Gerson, loco citato).
7. S. Bernardin., Serm. de S. Joseph. art. 3.-----Suarez, De Incarnat., p. 2, disp. 8, sect. 2.
8. Suarez, De Incarnat. p. 2, disp. 8, sect. 2.
9. Luke vi. 38.</sub>

[Shin]

CHAPTER XI.

THE POWER OF ST. JOSEPH

 One cannot wonder that this great Patriarch should be so powerful, seeing that he commands the two authorities of heaven and earth, Jesus and Mary. The learned Gerson speaks of him as a protector, influential, powerful, almost all-powerful, (1) since he is the reputed father, the foster-father, and guardian of Jesus, and the spouse, the protector, and the guardian of Mary. What can be refused to the man who produces titles so valid and authentic as these? Besides, whatever Jesus demands from His Heavenly Father, the Father wills; whatever Our Lady demands from her beloved Son, the Son wills; and whatever Joseph demands from his holy spouse, she wills. Does it not follow that as Mary is all-powerful through Jesus, Joseph is all-powerful through Mary? Oh, how good it is to have St. Joseph for advocate, since nothing in the world is impossible to him!

 The other Saints supplicate Jesus and Mary, St. Joseph commands them; this bold idea of Origen has been adopted by several Doctors. St. Joseph speaks as a father; but a father does not petition his son, he commands him. The other Saints throw down their crowns at the feet of the Lamb, and pray as suppliants; St. Joseph supplicates as one commanding, or rather, the humility of this holy man is too great to permit him to command the Lord Jesus; but the goodness of Our Lord is so condescending, that He accepts the prayers of Joseph as paternal commands, and grants all he requests. Happy Patriarch! who alone of all men has relations so special, union so intimate with the Saviour of the world, and His most holy Mother! The Son of Mary owes obedience to you; your spouse owes you honour, you have the right to command them both; can you then fear to pray to them for your clients?

 When two just men consent upon earth concerning anything whatever that they demand in the name of Jesus Christ, it shall be granted to them by His Father in heaven. (2) Here, indeed, is this promise of the Saviour verified. When Mary and Joseph plead together before the throne of their Divine Son, in favour of one of their servants, is there any grace which they cannot obtain? Great God! give to me those two all-powerful advocates; grant that they may always plead my cause before Thine adorable Majesty, and that I may ever render to them acceptable service. Where is there to be found an object more beloved by Thee and more worthy of our love than those two noble hearts?

 When I think on the history of Jacob returning to the land of his fathers, my heart is filled with hope. He and Rachel, holding their son Joseph by the hand, advanced in confidence, and when they arrived before Esau, they appeased the wrath of this fierce man. Even so, I imagine that if Mary and Joseph, holding Jesus by the hand, present themselves before God the Father in my favour, His just wrath must infallibly be calmed, the thunderbolt will fall from His hands, and He will look on me with favour. So powerful is the intercession of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, when they have taken in hand the cause of a poor sinner.

 St. John, exiled to Patmos, where he wrote the Apocalypse, was one day rapt in spirit, and beheld 'a throne set in heaven, and upon the throne one sitting. And He that sat was to the sight like the jasper and the sardine stone; and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.' (3) Some authors thus explain this vision. The throne is the most pure Virgin Mary; He who sits upon the throne is Jesus Christ our Saviour; the rainbow which surrounds Jesus and Mary are all the Saints, but more especially Joseph, to whom God confided the care of the Child and of His Mother. This iris, by which I mean our holy Patriarch, shines between two clouds of glory, and is adorned with all the beauties of Paradise, being the symbol of mercy, and the precious pledge of divine goodness. At the sight of this bow, God promises to pardon human nature, and to forget His just resentment. Another explanation is, that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph are themselves the three principal colours of the bow of hope and salvation which surrounds the throne of the Most High. The red is the Blood of Jesus; the blue, the purity of Our Lady; the green, the sanctity of Joseph. These three heavenly colours have the virtue of arresting and appeasing the wrath of God the Father. 'I shall,' He says, 'see the bow, and shall remember My covenant with you, that there shall no more be waters of a flood to destroy all flesh. This shall be the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh upon the earth.' Will you then, reader, have, if not perfect certainty, at least a well-founded hope of your salvation? Accept the promise of this heavenly rainbow, Jesus, Mary, Joseph; accept the influence of their holy inspirations, and the numberless graces with which they enrich their servants. Gerson recounts that those who, having lost any object, recommend themselves to St. Joseph, are sure to find it again. (4) He cites the example of a friend of his; but I believe the friend is no other than himself. Alas! we have lost God by sin, and in losing God we have lost Paradise, we have lost all! Let us often say to our holy Protector those words of the Gospel: 'Sir, we would see Jesus.' (5)

Sweet Joseph, we have lost Jesus Christ; will not you show Him to us, and give Him back to our souls? Mary and Joseph, we have lost Him Who is all our joy; have not you found Him? Oh, tell us where He is, give Him back to us! My soul is desolate, having lost its treasure. O Joseph, lead us back to Jesus and Mary! O Mary, lead us back to Jesus and Joseph! O Jesus, lead us back to Mary and Joseph and Thyself! Let us again find all three, to praise and bless all three, to love all three with perfect love, in company with the Angels and the Saints, during all eternity! Amen.


<sub>1. 'Magne Joseph . . . imperiose patrone' (Josephina, sub finem).
2. Matt. xviii. 19.
3. Apoc. iv. 2, 3.
4. Josephina, sub finem.
5. 'Dominem, volumnus Jesum videre' (Joan. xii. 21).</sub>

[Shin]

The red is the Blood of Jesus; the blue, the purity of Our Lady; the green, the sanctity of Joseph.

The meaning given to these colors is something to think about!

The other Saints throw down their crowns at the feet of the Lamb, and pray as suppliants; St. Joseph supplicates as one commanding, or rather, the humility of this holy man is too great to permit him to command the Lord Jesus; but the goodness of Our Lord is so condescending, that He accepts the prayers of Joseph as paternal commands, and grants all he requests. Happy Patriarch!

And how happy are those who turn to the quiet St. Joseph for his help! 

[Patricia]

Alas! we have lost God by sin, and in losing God we have lost Paradise, we have lost all! Let us often say to our holy Protector those words of the Gospel: 'Sir, we would see Jesus.' (5)

Sweet Joseph, we have lost Jesus Christ; will not you show Him to us, and give Him back to our souls? Mary and Joseph, we have lost Him Who is all our joy; have not you found Him? Oh, tell us where He is, give Him back to us! My soul is desolate, having lost its treasure.

Let us pray to St. Joseph to lead us to Jesus and Mary!

[Shin]

CHAPTER XII.

ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF CHRISTIANS OF ALL RANKS AND CONDITIONS.

ST. JOSEPH is the patron of all Christians, in all necessities and dangers of life. Now that the glorious reformer of Carmel and the great Bishop of Geneva have written so admirably on the power of the holy spouse of Mary, who can venture to call this truth in question? I do not remember, says the seraphic Teresa of Jesus, to have ever demanded from this great Saint a single grace, whether for body or for soul, which was not granted. This makes me believe that while God gives to other Saints the power of helping us in certain special necessities, to St. Joseph He gives the privilege of helping us in all circumstances where his protection is needful for us. This is also taught by St. Francis of Sales, who thus expresses himself: 'St. Joseph is in heaven, body and soul; of that there can be no doubt. Oh! how happy shall we be if we can merit to have part in his holy intercessions! for nothing can be refused to him, either by Our Lady or by her glorious Son.' (1) Two such witnesses may suffice for the present. Now, let us examine in detail what persons have a special claim to the protection of our great Patriarch.

In the first place, he is the patron of virgins, since he was the first among men to engage himself by vow to perpetual virginity. Secondly, he is the patron of married people, because he was united to the most holy of women by the bonds of a true and most happy marriage. He pledged to her his faith, and received hers, forming with her but one heart and one soul. Thirdly, he is the patron of the fathers of families, since he was by right, and by fact, the head of the Holy Family. Fourthly, he is the patron of working men, for he gained his bread by the sweat of his brow, handling the saw and the plane, and had as apprentice the Son of God, of Whom the inhabitants of Nazareth said, 'Is He not the carpenter's son?' Fifthly, he is the patron of all charged with the education of youth, because, having himself brought up the Son of the Most High, he has received from God a special grace for the protection of childhood and youth. Sixthly, he is the patron of interior souls, since his whole life was passed in contemplation of the sublime virtues of Mary, and of the humanly divine actions of the Incarnate Word. Seventhly, he is the patron of Religious, because he was an excellent master of poverty, chastity and obedience, a perfect model of common life, a living rule for both active and contemplative life. Eighthly, he is the patron of Priests, having been the first of all men to touch with his hands the Sacred Body of the Saviour of the world, and having offered to the Eternal Father the first drops of the precious Blood which the Incarnate Word shed in the circumcision. He also frequently carried Him in his arms with the most tender feelings of piety, love and reverence. Ninthly, he is the patron of Prelates, because, during long years, in the most painful and difficult circumstances, he governed, with incredible solicitude and admirable wisdom, the two most holy persons who ever were upon earth, Jesus and Mary. Tenthly, he is the patron of all who are in positions of power and dignity, because the Church sings of him, 'God hath established him the lord of His house, and the master of all His possessions.' (2)

There are still other classes of people who have a special claim on St. Joseph and stand in special need of his protection; they are the sinners, the afflicted, and the dying. Of these we shall treat in the following chapter.


<sub>1. Entretien XlX. sur les vertus de St. Joseph.
2. Liturg., in festo St. Joseph.</sub>

[Shin]

As we are drawing near to the close of this book study and so the entirety of its chapters put forth on this thread, so we're near to this marvelous book's full release on Saints' Books.

 

I encourage everyone to read and benefit from it, and jump into it anywhere, it's full of spiritual wealth throughout.

St. Joseph is in heaven, body and soul; of that there can be no doubt!

What purity of life was his! And what great help his intercession in our own.

I especially think of him under his patronage of a happy death, something which we have a daily duty to pray for I have read.

[Shin]

PRAYER FOR A HAPPY DEATH

O BLESSED JOSEPH, who yielded up thy last breath in the arms
of Jesus and Mary, obtain for me this grace, O holy Joseph,
that I may breathe forth my soul in praise, saying in spirit,
if I am unable to do so in words:

"Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give Thee my heart and my soul."
Amen.