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Saint Joseph
Spouse of the Blessed Virgin, Virginal Father of Jesus and Patron of the Universal Church
(† 30)
Saint Joseph was by birth of the royal family of David, but was living in humble obscurity as a carpenter, until God raised him to the highest office ever accorded a mortal man, by choosing him to be the spouse of the Virgin Mother, the virginal father and guardian of the Incarnate Word. Joseph, says Holy Scripture, was a just man. He was innocent and pure, as became the husband of Mary; he was gentle and tender, as one worthy to be named the father of Jesus; he was prudent and a lover of silence, as became the master of the holy house; above all, he was faithful and obedient to divine calls.
His conversation was with Angels rather than with men. When he learned that Mary bore within Her womb the Lord of heaven, he feared to take Her as his wife; but an Angel bade him put his fear aside, and all doubts vanished. When Herod sought the life of the divine Infant, an Angel told Joseph in a dream to fly with the Child and His Mother into Egypt. Joseph at once arose and obeyed. This sudden and unexpected flight must have exposed both him and his little Family to many inconveniences and sufferings; the journey with a newborn infant and a tender virgin was long, and the greater part of the way led through deserts and among strangers. Yet Saint Joseph alleges no excuses, nor inquires at what time they were to return.
Saint Chrysostom observes that God treats in this way all His servants, sending them frequent trials to clear their hearts from the rust of self-love, but intermixing with afflictions, seasons of consolation. It is the opinion of the Fathers that when the Holy Family entered Egypt, at the presence of the Child Jesus all the oracles of that superstitious country were struck dumb, and the statues of their gods trembled, and in many places fell to the ground. The Fathers also attribute to this holy visit the spiritual benediction poured on that country, which made it for many ages fruitful in Saints.
After the death of King Herod, of which Saint Joseph was informed in another vision, God ordered him to return with the Child and His Mother into the land of Israel, which our Saint readily accomplished. But when he arrived in Judea, hearing that Archelaus had succeeded Herod in that part of the land, and apprehensive that the son might be infected with his father's vices, he feared to settle there, as he would otherwise probably have done, for the education of the Child. Therefore, directed by God through still another angelic visit, he retired into the dominions of Herod Antipas in Galilee, and to his former habitation in Nazareth.
Saint Joseph, a strict observer of the Mosaic law, journeyed each year at the time of the Passover to Jerusalem. Our Saviour, in the twelfth year of His age, accompanied His parents. Having participated in the usual ceremonies of the feast, the parents were returning with many of their neighbors and acquaintances towards Galilee, and never doubted that Jesus was with some of the company. They traveled on for a whole day's journey before they discovered that He was not with them. But when night came on and they could find no trace of Him among their kindred and acquaintances, they, in the deepest affliction, returned with the utmost haste to Jerusalem. We are left to imagine their tears and their efforts to find Him. After an anxious search of three days they discovered Him in the Temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law, and asking them such questions as aroused the admiration of all who heard Him. His Mother told Him with what grief and earnestness they had sought Him and asked, Son, why have You dealt with us in this way? Behold, Your Father and I have searched for You in great affliction of mind. The young Saviour answered, How is it that You sought Me? Did You not know that I must be about My Father's business? In this way Jesus encourages all young persons who are called to serve God to persevere in that high vocation, whatever the cost. But we are told that although He had remained in the Temple unknown to His parents, in all other things He was obedient to them, returning with them to Nazareth, and living there in all dutiful subjection to them.
As no further mention is made of Saint Joseph, he must have died before the marriage feast of Cana and the beginning of our divine Saviour's ministry. We cannot doubt that he had the happiness of the presence of Jesus and Mary at his death, praying beside him, assisting and comforting him in his last moments; therefore he is invoked for the great grace of a happy death and the spiritual presence of Jesus in that hour.
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March 19 – St Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin
Yesterday, it was the bright Archangel that visited us; today, it is Joseph, the Spouse of Mary, the foster-father of the Son of God, that comes to cheer us by his dear presence. In a few days hence, the august mystery of the Incarnation will demand our fervent adorations: who, after the Angel of the Annunciation, could better prepare us for the grand Feast, than he that was both the confidant and faithful guardian of the divine secret?
The Son of God, when about to descend upon this earth to assume our human nature, would have a Mother; this Mother could not be other than the purest of Virgins, and her divine Maternity was not to impair her incomparable Virginity. Until such time as the Son of Mary were recognised as the Son of God, his Mother’s honour had need of a protector: some man, therefore, was to be called to the high honour of being Mary’s Spouse. This privileged mortal was Joseph, the chastest of men.
Heaven designated him as being the only one worthy of such a treasure: the rod he held in his hand, in the Temple, suddenly produced a flower, as though it were a literal fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaias: There shall come forth a rod from the root of Jesse, and a flower shall rise up out of his root. The rich pretenders to an alliance with Mary were set aside: and Joseph was espoused to the Virgin of the House of David, by a union which surpassed in love and purity everything the Angels themselves had ever witnessed.
But he was not only chosen to the glory of having to protect the Mother of the Incarnate Word; he was also called to exercise an adopted paternity over the very Son of God. So long as the mysterious cloud was over the Saint of Saints, men called Jesus the Son of Joseph, and the Carpenter’s Son. When our Blessed Lady found the Child Jesus in the Temple, in the midst of the Doctors, she thus addressed him: Thy father and I, sorrowing, have sought thee; and the holy Evangelist adds that Jesus was subject to them, that is, that he was subject to Joseph as he was to Mary.
Who can imagine or worthily describe the sentiments which filled the heart of this man, whom the Gospel describes to us in one word, when it calls him the just man? Let us try to picture him to ourselves amidst the principal events of his life: his being chosen as the Spouse of Mary, the most holy and perfect of God’s creatures; the Angel’s appearing to him, and making him the one single human confidant of the mystery of the Incarnation, by telling him that the Virgin Spouse bore within her the fruit of the world’s salvation; the joys of Bethlehem, when he assisted at the Birth of the Divine Babe, honored the Virgin Mother, and heard the Angels singing; his seeing, first the humble and simple Shepherds, and then the rich Eastern Magi, coming to the stable to adore the new-born Child; the sudden fears which came on him, when he was told to arise, and, midnight as it was, to flee into Egypt with the Child and the Mother; the hardships of that exile, the poverty and the privations which were endured by the hidden God, whose foster-father he was, and by the Virgin Spouse, whose sublime dignity was now so evident to him; the return to Nazareth, and the humble and laborious life led in that village, where he so often witnessed the world’s Creator sharing in the work of a Carpenter; the happiness of such a life, in that cottage where his companions were the Queen of the Angels and the Eternal Son of God, both of whom honored and tenderly loved him as the head of the family—yes, Joseph was beloved and honored by the uncreated Word, the Wisdom of the Father, and by the Virgin, the masterpiece of God’s power and holiness.
We ask, what mortal can justly appreciate the glories of St. Joseph? To do so, he would have to understand the whole of that Mystery, of which God made him the necessary instrument. What wonder, then, if this Foster-Father of the Son of God was prefigured in the Old Testament, and that by one of the most glorious of the Patriarchs? Let us listen to St. Bernard, who thus compares the two Josephs: “The first was sold by his brethren, out of envy, and was led into Egypt, thus prefiguring our Savior’s being sold; the second Joseph, that he might avoid Herod’s envy, led Jesus into Egypt. The first was faithful to his master, and treated his wife with honor; the second, too, was the most chaste guardian of his Spouse, the Virgin Mother of his Lord. To the first was given the understanding and interpretation of dreams; to the second, the knowledge of, and participation in, the heavenly Mysteries. The first laid up stores of corn not for himself, but for all the people; the second received the Living Bread that came down from heaven, and kept It both for himself and for the whole world.”
Such a life could not close save by a death that was worthy of so great a Saint. The time came for Jesus to quit the obscurity of Nazareth, and show himself to the world. His own works were henceforth to bear testimony to his divine origin; the ministry of Joseph, therefore, was no longer needed. It was time for him to leave this world, and wait, in Abraham’s bosom, the arrival of that day, when heaven’s gates were to be opened to the just. As Joseph lay on his bed of death, there was watching by his side He that is the master of life, and that had often called this his humble creature, Father. His last breath was received by the glorious Virgin Mother, whom he had, by a just right, called his Spouse. It was thus, with Jesus and Mary by his side, caring and caressing him, that Joseph sweetly slept in peace. The Spouse of Mary, the foster-father of Jesus, now reigns in heaven with a glory which, though inferior to that of Mary, is marked with certain prerogatives which no other inhabitant of heaven can have.
From heaven, he exercises a powerful protection over those that invoke him. In a few weeks from this time, the Church will show us the whole magnificence of this protection; we shall be having a special Feast in honour of the Patronage of St. Joseph. What the Liturgy proposes to us to-day, are his glories and privileges. Let us unite with the Faithful throughout the world, and offer the Spouse of Mary the Hymns, which are this day sung in his praise.
First Hymn
Te, Joseph, celebrent admina Cœlitum,
Te cuncti resonent Christiandum chori,
Qui clarus meritis junctus es inclytæ
Casto fœdere Virgini.
May the heavenly host praise thee, O Joseph! My the choirs of Christendom resound with thy name, for great are thy merits, who wast united by a chaste alliance to the Holy Virgin.
Almo cum tumidam germine Conjugem
Admirans, dubio tangeris anxius,
Afflatu superi Flaminis Angelus
Conceptum puerum docet.
Seeing that thy Spouse was soon to be a Mother, a cruel doubt afflicts thy heart; but an Angel visits thee, telling thee that she had conceived of the Holy Ghost the Child she bore in her womb.
Tu natum Dominum stringis; ad exteras
Ægypti profugum tu sequeris plagas:
Amissum Solymis quæris, et invenis,
Miscens gaudia fletibus.
When Jesus was born, thou hadst to take him in thine arms, and go with the little fugitive to Egypt’s distant land. When he was lost in Jerusalem, thou didst seek after him; and having found him, thy tears were mingled with joy.
Post mortem reliquos mors pia consecrat,
Palmamque emeritos gloria suscipit;
Tu vivens, Superis par, frueris Deo,
Mira sorte beatior.
Other Saints receive their beatitude after death, when a holy death has crowned their life; they receive their glory, when they have won the palm: but thou, by a strangely happy lot, hadst, even during life, what the Blessed have in heaven,—thou hadst the sweet society of thy God.
Nobis, summa Trias, parce precantibus,
Da Joseph meritis sidera scandere:
Ut tandem liceat, nos tibi perpetim,
Gratum promere canticum. Amen.
O Sovereign Trinity! have mercy on us thy suppliants, and may the intercession of Joseph aid us to reach heaven; that there we may sing to thee our eternal hymn of grateful love. Amen.
Second Hymn
Cœlitum Joseph decus, atque nostræ
Certa spes vitæ, columenque mundi,
Quas tibi læti canimus, benignus
Suscipe laudes.
O Joseph, thou that art the delight of the Blessed, the sure hope of our life, and the pillar of the world!—receive, in thy kind love the praises we now joyfully sing to thee.
Te sator rerum statuit pudicæ
Virginis Sponsum, voluitque Verbi
Te Patrem dici, dedit et ministrum
Esse salutis.
The Creator appointed thee the Spouse of the Holy Virgin; willed thee to be called the Father of the World; and gave thee to be an instrument of our salvation.
Tu Redemptorem stabulo jacentem,
Quem chorus Vatum cecinit futurum,
Aspicis gaudens, humilisque natum
Numen adoras.
Thou didst fix thy glad gaze on the Redeemer lying in the stable, Him that the Prophets had foretold was to come; and seeing him, thou didst humbly adore the new-born King.
Rex, Deus regum, Dominator orbis,
Cujus ad nutum tremit inferorum
Turba, cui pronus famulatur æther,
Se tibi subdit.
He that is King, the God of Kings, the Lord of the earth, at whose bidding hell trembles, and before whom heaven prostrates ready to do his will—yea, even He makes himself subject to thee.
Laus sit excelsæ Triadi perennis,
Quæ tibi præbens superos honores,
Det tuis nobis meritis beatæ Gaudia vitæ. Amen.
Praise eternal be to the Most High Trinity! May he that has conferred such high honors upon thee, grant through the merits of thine intercession, to come to the joys of heavenly life. Amen.
Third Hymn
Iste quem læti colimus fidels,
Cujus excelsos canimus triumphos,
Hac die, Joseph meruit perennis
Gaudia vitæ.
It was on this day, that Joseph, whose praises we, the Faithful, now gladly tell, and whose high triumph we sing, deserved to receive the joys of eternal life.
O nimis felix, nimis o beatus,
Cujus extremam vigiles ad horam
Christus, et virgo simul adstiterunt
Ore sereno.
Thrice happy, thrice blessed Saint, at whose last hour Jesus and Mary stood watching in tender love.
Hinc Stygis victor, laqueo solutus
Carnis, ad sedes placido sopore
Miigrat æternas, rutilisque cingit
Tempora sertis.
Death was vanquished, the snare of the flesh was broken, and Joseph, sweetly sleeping, passed to the eternal home, and received upon his brow the glittering crown.
Ergo regnantem flagitemus omnes,
Adsit ut nobis, veniamque nostris
Obtinens culpis, tribuat supernæ
Munera pacis.
Now that he reigns in heaven, let us beseech him to help us, obtain us the pardon of our sins, and procure us the gift of heavenly peace.
Sint tibi plausus, tibi sint honores,
Trine, qui regnas, Deus: et coronas
Aureas servo tribuis fideli,
Omne per ævum. Amen.
Glory and honor be to thee, O God, O Blessed Trinity, who art our Sovereign Lord! who givest to thy faithful servant an everlasting crown of gold. Amen.
The Greek liturgy, which honors St. Joseph on the Sunday following the Feast of Christmas, thus hymns his praise in the Menæa.
HYMN
(Dominica post Natale Domini.)
Prophetarum prædicationes evidenter adimpletas vidit Joseph sponsus, qui ad singularem designatus desponsationem, revelationes accepit ab Angelis clamantibus; Gloria Domino, quia pacem terræ largitus est.
Joseph, the Spouse, saw with his own eyes the fulfillment of what the Prophets had foretold. He was destined for an espousal, such as no other mortal had, and he received the revelation from Angels, saying: Glory be to the Lord, for he hath given peace to the earth!
Annuntia, Joseph, Davidi Dei parenti prodigia: Virginem vidisti puerum in sinu habentem; una cum Magis adorasti, cum pastoribus gloriam Deo dedisti, ab Angelo præmonitus. Deprecare Christum Deum, ut animæ nostræ salventur.
Tell, O Joseph, to David, the ancestor of God our Savior, the prodigies thou hast seen. Thou hast seen the Virgin holding the Infant in her arms; thou didst adore with the Magi; thou didst unite with the Shepherds in giving glory to God, according to the word of the Angels. Do thou beseech Christ our Lord, that he save us.
Quem supernæ Deum incircumscriptum tremunt potestates, tu, Joseph, natum ex Virgine in manibus tuis accipis consecratus venerando contactu; ideo to honorificamus.
The infinite God, before whom the powers of heaven tremble, Him, O Joseph, didst thou receive into thy arms, when he was born of the Virgin. Thou wast consecrated by the holy contact; therefore do we honor thee.
Spiritum divinis mandatis obedientem habens, et purus omnino factus, solam in mulieribus puram et immaculatam tu, beate Joseph, in sponsam accepisti, Virginem castam custodiens, ut Creatoris tabernaculum effici mereretur.
Thy spirit was one that was obedient to the divine commands, and thy purity was without reproach; therefore, O blessed Joseph, didst thou receive as thy Spouse her that was pure and immaculate among women. Thou wast the guardian of the chaste Virgin, when she became the worthy tabernacle of the Creator.
Soli Gabrieli in cœlis, et tibi soli, celeberrime, post solam Virginem intactam, mysterium creditum est, maximum et venerandum, beate Joseph, mysterium quod perniciosum principem tenebrarum dejiceret.
To Gabriel alone in heaven, and to thee alone, O blessed Joseph, most worthy of praise, was entrusted, after the spotless Virgin, that great and venerable mystery, which brought the downfall of the cruel prince of darkness.
Ut divinam nubem, solam castam, in sinu suo Solem absconditum habentem, in Ægyptum ex civitate David perduxisti, ut ejusdem idolatriæ fugares tenebras, Joseph, incomprehensibilis mysterii minister.
Thou, O Joseph, the minister of the incomprehensible mystery! in order that the darkness of idolatry might be dispelled, didst lead from the city of David into Egypt the pure Mother, who, like a mysterious cloud, held the Sun hidden in her bosom.
Astitisti, sapiens Joseph, Deo in carne puerascenti ministrans, sicut Angelus; et immediate ab illo illustratus es radios ejus spirituales accipiens, beate; et illuminatissimus corde et anima visus fuisti.
O prudent Joseph! thou, angel-like, didst minister to the Incarnate God when he had reached the age of boyhood. His spiritual rays came direct upon thee, O blessed one! and enlightened thee. Thy heart and soul were bathed in light.
Quo cœlum, terram et mare verbo fabricatus est vocatus fuit Filius fabri, tui, Joseph admiratione digne. Vocatus es pater illius qui sine principio est, qui te glorificavit ut mysteriorum supra rationem ministrum.
He that, by his only word, made heaven and earth and sea, was called “the Carpenter’ Son,” yes, thine, O Joseph, that deservest all our admiration. Thou wast called the “Father” of Him that had no beginning, and receivedst from him the glory of being minister of unfathomable mysteries.
O quam pretiosa a fuit mors tua in conspectu Domini, beate Joseph; tu enim Domino ab infantia sanctificatus, sacer fuisti custos benedictæ Virginis, et cum ea cecinisti: Omnis creatura benedicat Dominum, et superexaltet eum in sempiterna sæcula. Amen.
Oh! how precious, in the sight of the Lord, was thy death, O blessed Joseph! for thou wast consecrated to him from thine infancy, and wast the holy guardian of the Blessed Virgin. Thou didst thus sing together with her: Let ever creature bless the Lord, and praise him above all for endless ages. Amen.
We praise the glorify thee, O happy Saint! We hail thee as the Spouse of the Queen of heaven, and Foster-Father of our Redeemer. These titles, which would seem too grand for any human being to enjoy, are thine; and they are but the expression of the dignities conferred on thee by God. The Church of heaven admires the sublime favors thou hast received; the Church on earth joyfully celebrates thy glories, and blesses thee for the favors thou art so unceasingly bestowing upon her.
Though born of the kingly race of David, thou wast the humblest of men; thy spirit led thee to seek obscurity, and a hidden life was thine ambition: but God chose thee to be an instrument in the sublimest of all his works. A noble Virgin of the same family of David—the object of heaven’s admiration and the glory and hope of the world—yes, this Virgin is to be thy Spouse. The Holy Ghost is to dwell within her as in a most pure tabernacle; it is to thee, the just and chaste, that he entrusts her as an inestimable treasure. Espouse, then, to thyself her whose beauty the very King of heaven so greatly desires.
The Son of God comes down to this earth, that He may live the life of man; He comes that he may sanctify the ties and affections of kindred. He calls thee Father; He obeys thy orders. What strange emotions must have filled thy heart, O Joseph! when, knowing the prerogatives of thy Spouse and the divinity of thy adopted Son, thou hadst to be the head of this Family, which united heaven and earth into one! What respectful and tender love for Mary, thy Blessed Spouse! What gratitude and profound worship of Jesus, who obeyed thee as thy Child! O mysteries of Nazareth! a God dwells among men, and permits Himself to be called the Son of Joseph!
O sublime minister of the greatest of blessings, intercede for us with God made Man. Ask him to bestow Humility upon us—that holy virtue which raised thee to such exalted dignity, and which must be the basis of our conversion. It was pride that led us into sin and made us prefer our own will to that of God: yet will he pardon us if we offer him the sacrifice of a contrite and humbled heart. Get us this virtue, without which there can be no true penance. Pray also for us, O Joseph, that we may be chaste. Without purity of mind and body, we cannot come nigh the God of all sanctity, who suffers nothing defiled to approach him. He wills to make our bodies, by his grace, the temples of his holy Spirit: do thou, great Saint, help us to maintain ourselves in so exalted a dignity, or to recover it, if we have lost it.
And lastly, O Faithful Spouse of Mary! recommend us to our Mother. If she cast a look of pity upon us during these days of reconciliation, we shall be saved: for she is the Queen of Mercy, and Jesus, her Son, will pardon us and change our hearts, if she intercede for us, O Joseph! Remind her of Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth, in all of which she received from thee such marks of thy devotedness. Tell her, that we, also, love and honour thee; and Mary will reward us for our devotion to him that was given her by heaven as her protector and support.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Canto gregoriano a San José: JOSEPH, FILI DAVID | Gregorian chant to St. Joseph
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Fr. Hewko's Sermons for the Feast of St. Joseph [March 19th] "The Great St. Joseph!"
2015
2019
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2023
See also:
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Feast of St. Joseph
"There was not found the like to Him."--Eccl. 44.
"Out of many hearts thoughts shall be revealed," thus spoke Simeon in the temple to Mary, the mother of the divine Child. Nineteen centuries have passed away since that hour, and how wonderfully have the predictions of Simeon and that of Mary herself, which she so solemnly made from Jerusalem's height, been verified. "Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." Every Catholic heart feels, in the love and devotion of a child of God, the most tender veneration to Mary, and a confidence which has never yet been disappointed; and the same is true of the holy father St. Joseph, who, with Mary, the mother of the divine Child, presented himself before Simeon. To Joseph, also, Simeon could direct those words: "But on you, also, the hearts of men shall be revealed."
It is true that the faithful experience, in regard to the different saints, different sentiments of love and devotion, and have for this or that saint a greater veneration, or a greater confidence in his power. There is, however, one saint, of whom it can be asserted, that the entire body of the faithful unite in entertaining a particular veneration for him, and that saint is the great St. Joseph.
To prove the truth of this, you may ask your own hearts: "Do you not feel a special reverence for St. Joseph? and do you not cherish the utmost confidence in his intercession?" There can be but one answer, and that is, yes; but still I doubt whether you have considered and reflected upon the justice of the reasons which prove that St. Joseph is not only a great and mighty saint, but that his intercession is, after that of Mary, the most powerful in heaven.
Let me place clearly before your eyes today that this is the case. St. Joseph, after Mary, the greatest of all the saints, raised highest in Heaven, next to Mary, will be the theme of my sermon for his feast today. O Mary, bless the words which issue from my lips for the glorification of your virginal spouse, the great St. Joseph! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!
I say: Honor St. Joseph more than any one of the other saints; for he is not only a great saint, but he is also, next to Mary, the holiest of them all, and, therefore, his intercession is the most powerful. Certainly it is not becoming for us, as St. Alphonsus Liguori, with other doctors of the Church, admonishes us, to attempt to estimate the greatness of the saints, according to our own pleasure and predilection, and in this way maintain a preference for one above the other. There can be saints, who, beyond a doubt, exteriorly accomplished many more astonishing and glorious deeds; but God sees the heart of His unknown servants, and what they accomplished before Him will not be known by the world till the day of judgment, which will reveal it all.
However, as the same St. Alphonsus and other equally unquestionable authorities teach, we may, in regard to the holy Apostles, assert without hesitation that they are elevated in heaven above all the choirs of saints, nearest to Christ. The reason of this assertion lies in the position which they held upon earth in the kingdom of God.
For what determines the degree of our future glorification in heaven? First, the degree of election, which was bestowed upon us on earth in the kingdom of God; secondly, the measure of grace, corresponding to this calling; thirdly, the zeal and fidelity with which we made use of them. Let us apply what I have said to St. Joseph.
Christ spent an entire night in prayer, and selected twelve from among the whole human race to be with Him. These twelve formed His Apostolic Court. And as Christ departed this world, He directed to them these words: "As My Father has sent Me, I also send you. Whosoever hears you, hears Me. Whosoever honors you, honors Me. Go forth into the whole world, and preach the gospel to all nations. Whatsoever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. I have elected you." By these words Christ refers to the most glorious calling of the Apostles in the kingdom of Christ upon earth,--a calling which elevated the Apostles above all the rest of the human race, and by which undoubtedly they will be forever distinguished in heaven by the most resplendent glory.
"You will sit with Me on twelve thrones;" thus Christ Himself assures us. But however glorious was the calling of the Apostles in comparison to that of other men, how immeasurably higher still was that of St. Joseph!
Joseph, by the side of Christ here on earth, was to represent the place of the heavenly Father, as the foster-father of Jesus, the virginal spouse and husband of the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Queen of heaven and earth. He stood in this relation already at the manger, when Jesus entered into the world, and remained not only three years, as the Apostles did, by His side, but during nearly thirty years.
The Apostles walked with Christ, surrounded by a multitude of people; Jesus seldom spoke to any one of them. Joseph abode with Jesus alone, and conversed with Him at pleasure at any time, as his fosterfather was entitled to do.
Christ confided to the Apostles the establishment of His Church. To St. Joseph was assigned the care of Him who is the Founder of that Church. In this position, as the foster-father of Christ, it was fitting that St. Joseph should lead so holy a life that, according to the common family life, it might, could such a thing have been possible, have served as a model even for the Child Jesus Himself. St. Joseph had to lead such a life of perfection that Christ, as the foster-Son, could not but feel obliged to honor it with child-like reverence.
Such was not the case with the Apostles. They were frail men, whom Christ found it sometimes necessary to reprove; where, as any thing like this, can never be thought of in regard of St. Joseph. Therefore, St. Joseph must surely have so lived that no shadow of imperfection ever fell upon him; yes, so as to leave not the slightest reason for us to think that Jesus could ever have evinced the least desire to say: "This or that man would have been more worthy than you to be My foster-father." No; the testimony which Holy Scripture gave to St. Joseph, "He was a just man," literally proves itself. He was holy, and no other saint ever attained to as great a degree of sanctity.
The same is consequently true of his relations with Mary. The man is the head of the family, and should, therefore, in his situation, live, so as to be a pattern to his wife. But it was fitting that Mary also should honor St. Joseph, and that he should live so that, could such a thing again have been possible, Mary, who is the mirror of justice, might have taken example from him, and had reason to admire the sanctity of her earthly spouse.
What a saint, therefore, was St. Joseph among the saints! I remarked secondly: The degree of glory in heaven, depends on the measure of graces which are imparted to the Christian here on earth, on account of his state in life; therefore, a fuller measure of grace was meted out to the Apostles than to other saints; since Christ elected them for an office which was above that of all others. They were to become the heralds of faith, the foundation and pillars of glory, surrounding the throne of Jesus Christ in heaven.
If this be so, how great must not have been that measure of grace which was imparted to St. Joseph, whose office far surpassed that of the Apostles, as we have just now considered!
The means to increase grace in our hearts is, above all, prayer; therefore, even the Apostles admonish the faithful to pray for it. How effective, therefore, must the prayer of St. Joseph have been, of him who lived in the closest proximity to Jesus and Mary; prayed with them, and to whom they surely never refused a petition. Not only that; but it was he for whom Jesus, as his foster-Son, and Mary, as his virginal spouse, were obliged to pray.
O Joseph, thrice happy saint! St. Bernardine of Sienna is right, when he draws from this single reason the conclusion that Joseph was the greatest of all the saints on earth, and is now abiding nearest to Mary in heaven, and, after her, nearest the throne of the Source of all graces!
Finally, the degree of glory in heaven depends on the fidelity with which a soul uses the graces imparted to her for her blessed end. Such was the case with the Apostles. They lived so that they all with perfect justice could cry out to the faithful, with St. Paul: "Be ye my imitators, as I am an imitator of Christ."
Still, how much more does this hold good of our holy father St. Joseph, who had the example and pattern of Christ, during thirty years before his eyes, and, therefore, the opportunity of earning daily, yes, hourly, merits of the highest degree of recompense in heaven. The Apostles cared for the salvation of souls, which were once slaves of the devil. St. Joseph had to provide for Jesus and Mary!
What is done for a dearly beloved child, a father will reward more richly than he will benefits conferred upon a number of others. How precious in the eyes of God, therefore, were the works of St. Joseph, for they all related to Jesus and Mary, for whom he worked and lived. Yes, next to Mary, we dare and must call out to St. Joseph: "Others have gathered riches, but thou dost surpass them all." Thus St. Joseph lived up to his latest breath. At the thought of God the Judge, St. Peter and Paul, and with them all the saints, seemed to tremble, but such was not the case with St. Joseph. Even without a particular revelation he could entertain no doubt of his salvation. Jesus and Mary were in duty bound, on account of his relation to them, to pray for him, and St. Joseph expired in their arms.
Besides this, a tradition exists in the Church which asserts that St. Joseph is already united with His glorified body in heaven; and would it not be most appropriate that he, as the third person of the holy family, should, like Jesus and Mary, be thus glorified above all the choirs of saints? And it is an incontrovertible fact that no relics of the great saint have ever been found.
Honor, therefore, St. Joseph as the greatest of saints, above all the other celestial inhabitants of heaven. Christ, indeed, speaks of St. John as the greatest of all born of a woman; but as it is evident that he and his blessed Mother are exceptions to this, we may believe that St. Joseph, for the reason above mentioned, is likewise not included. His place in heaven, as it was on earth, is by the side of Jesus the King of all saints, and by Mary their Queen, and his glory therefore outshines that of the most glorious. Therefore, children of the Church, honor him as the greatest, the dearest, the most powerful of the saints, and recommend yourselves to his protection now and at the hour of your death. Amen!
"Go to Joseph."--Gen. xli.
When our thoughts dwell upon the saints in heaven, the feeling which predominates in our hearts is admiration of their sanctity and glory. Our first duty, therefore, is to show them the veneration due to them, as the glorified children and servants of God; and among them all, who is so justly entitled to every honor from us as St. Joseph? If every saint has a claim upon our veneration, how much more is this true of him, the holiest of all the saints, whom we have already contemplated, body and soul, by the side of Jesus and Mary on his heavenly throne?
We are, however, accustomed to manifest the sentiments of our veneration toward the saints by offering prayers in their honor, by singing hymns in praise of their virtues, and by saying special litanies to them. But more than all do we show our reverence and esteem by seeking refuge in their intercession in all our needs.
In this regard, each one can follow the impulse of his own devotion, and seek the protection of whatever saint in whose intercession he has the most confidence. But how great soever may be our esteem for the ability of the different saints to aid us, it is, above all, St. Joseph, in whom we may, with the greatest assurance of being heard, confide and hope.
Beloved in Christ, listen to my reasons for saying this, and reflect upon them during the course of your whole lives. O Mary, grant that we may ever confide in the power of the great St. Joseph to hear and help us! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!
If I wish today to animate your courage and my own so that it may never falter--to fly to St. Joseph in all our needs--nothing can serve so well for this as the declaration of a saint who is held in the highest esteem in the Church of God.
St. Teresa says: "I do not remember to have asked St. Joseph for any thing which he did not grant me." This is a very powerful proof, coming as it does from a saint who certainly never was guilty of exaggeration. What St. Teresa contributed on her part that caused St. Joseph always to grant her petitions, was, no doubt, the unbounded confidence with which she never failed to approach him; and also that her requests were always made in view of her wonderful vow, viz: "Ever to do what was most perfect." Let us imitate her example; and, filled with gratitude, we shall give that honor to St. Joseph which is justly due. As to the confidence which St. Teresa placed in him, I am not astonished at its extent; but rather inclined to wonder that it is not shared to a greater degree by all the faithful. In view of this, I deem it advisable to consider briefly with you the reasons wherefore she entertained it, for her motives for doing so exist for all the children of the Catholic Church.
We employ, with hope and trust, the intercession of the saints, because they are already with Christ, behold God face to face, and are intimately united with Him. Our confidence increases in proportion to the reasons we have for believing that they are exalted above all other saints, and particularly glorified before God according to their calling in His kingdom here on earth.
Secondly, the greater the merit through which they, while on earth, attained greater holiness by God's grace, the more firm will be our confidence in them, especially when they are saints whom our Lord, in different countries and in some special time of need, has appointed intercessors for the children of the Church.
In regard to the degree of glory to which St. Joseph is elevated in heaven, we behold him by the side of Jesus, in company with the Blessed Virgin Mary. This exaltation points, at the same time, to the degree of his union with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in the Most Holy Trinity. How indeed could God the Father refuse to hear the prayer of him whom He appointed to be His representative here on earth? In like manner how could God the Son deny him a request, since He was subject to him on earth as his foster-Son? And how could God the Holy Ghost remain deaf to any prayer of his, since He made him protector and spouse of her whom we have the right to designate as spouse of that Divine Spirit? Besides, St. Joseph stands at the side of Jesus, who is at the same time Man, with Mary, His mother. Let him but give the faintest sign, and Mary surely will not refuse to unite her prayer with his that Jesus will grant the petition; for Jesus is almighty, and, through this union with the Saviour and His mother, St. Joseph becomes, so to say, almighty himself.
As I said before, our confidence in the intercession of the saints is increased in proportion to the number of merits they gathered in the service of God, who deigns to glance at them, as we are assured in the Holy Scripture itself by the example of Moses, Job, and Jeremias the prophet.
But, in regard to St. Joseph, the merits of all the other saints are not to be compared to his, for his entire life was spent in the most tender solicitude for Jesus and Mary themselves; and, therefore, each of his works, toils, labors, and affections were of immeasurable value.
Certainly we know of no achievement, individually, which the saints performed, and therefore we are not allowed to exalt one above the other; but, in the case of St. Joseph, he stands pre-eminent above the rest, for the Scripture calls him perfect, just. He was, like Mary, a true mirror of perfection--without a blemish. How great, therefore, must be the pleasure with which the Most Holy Trinity contemplates him and grants all that he asks!
I repeat, that our assurance of being heard by the saints is more certain in regard to those who have performed wonderful things for God, in particular places, and whom He has glorified in times of need as special intercessors.
In regard to the calling of St. Joseph, it was most high and holy, and should be appreciated by all the faithful; for he fostered and protected the Lord and Creator of the world, to whom nothing is impossible.
Very justly, therefore, the holy fathers behold, in the person of the Egyptian Joseph, a figure of St. Joseph. The former was called, by the king, savior, helper. He watched over the granaries and storehouses in which the grain was preserved for the daily bread; but St. Joseph of the New Law cared for the bread which was one day to serve as a nourishment for the nations of the whole universe.
Pharaoh said to the people: "If you want help, go to Joseph;" and our heavenly Father, the King of kings, says: "If you need help, go to Joseph; I will hear his prayers for you." What God once said to the three friends of Job--"Go ye to Job, he will pray for you, and I will hear his prayers"--is most true in regard to St. Joseph,--in all necessities of soul and body there is no exception. Child of the Church, when the dark clouds of grief overshadow your soul, go to Joseph; he is, through Jesus Christ, the consoler of the afflicted. When you are tempted, go to Joseph; call upon him, and the temptations will vanish, or you will victoriously conquer. And if you should yield to the tempter's voice, and fall into sin, still go to Joseph; he will obtain for you the grace of true repentance and conversion.
Are you in good dispositions, but weak and tepid? Look up to Joseph, think of the glorious example of his sanctity, and he will obtain for you the grace of zeal. Are you afflicted with sickness? Go to Joseph, for he, too, is the health of the sick. If a St. Francis Xavier appeared to the suffering Marcellus, during his sickness, and said, "Invoke me, for you must know that I have influence in heaven," still more forcibly can the great saint, whom we devoutly, honor today, declare the same.
Yes, even in your temporal necessities call upon him with confidence, but with the reservation that what you petition for will surely tend to your spiritual benefit; and through his powerful intercession your prayer will not fail to obtain a hearing.
And, more than all, since the Head of the Church Himself has most solemnly dedicated St. Joseph as the patron of the "universal Church," we should, with the utmost faith, seek his gracious assistance. If we have done so during life, then he will surely assist us at the hour of death. Then let us pray daily for this grace, that we, like St. Joseph, may yield up our spirits in the arms of Jesus and Mary; and that, beholding him in heaven, we may eternally thank him for the graces which, through his intercession, we obtained on earth. Amen!
"Whose name was Joseph, of the house of David."--Luke i, 27.
Who could even think of the glorious St. Joseph, and not feel his heart instantly filled with the deepest veneration and admiration for him, and without being at once impelled to have recourse, with the greatest confidence, to his gracious intercession? Divine Providence has distinguished him in so wonderful a manner above all the other saints, even above the whole celestial choir of angels, by elevating him to the dignity of foster-father of Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, and virginal spouse of the Queen of all saints, that his mediation with the Source of all grace can not fail to be most powerful.
The exceptional graces which have been conferred upon him show us in a moment that the glory and power which surround St. Joseph in heaven, must be, indeed, great beyond conception. But, beloved in Christ, it is not sufficient to admire the heroic lives of the saints, nor even to feel that their intercession is most powerful, for there is one point in the veneration of the saints of much greater importance, and that is, that we are zealous in imitating their virtues. It is this disposition and determination of mind which tend to develop and directly test the greater part of the veneration which we profess to cherish for the saints, and it is particularly in this regard that our confidence will show itself most pleasing to God, as well as to the dear foster-father of the little infant Jesus.
The very name of this great saint contains a lesson in itself as to the manner in which our endeavors to imitate him should proceed, for the signification of Joseph is "The Increasing." And truly, from his wonderful virtue, he is fully entitled to it, for the light of his sanctity grew more and more brilliant, until at last it merged into the glory of the eternal day. This meaning will intimate to us the importance of striving ever to advance in our journey along the way of perfection, that we may resemble the more closely our patron, St. Joseph, who is also the patron of the universal Church.
What our progress in virtue particularly depends upon shall be made plain to you today by a careful consideration of the virtues which distinguished St. Joseph, and which in the course of my sermon I will place before your eyes. O Mary, obtain for us the grace to go on in the way of perfection with a zeal similar to that of him who was appointed by God to assist thee in the guardianship of thy divine Son. I speak in the holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!
"Walk before Me, and be perfect." Thus runs the word of the Lord to Abraham, the father of the faithful. "Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect," is the injunction of Christ to all the children of men. These words of the Lord indicate at the same time the condition in which we must be to satisfy this command, or, as it may be called, this challenge to the human race. We must strive in every action of our lives to do always the most holy and divine will, even in matters which appear to us of trifling import; and not only must we avoid evil, but practise with continually increasing zeal the duties of our state of life, never for a moment losing sight of the goal we wish to reach--perfection.
It is of his own endeavors that St. Paul speaks when he says: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I pursue towards the mark." In a greater or less degree every child of the Church is interested in becoming better and better, after a true Catholic knowledge has so penetrated his heart that he appreciates the duty which rests upon him to advance as far as he can in the path of virtue.
Today I have not in view those every-day Christians who are satisfied with fulfilling the most general obligations which devolve upon them in daily life. I speak to souls who complain that, with all their care to become more pleasing to God, they remain always the same, and, to their utter discouragement, make no progress whatever; who have, indeed, reason to say of themselves: "Instead of advancing, we go back--we know it too well, and, alas! others remark it also, especially those who are constantly with us. How can we help it?" In answer I will call your attention to those virtues which appeared most conspicuously in the life of St. Joseph, which shine forth with the greatest splendor, and are to be called his characteristic virtues.
In the first place, St. Joseph had a most profound esteem for the dignity of his calling. Like St. John the Baptist, he was most deeply impressed with the holiness of the office, which enabled him to walk worthily by the side of Jesus and Mary, and the greatness of the obligation which rested upon him to fulfill its duties in a fitting manner.
The great point wherein so many Christians are deficient, is a want of appreciation of the fact that God has created us for His kingdom; and that where Christ is, there is His kingdom; therefore all upon earth that prevents us from following Him is naught but vanity of vanities, and never sufficient to satisfy our hearts.
The generality of Christians seem to place worldly happiness above all; their principal care is but to possess and to enjoy for as many years as they can. Hence their carelessness in all that relates to their eternal salvation, on the one hand, and, on the other, their excessive care for the things of earth.
Show me a Christian with a will full of sincerity in the service of God, perfectly satisfied to embrace the state of life which God has marked out for him, and he will surely walk before the Lord, and make rapid progress in perfection.
St. Joseph lived in retirement and silence--a hidden life. He lived in the deepest recollection of spirit, keeping God ever in view. And here we perceive one of the principal obstacles which stands in the path of so many who fain would think that they are seeking the most rapid way to perfection.
The constant turmoil in which they live is not conducive to a holy life. They shrink from that solitude wherein the Holy Ghost would speak to their hearts. They are given to much conversing, and that, where neither duty nor Christian charity demands it, is a great source of tepidity and lukewarmness. It sets a most pernicious example, which in many instances destroys whatever efforts are made for the sanctification of souls.
To this is added an excessive fondness for pleasure. What was at once the solace, the joy, and the recreation of St. Joseph, was his intercourse with Jesus and Mary; and this will impart to us a very important lesson. Christ our Lord is the model of all perfection, and after Him ranks Mary as the most faithful imitator of the splendor of those virtues which adorned her Son. For thirty years St. Joseph had this immaculate Mother and her divine Son daily before his eyes. He lived with Jesus and Mary, which circumstance gave him occasion to regulate his life in accordance with their example; and this he did with an assiduity and a fidelity proportionate to his knowledge of and love for them, and the ardor of his desire to resemble them daily more and more.
But, alas! how far removed are men in general from thus knowing and loving Christ and His blessed Mother! Happy the Christian whose heart is inflamed with intense fervor for this dear Mother who was so tenderly cherished by our Saviour; he will continually contemplate the example of her virtues, and fly to her refuge in every spiritual necessity. Such a one leads, indeed, a holy and zealous life; for love for Mary can not exist where there is no love for Christ.
Then, by frequent reception of and intimate union with Him in the Most Holy Sacrament, he will acquire a love of prayer, and a deeper knowledge of Jesus and the life which is hidden with Christ in God. This will open for him an inexhaustible source of grace for the sanctification of his life, and replenish his heart with an ardent love of the cross, and with perfect resignation to the most holy will of God.
In the holy life of the great St. Joseph these dispositions shine most brilliantly forth. God tries His elect by adversity and tribulations, and the dear saint whose festival we celebrate today was no exception to the universal decree. Trials fell to the lot of St. Joseph, and he bowed in submission to the divine will; he remained silent, speaking not even to the angel who spoke to him.
What a heavenly model of silence for all who are really in earnest in their wish to advance in virtue! What resignation, what love of the cross, distinguished this great saint! I declare to you, most beloved in Christ, that the spirit of shrinking from the cross, from self-denial, which we find in so many Christians, is one of the principal causes of the little progress they make in virtue. Oh, what joy it is to meet one who has a tender devotion to the cross through the love of Christ, who finds therein a balm for every ill, and who, when the hand of the Lord is heavy upon him, is willing to give himself to God without reserve!
Therefore, O St. Joseph! we pray thee obtain for us grace and strength to imitate those virtues which shone with such brilliant luster in thy life, and we shall, no doubt, if consistent, reach the height of Christian perfection.--Amen!
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
(Indulgence of seven years)
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Feast of St. Joseph
"There was not found the like to Him."--Eccl. 44.
"Out of many hearts thoughts shall be revealed," thus spoke Simeon in the temple to Mary, the mother of the divine Child. Nineteen centuries have passed away since that hour, and how wonderfully have the predictions of Simeon and that of Mary herself, which she so solemnly made from Jerusalem's height, been verified. "Henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." Every Catholic heart feels, in the love and devotion of a child of God, the most tender veneration to Mary, and a confidence which has never yet been disappointed; and the same is true of the holy father St. Joseph, who, with Mary, the mother of the divine Child, presented himself before Simeon. To Joseph, also, Simeon could direct those words: "But on you, also, the hearts of men shall be revealed."
It is true that the faithful experience, in regard to the different saints, different sentiments of love and devotion, and have for this or that saint a greater veneration, or a greater confidence in his power. There is, however, one saint, of whom it can be asserted, that the entire body of the faithful unite in entertaining a particular veneration for him, and that saint is the great St. Joseph.
To prove the truth of this, you may ask your own hearts: "Do you not feel a special reverence for St. Joseph? and do you not cherish the utmost confidence in his intercession?" There can be but one answer, and that is, yes; but still I doubt whether you have considered and reflected upon the justice of the reasons which prove that St. Joseph is not only a great and mighty saint, but that his intercession is, after that of Mary, the most powerful in heaven.
Let me place clearly before your eyes today that this is the case. St. Joseph, after Mary, the greatest of all the saints, raised highest in Heaven, next to Mary, will be the theme of my sermon for his feast today. O Mary, bless the words which issue from my lips for the glorification of your virginal spouse, the great St. Joseph! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!
I say: Honor St. Joseph more than any one of the other saints; for he is not only a great saint, but he is also, next to Mary, the holiest of them all, and, therefore, his intercession is the most powerful. Certainly it is not becoming for us, as St. Alphonsus Liguori, with other doctors of the Church, admonishes us, to attempt to estimate the greatness of the saints, according to our own pleasure and predilection, and in this way maintain a preference for one above the other. There can be saints, who, beyond a doubt, exteriorly accomplished many more astonishing and glorious deeds; but God sees the heart of His unknown servants, and what they accomplished before Him will not be known by the world till the day of judgment, which will reveal it all.
However, as the same St. Alphonsus and other equally unquestionable authorities teach, we may, in regard to the holy Apostles, assert without hesitation that they are elevated in heaven above all the choirs of saints, nearest to Christ. The reason of this assertion lies in the position which they held upon earth in the kingdom of God.
For what determines the degree of our future glorification in heaven? First, the degree of election, which was bestowed upon us on earth in the kingdom of God; secondly, the measure of grace, corresponding to this calling; thirdly, the zeal and fidelity with which we made use of them. Let us apply what I have said to St. Joseph.
Christ spent an entire night in prayer, and selected twelve from among the whole human race to be with Him. These twelve formed His Apostolic Court. And as Christ departed this world, He directed to them these words: "As My Father has sent Me, I also send you. Whosoever hears you, hears Me. Whosoever honors you, honors Me. Go forth into the whole world, and preach the gospel to all nations. Whatsoever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven. I have elected you." By these words Christ refers to the most glorious calling of the Apostles in the kingdom of Christ upon earth,--a calling which elevated the Apostles above all the rest of the human race, and by which undoubtedly they will be forever distinguished in heaven by the most resplendent glory.
"You will sit with Me on twelve thrones;" thus Christ Himself assures us. But however glorious was the calling of the Apostles in comparison to that of other men, how immeasurably higher still was that of St. Joseph!
Joseph, by the side of Christ here on earth, was to represent the place of the heavenly Father, as the foster-father of Jesus, the virginal spouse and husband of the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Queen of heaven and earth. He stood in this relation already at the manger, when Jesus entered into the world, and remained not only three years, as the Apostles did, by His side, but during nearly thirty years.
The Apostles walked with Christ, surrounded by a multitude of people; Jesus seldom spoke to any one of them. Joseph abode with Jesus alone, and conversed with Him at pleasure at any time, as his fosterfather was entitled to do.
Christ confided to the Apostles the establishment of His Church. To St. Joseph was assigned the care of Him who is the Founder of that Church. In this position, as the foster-father of Christ, it was fitting that St. Joseph should lead so holy a life that, according to the common family life, it might, could such a thing have been possible, have served as a model even for the Child Jesus Himself. St. Joseph had to lead such a life of perfection that Christ, as the foster-Son, could not but feel obliged to honor it with child-like reverence.
Such was not the case with the Apostles. They were frail men, whom Christ found it sometimes necessary to reprove; where, as any thing like this, can never be thought of in regard of St. Joseph. Therefore, St. Joseph must surely have so lived that no shadow of imperfection ever fell upon him; yes, so as to leave not the slightest reason for us to think that Jesus could ever have evinced the least desire to say: "This or that man would have been more worthy than you to be My foster-father." No; the testimony which Holy Scripture gave to St. Joseph, "He was a just man," literally proves itself. He was holy, and no other saint ever attained to as great a degree of sanctity.
The same is consequently true of his relations with Mary. The man is the head of the family, and should, therefore, in his situation, live, so as to be a pattern to his wife. But it was fitting that Mary also should honor St. Joseph, and that he should live so that, could such a thing again have been possible, Mary, who is the mirror of justice, might have taken example from him, and had reason to admire the sanctity of her earthly spouse.
What a saint, therefore, was St. Joseph among the saints! I remarked secondly: The degree of glory in heaven, depends on the measure of graces which are imparted to the Christian here on earth, on account of his state in life; therefore, a fuller measure of grace was meted out to the Apostles than to other saints; since Christ elected them for an office which was above that of all others. They were to become the heralds of faith, the foundation and pillars of glory, surrounding the throne of Jesus Christ in heaven.
If this be so, how great must not have been that measure of grace which was imparted to St. Joseph, whose office far surpassed that of the Apostles, as we have just now considered!
The means to increase grace in our hearts is, above all, prayer; therefore, even the Apostles admonish the faithful to pray for it. How effective, therefore, must the prayer of St. Joseph have been, of him who lived in the closest proximity to Jesus and Mary; prayed with them, and to whom they surely never refused a petition. Not only that; but it was he for whom Jesus, as his foster-Son, and Mary, as his virginal spouse, were obliged to pray.
O Joseph, thrice happy saint! St. Bernardine of Sienna is right, when he draws from this single reason the conclusion that Joseph was the greatest of all the saints on earth, and is now abiding nearest to Mary in heaven, and, after her, nearest the throne of the Source of all graces!
Finally, the degree of glory in heaven depends on the fidelity with which a soul uses the graces imparted to her for her blessed end. Such was the case with the Apostles. They lived so that they all with perfect justice could cry out to the faithful, with St. Paul: "Be ye my imitators, as I am an imitator of Christ."
Still, how much more does this hold good of our holy father St. Joseph, who had the example and pattern of Christ, during thirty years before his eyes, and, therefore, the opportunity of earning daily, yes, hourly, merits of the highest degree of recompense in heaven. The Apostles cared for the salvation of souls, which were once slaves of the devil. St. Joseph had to provide for Jesus and Mary!
What is done for a dearly beloved child, a father will reward more richly than he will benefits conferred upon a number of others. How precious in the eyes of God, therefore, were the works of St. Joseph, for they all related to Jesus and Mary, for whom he worked and lived. Yes, next to Mary, we dare and must call out to St. Joseph: "Others have gathered riches, but thou dost surpass them all." Thus St. Joseph lived up to his latest breath. At the thought of God the Judge, St. Peter and Paul, and with them all the saints, seemed to tremble, but such was not the case with St. Joseph. Even without a particular revelation he could entertain no doubt of his salvation. Jesus and Mary were in duty bound, on account of his relation to them, to pray for him, and St. Joseph expired in their arms.
Besides this, a tradition exists in the Church which asserts that St. Joseph is already united with His glorified body in heaven; and would it not be most appropriate that he, as the third person of the holy family, should, like Jesus and Mary, be thus glorified above all the choirs of saints? And it is an incontrovertible fact that no relics of the great saint have ever been found.
Honor, therefore, St. Joseph as the greatest of saints, above all the other celestial inhabitants of heaven. Christ, indeed, speaks of St. John as the greatest of all born of a woman; but as it is evident that he and his blessed Mother are exceptions to this, we may believe that St. Joseph, for the reason above mentioned, is likewise not included. His place in heaven, as it was on earth, is by the side of Jesus the King of all saints, and by Mary their Queen, and his glory therefore outshines that of the most glorious. Therefore, children of the Church, honor him as the greatest, the dearest, the most powerful of the saints, and recommend yourselves to his protection now and at the hour of your death. Amen!
"Go to Joseph."--Gen. xli.
When our thoughts dwell upon the saints in heaven, the feeling which predominates in our hearts is admiration of their sanctity and glory. Our first duty, therefore, is to show them the veneration due to them, as the glorified children and servants of God; and among them all, who is so justly entitled to every honor from us as St. Joseph? If every saint has a claim upon our veneration, how much more is this true of him, the holiest of all the saints, whom we have already contemplated, body and soul, by the side of Jesus and Mary on his heavenly throne?
We are, however, accustomed to manifest the sentiments of our veneration toward the saints by offering prayers in their honor, by singing hymns in praise of their virtues, and by saying special litanies to them. But more than all do we show our reverence and esteem by seeking refuge in their intercession in all our needs.
In this regard, each one can follow the impulse of his own devotion, and seek the protection of whatever saint in whose intercession he has the most confidence. But how great soever may be our esteem for the ability of the different saints to aid us, it is, above all, St. Joseph, in whom we may, with the greatest assurance of being heard, confide and hope.
Beloved in Christ, listen to my reasons for saying this, and reflect upon them during the course of your whole lives. O Mary, grant that we may ever confide in the power of the great St. Joseph to hear and help us! I speak in the most holy name of Jesus, for the greater glory of God!
If I wish today to animate your courage and my own so that it may never falter--to fly to St. Joseph in all our needs--nothing can serve so well for this as the declaration of a saint who is held in the highest esteem in the Church of God.
St. Teresa says: "I do not remember to have asked St. Joseph for any thing which he did not grant me." This is a very powerful proof, coming as it does from a saint who certainly never was guilty of exaggeration. What St. Teresa contributed on her part that caused St. Joseph always to grant her petitions, was, no doubt, the unbounded confidence with which she never failed to approach him; and also that her requests were always made in view of her wonderful vow, viz: "Ever to do what was most perfect." Let us imitate her example; and, filled with gratitude, we shall give that honor to St. Joseph which is justly due. As to the confidence which St. Teresa placed in him, I am not astonished at its extent; but rather inclined to wonder that it is not shared to a greater degree by all the faithful. In view of this, I deem it advisable to consider briefly with you the reasons wherefore she entertained it, for her motives for doing so exist for all the children of the Catholic Church.
We employ, with hope and trust, the intercession of the saints, because they are already with Christ, behold God face to face, and are intimately united with Him. Our confidence increases in proportion to the reasons we have for believing that they are exalted above all other saints, and particularly glorified before God according to their calling in His kingdom here on earth.
Secondly, the greater the merit through which they, while on earth, attained greater holiness by God's grace, the more firm will be our confidence in them, especially when they are saints whom our Lord, in different countries and in some special time of need, has appointed intercessors for the children of the Church.
In regard to the degree of glory to which St. Joseph is elevated in heaven, we behold him by the side of Jesus, in company with the Blessed Virgin Mary. This exaltation points, at the same time, to the degree of his union with God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost in the Most Holy Trinity. How indeed could God the Father refuse to hear the prayer of him whom He appointed to be His representative here on earth? In like manner how could God the Son deny him a request, since He was subject to him on earth as his foster-Son? And how could God the Holy Ghost remain deaf to any prayer of his, since He made him protector and spouse of her whom we have the right to designate as spouse of that Divine Spirit? Besides, St. Joseph stands at the side of Jesus, who is at the same time Man, with Mary, His mother. Let him but give the faintest sign, and Mary surely will not refuse to unite her prayer with his that Jesus will grant the petition; for Jesus is almighty, and, through this union with the Saviour and His mother, St. Joseph becomes, so to say, almighty himself.
As I said before, our confidence in the intercession of the saints is increased in proportion to the number of merits they gathered in the service of God, who deigns to glance at them, as we are assured in the Holy Scripture itself by the example of Moses, Job, and Jeremias the prophet.
But, in regard to St. Joseph, the merits of all the other saints are not to be compared to his, for his entire life was spent in the most tender solicitude for Jesus and Mary themselves; and, therefore, each of his works, toils, labors, and affections were of immeasurable value.
Certainly we know of no achievement, individually, which the saints performed, and therefore we are not allowed to exalt one above the other; but, in the case of St. Joseph, he stands pre-eminent above the rest, for the Scripture calls him perfect, just. He was, like Mary, a true mirror of perfection--without a blemish. How great, therefore, must be the pleasure with which the Most Holy Trinity contemplates him and grants all that he asks!
I repeat, that our assurance of being heard by the saints is more certain in regard to those who have performed wonderful things for God, in particular places, and whom He has glorified in times of need as special intercessors.
In regard to the calling of St. Joseph, it was most high and holy, and should be appreciated by all the faithful; for he fostered and protected the Lord and Creator of the world, to whom nothing is impossible.
Very justly, therefore, the holy fathers behold, in the person of the Egyptian Joseph, a figure of St. Joseph. The former was called, by the king, savior, helper. He watched over the granaries and storehouses in which the grain was preserved for the daily bread; but St. Joseph of the New Law cared for the bread which was one day to serve as a nourishment for the nations of the whole universe.
Pharaoh said to the people: "If you want help, go to Joseph;" and our heavenly Father, the King of kings, says: "If you need help, go to Joseph; I will hear his prayers for you." What God once said to the three friends of Job--"Go ye to Job, he will pray for you, and I will hear his prayers"--is most true in regard to St. Joseph,--in all necessities of soul and body there is no exception. Child of the Church, when the dark clouds of grief overshadow your soul, go to Joseph; he is, through Jesus Christ, the consoler of the afflicted. When you are tempted, go to Joseph; call upon him, and the temptations will vanish, or you will victoriously conquer. And if you should yield to the tempter's voice, and fall into sin, still go to Joseph; he will obtain for you the grace of true repentance and conversion.
Are you in good dispositions, but weak and tepid? Look up to Joseph, think of the glorious example of his sanctity, and he will obtain for you the grace of zeal. Are you afflicted with sickness? Go to Joseph, for he, too, is the health of the sick. If a St. Francis Xavier appeared to the suffering Marcellus, during his sickness, and said, "Invoke me, for you must know that I have influence in heaven," still more forcibly can the great saint, whom we devoutly, honor today, declare the same.
Yes, even in your temporal necessities call upon him with confidence, but with the reservation that what you petition for will surely tend to your spiritual benefit; and through his powerful intercession your prayer will not fail to obtain a hearing.
And, more than all, since the Head of the Church Himself has most solemnly dedicated St. Joseph as the patron of the "universal Church," we should, with the utmost faith, seek his gracious assistance. If we have done so during life, then he will surely assist us at the hour of death. Then let us pray daily for this grace, that we, like St. Joseph, may yield up our spirits in the arms of Jesus and Mary; and that, beholding him in heaven, we may eternally thank him for the graces which, through his intercession, we obtained on earth. Amen!
"Whose name was Joseph, of the house of David."--Luke i, 27.
Who could even think of the glorious St. Joseph, and not feel his heart instantly filled with the deepest veneration and admiration for him, and without being at once impelled to have recourse, with the greatest confidence, to his gracious intercession? Divine Providence has distinguished him in so wonderful a manner above all the other saints, even above the whole celestial choir of angels, by elevating him to the dignity of foster-father of Christ, the Incarnate Son of God, and virginal spouse of the Queen of all saints, that his mediation with the Source of all grace can not fail to be most powerful.
The exceptional graces which have been conferred upon him show us in a moment that the glory and power which surround St. Joseph in heaven, must be, indeed, great beyond conception. But, beloved in Christ, it is not sufficient to admire the heroic lives of the saints, nor even to feel that their intercession is most powerful, for there is one point in the veneration of the saints of much greater importance, and that is, that we are zealous in imitating their virtues. It is this disposition and determination of mind which tend to develop and directly test the greater part of the veneration which we profess to cherish for the saints, and it is particularly in this regard that our confidence will show itself most pleasing to God, as well as to the dear foster-father of the little infant Jesus.
The very name of this great saint contains a lesson in itself as to the manner in which our endeavors to imitate him should proceed, for the signification of Joseph is "The Increasing." And truly, from his wonderful virtue, he is fully entitled to it, for the light of his sanctity grew more and more brilliant, until at last it merged into the glory of the eternal day. This meaning will intimate to us the importance of striving ever to advance in our journey along the way of perfection, that we may resemble the more closely our patron, St. Joseph, who is also the patron of the universal Church.
What our progress in virtue particularly depends upon shall be made plain to you today by a careful consideration of the virtues which distinguished St. Joseph, and which in the course of my sermon I will place before your eyes. O Mary, obtain for us the grace to go on in the way of perfection with a zeal similar to that of him who was appointed by God to assist thee in the guardianship of thy divine Son. I speak in the holy name of Jesus, for the greater honor and glory of God!
"Walk before Me, and be perfect." Thus runs the word of the Lord to Abraham, the father of the faithful. "Be ye perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect," is the injunction of Christ to all the children of men. These words of the Lord indicate at the same time the condition in which we must be to satisfy this command, or, as it may be called, this challenge to the human race. We must strive in every action of our lives to do always the most holy and divine will, even in matters which appear to us of trifling import; and not only must we avoid evil, but practise with continually increasing zeal the duties of our state of life, never for a moment losing sight of the goal we wish to reach--perfection.
It is of his own endeavors that St. Paul speaks when he says: "Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting the things that are behind, and stretching forth myself to those that are before, I pursue towards the mark." In a greater or less degree every child of the Church is interested in becoming better and better, after a true Catholic knowledge has so penetrated his heart that he appreciates the duty which rests upon him to advance as far as he can in the path of virtue.
Today I have not in view those every-day Christians who are satisfied with fulfilling the most general obligations which devolve upon them in daily life. I speak to souls who complain that, with all their care to become more pleasing to God, they remain always the same, and, to their utter discouragement, make no progress whatever; who have, indeed, reason to say of themselves: "Instead of advancing, we go back--we know it too well, and, alas! others remark it also, especially those who are constantly with us. How can we help it?" In answer I will call your attention to those virtues which appeared most conspicuously in the life of St. Joseph, which shine forth with the greatest splendor, and are to be called his characteristic virtues.
In the first place, St. Joseph had a most profound esteem for the dignity of his calling. Like St. John the Baptist, he was most deeply impressed with the holiness of the office, which enabled him to walk worthily by the side of Jesus and Mary, and the greatness of the obligation which rested upon him to fulfill its duties in a fitting manner.
The great point wherein so many Christians are deficient, is a want of appreciation of the fact that God has created us for His kingdom; and that where Christ is, there is His kingdom; therefore all upon earth that prevents us from following Him is naught but vanity of vanities, and never sufficient to satisfy our hearts.
The generality of Christians seem to place worldly happiness above all; their principal care is but to possess and to enjoy for as many years as they can. Hence their carelessness in all that relates to their eternal salvation, on the one hand, and, on the other, their excessive care for the things of earth.
Show me a Christian with a will full of sincerity in the service of God, perfectly satisfied to embrace the state of life which God has marked out for him, and he will surely walk before the Lord, and make rapid progress in perfection.
St. Joseph lived in retirement and silence--a hidden life. He lived in the deepest recollection of spirit, keeping God ever in view. And here we perceive one of the principal obstacles which stands in the path of so many who fain would think that they are seeking the most rapid way to perfection.
The constant turmoil in which they live is not conducive to a holy life. They shrink from that solitude wherein the Holy Ghost would speak to their hearts. They are given to much conversing, and that, where neither duty nor Christian charity demands it, is a great source of tepidity and lukewarmness. It sets a most pernicious example, which in many instances destroys whatever efforts are made for the sanctification of souls.
To this is added an excessive fondness for pleasure. What was at once the solace, the joy, and the recreation of St. Joseph, was his intercourse with Jesus and Mary; and this will impart to us a very important lesson. Christ our Lord is the model of all perfection, and after Him ranks Mary as the most faithful imitator of the splendor of those virtues which adorned her Son. For thirty years St. Joseph had this immaculate Mother and her divine Son daily before his eyes. He lived with Jesus and Mary, which circumstance gave him occasion to regulate his life in accordance with their example; and this he did with an assiduity and a fidelity proportionate to his knowledge of and love for them, and the ardor of his desire to resemble them daily more and more.
But, alas! how far removed are men in general from thus knowing and loving Christ and His blessed Mother! Happy the Christian whose heart is inflamed with intense fervor for this dear Mother who was so tenderly cherished by our Saviour; he will continually contemplate the example of her virtues, and fly to her refuge in every spiritual necessity. Such a one leads, indeed, a holy and zealous life; for love for Mary can not exist where there is no love for Christ.
Then, by frequent reception of and intimate union with Him in the Most Holy Sacrament, he will acquire a love of prayer, and a deeper knowledge of Jesus and the life which is hidden with Christ in God. This will open for him an inexhaustible source of grace for the sanctification of his life, and replenish his heart with an ardent love of the cross, and with perfect resignation to the most holy will of God.
In the holy life of the great St. Joseph these dispositions shine most brilliantly forth. God tries His elect by adversity and tribulations, and the dear saint whose festival we celebrate today was no exception to the universal decree. Trials fell to the lot of St. Joseph, and he bowed in submission to the divine will; he remained silent, speaking not even to the angel who spoke to him.
What a heavenly model of silence for all who are really in earnest in their wish to advance in virtue! What resignation, what love of the cross, distinguished this great saint! I declare to you, most beloved in Christ, that the spirit of shrinking from the cross, from self-denial, which we find in so many Christians, is one of the principal causes of the little progress they make in virtue. Oh, what joy it is to meet one who has a tender devotion to the cross through the love of Christ, who finds therein a balm for every ill, and who, when the hand of the Lord is heavy upon him, is willing to give himself to God without reserve!
Therefore, O St. Joseph! we pray thee obtain for us grace and strength to imitate those virtues which shone with such brilliant luster in thy life, and we shall, no doubt, if consistent, reach the height of Christian perfection.--Amen!
Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul; Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony; Jesus, Mary and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you.
(Indulgence of seven years)
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Who and what manner of man this blessed Joseph was, you may gather from the title, with which, although only as a deputy, he deserved to be honored so that he was both called and thought to be the father of God. You may gather it from his very name, which, being interpreted, means Increase. At the same time remember that great man, the former patriarch, who was sold into Egypt; and know that Joseph not only inherited the latter's name, but attained to his chastity, and equalled his grace and innocence.
If, then, that Joseph, sold by fraternal envy and carried into Egypt, foreshadowed the selling of Christ; this Joseph, fleeing from the envy of Herod, carried Christ into Egypt. The former, loyal to his master, would have nothing to do with his master's lady; the latter, recognizing his Lady, the mother of his Lord, to be a virgin, and being himself chaste, guarded her faithfully. To the former was given discernment in the mysteries of dreams; to the latter it was given to know and to share in the heavenly mysteries.
The former laid up wheat, not for himself but for all the people; the latter received the living Bread from heaven to guard it, for himself and for the whole world. There is not doubt that the Joseph, to whom the mother of the Savior was espoused, was a good, and faithful man. A faithful and prudent servant, I say, whom the Lord gave as a consolation to his Mother, as the guardian of His own body, and finally as the only and trusty helper upon earth in the great plan of His Incarnation.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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Quamquam pluries
Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Devotion to St. Joseph
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To Our Venerable Brethren the Patriarchs, Primates,
Archbishops, and other Ordinaries, in Peace and Union with Holy See.
Although We have already many times ordered special prayers to be offered up in the whole world, that the interests of Catholicism might be insistently recommended to God, none will deem it matter for surprise that We consider the present moment an opportune one for again inculcating the same duty. During periods of stress and trial – chiefly when every lawlessness of act seems permitted to the powers of darkness – it has been the custom in the Church to plead with special fervour and perseverance to God, her author and protector, by recourse to the intercession of the saints – and chiefly of the Blessed Virgin, Mother of God – whose patronage has ever been the most efficacious. The fruit of these pious prayers and of the confidence reposed in the Divine goodness, has always, sooner or later, been made apparent. Now, Venerable Brethren, you know the times in which we live; they are scarcely less deplorable for the Christian religion than the worst days, which in time past were most full of misery to the Church. We see faith, the root of all the Christian virtues, lessening in many souls; we see charity growing cold; the young generation daily growing in depravity of morals and views; the Church of Jesus Christ attacked on every side by open force or by craft; a relentless war waged against the Sovereign Pontiff; and the very foundations of religion undermined with a boldness which waxes daily in intensity. These things are, indeed, so much a matter of notoriety that it is needless for Us to expatiate on the depths to which society has sunk in these days, or on the designs which now agitate the minds of men. In circumstances so unhappy and troublous, human remedies are insufficient, and it becomes necessary, as a sole resource, to beg for assistance from the Divine power.
2. This is the reason why We have considered it necessary to turn to the Christian people and urge them to implore, with increased zeal and constancy, the aid of Almighty God. At this proximity of the month of October, which We have already consecrated to the Virgin Mary, under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary, We earnestly exhort the faithful to perform the exercises of this month with, if possible, even more piety and constancy than heretofore. We know that there is sure help in the maternal goodness of the Virgin, and We are very certain that We shall never vainly place Our trust in her. If, on innumerable occasions, she has displayed her power in aid of the Christian world, why should We doubt that she will now renew the assistance of her power and favour, if humble and constant prayers are offered up on all sides to her? Nay, We rather believe that her intervention will be the more marvellous as she has permitted Us to pray to her, for so long a time, with special appeals. But We entertain another object, which, according to your wont, Venerable Brethren, you will advance with fervour. That God may be more favourable to Our prayers, and that He may come with bounty and promptitude to the aid of His Church, We judge it of deep utility for the Christian people, continually to invoke with great piety and trust, together with the Virgin-Mother of God, her chaste Spouse, the Blessed Joseph; and We regard it as most certain that this will be most pleasing to the Virgin herself. On the subject of this devotion, of which We speak publicly for the first time to-day, We know without doubt that not only is the people inclined to it, but that it is already established, and is advancing to full growth. We have seen the devotion to St. Joseph, which in past times the Roman Pontiffs have developed and gradually increased, grow into greater proportions in Our time, particularly after Pius IX., of happy memory, Our predecessor, proclaimed, yielding to the request of a large number of bishops, this holy patriarch the patron of the Catholic Church. And as, moreover, it is of high importance that the devotion to St. Joseph should engraft itself upon the daily pious practices of Catholics, We desire that the Christian people should be urged to it above all by Our words and authority.
3. The special motives for which St. Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Church, and from which the Church looks for singular benefit from his patronage and protection, are that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and that he was reputed the Father of Jesus Christ. From these sources have sprung his dignity, his holiness, his glory. In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life’s companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honour, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men. Hence it came about that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him, and that He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their parents. From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded from death the Child threatened by a monarch’s jealousy, and found for Him a refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of Jesus. Now the divine house which Joseph ruled with the authority of a father, contained within its limits the scarce-born Church. From the same fact that the most holy Virgin is the mother of Jesus Christ is she the mother of all Christians whom she bore on Mount Calvary amid the supreme throes of the Redemption; Jesus Christ is, in a manner, the first-born of Christians, who by the adoption and Redemption are his brothers. And for such reasons the Blessed Patriarch looks upon the multitude of Christians who make up the Church as confided specially to his trust – this limitless family spread over the earth, over which, because he is the spouse of Mary and the Father of Jesus Christ he holds, as it were, a paternal authority. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.
4. You well understand, Venerable Brethren, that these considerations are confirmed by the ,opinion held by a large number of the Fathers, to which the sacred liturgy gives its sanction, that the Joseph of ancient times, son of the patriarch Jacob, was the type of St. Joseph, and the former by his glory prefigured the greatness of the future guardian of the Holy Family. And in truth, beyond the fact that the same name-a point the significance of which has never been denied-was given to each, you well know the points of likeness that exist between them; namely, that the first Joseph won the favour and especial goodwill of his master, and that through Joseph’s administration his household came to prosperity and wealth; that (still more important) he presided over the kingdom with great power, and, in a time when the harvests failed, he provided for all the needs of the Egyptians with so much wisdom that the King decreed to him the title “Saviour of the world.” Thus it is that We may prefigure the new in the old patriarch. And as the first caused the prosperity of his master’s domestic interests and at the same time rendered great services to the whole kingdom, so the second, destined to be the guardian of the Christian religion, should be regarded as the protector and defender of the Church, which is truly the house of the Lord and the kingdom of God on earth. These are the reasons why men of every rank and country should fly to the trust and guard of the blessed Joseph. Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance; spouses a perfect example of love, of peace, and of conjugal fidelity; virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity. The noble of birth will earn of Joseph how to guard their dignity even in misfortune; the rich will understand, by his lessons, what are the goods most to be desired and won at the price of their labour. As to workmen, artisans, and persons of lesser degree, their recourse to Joseph is a special right, and his example is for their particular imitation. For Joseph, of royal blood, united by marriage to the greatest and holiest of women, reputed the father of the Son of God, passed his life in labour, and won by the toil of the artisan the needful support of his family. It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the labourer is not only not dishonouring, but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled. Joseph, content with his slight possessions, bore the trials consequent on a fortune so slender, with greatness of soul, in imitation of his Son, who having put on the form of a slave, being the Lord of life, subjected himself of his own free-will to the spoliation and loss of everything.
5. Through these considerations, the poor and those who live by the labour of their hands should be of good heart and learn to be just. If they win the right of emerging from poverty and obtaining a better rank by lawful means, reason and justice uphold them in changing the order established, in the first instance, for them by the Providence of God. But recourse to force and struggles by seditious paths to obtain such ends are madnesses which only aggravate the evil which they aim to suppress. Let the poor, then, if they would be wise, trust not to the promises of seditious men, but rather to the example and patronage of the Blessed Joseph, and to the maternal charity of the Church, which each day takes an increasing compassion on their lot.
6. This is the reason why – trusting much to your zeal and episcopal authority, Venerable Brethren, and not doubting that the good and pious faithful will run beyond the mere letter of the law – We prescribe that during the whole month of October, at the recitation of the Rosary, for which We have already legislated, a prayer to St. Joseph be added, the formula of which will be sent with this letter, and that this custom should be repeated every year. To those who recite this prayer, We grant for each time an indulgence of seven years and seven Lents. It is a salutary practice and very praiseworthy, already established in some countries, to consecrate the month of March to the honour of the holy Patriarch by daily exercises of piety. Where this custom cannot be easily established, it is as least desirable, that before the feast-day, in the principal church of each parish, a triduo of prayer be celebrated. In those lands where the 19th of March – the Feast of St. Joseph – is not a Festival of Obligation, We exhort the faithful to sanctify it as far as possible by private pious practices, in honour of their heavenly patron, as though it were a day of Obligation.
7. And in token of heavenly favours, and in witness of Our good-will, We grant most lovingly in the Lord, to you, Venerable Brethren, to your clergy and to your people, the Apostolic blessing.
Given from the Vatican, August 15th, 1889, the 11th year of Our Pontificate.
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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THE HAPPY DEATH OF SAINT JOSEPH
The Mystical City of God, Vol. II
By Venerable Mary of Agreda
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Already eight years Saint Joseph had been exercised by his infirmities and sufferings, and his noble soul had been purified more and more each day in the crucible of affliction and of divine love. As the time passed his bodily strength gradually diminished and he approached the unavoidable end, in which the stipend of death is paid by all of us children of Adam. (Heb. 9, 27) In like manner also, increased the care and solicitude of his heavenly Spouse, our Queen, assisting and serving him with unbroken punctuality. Perceiving, in her exalted wisdom, that the day and hour for his departure from this cumbrous earth was very near, the loving Lady betook herself to her blessed Son and said to Him: "Lord God Most High, Son of the eternal Father and Savior of the world, by Thy divine light I see the hour approaching which Thou hast decreed for the death of Thy servant Joseph. I beseech Thee, by Thy ancient mercies and by Thy infinite bounty, to assist him in that hour by Thy almighty power. Let his death be as precious in Thy eyes, as the uprightness of his life was pleasing to Thee, so that he may depart in peace and in the certain hope of the eternal reward to be given to him on the day in which Thou shalt open the gates of heaven for all the faithful. Be mindful, my Son, of the humility and love of Thy servant; of his exceeding great merits and virtues; of the fidelity and solicitude by which this just man has supported Thee and me, Thy humble handmaid, in the sweat of his brow."
Our Savior answered: "My Mother, thy request is pleasing to Me, and the merits of Joseph are acceptable in My eyes. I will now assist him and will assign him a place among the princes of My people (Ps. 115, 15) so high that he will be the admiration of the angels and will cause them and all men to break forth in highest praise. With none of the human born shall I do as with thy spouse." The great Lady gave thanks to her sweetest Son for this promise; and, for nine days and nights before the death of Saint Joseph he uninterruptedly enjoyed the company and attendance of Mary or her divine Son. By command of the Lord the holy angels, three times on each of the nine days, furnished celestial music, mixing their hymns of praise with the benedictions of the sick man. Moreover, their humble but most precious dwelling was filled with the sweetest fragrance and odors so wonderful that they comforted not only Saint Joseph, but invigorated all the numerous persons who happened to come near the house.
One day before he died, being wholly inflamed with divine love on account of these blessings, he was wrapped in an ecstasy which lasted twenty-four hours. The Lord himself supplied strength for this miraculous intercourse. In this ecstasy he saw clearly the divine essence, and, manifested therein, all that he had believed by faith: the incomprehensible Divinity, the mystery of the Incarnation and Redemption, the militant Church with all its Sacraments and mysteries. The blessed Trinity commissioned and assigned him as the messenger of our Savior to the holy Patriarchs and Prophets of limbo; and commanded him to prepare them for their issuing forth from this bosom of Abraham to eternal rest and happiness. All this most holy Mary saw reflected in the soul of her divine Son together with all the other mysteries, just as they had been made known to her beloved spouse, and she offered her sincerest thanks for all this to her Lord.
When Saint Joseph issued from this ecstasy his face shone with wonderful splendor and his soul was entirely transformed by his vision of the essence of God. He asked his blessed Spouse to give him her benediction; but she requested her divine Son to bless him in her stead, which He did. Then the great Queen of humility, falling on her knees, besought Saint Joseph to bless her, as being her husband and head. Not without divine impulse the man of God fulfilled this request for the consolation of his most prudent Spouse. She kissed the hand with which he blessed her and asked him to salute the just ones of limbo in her name. The most humble Joseph, sealing his life with an act of self-abasement, asked pardon of his heavenly Spouse for all his deficiencies in her service and love and begged her to grant him her assistance and intercession in this hour of his passing away. The holy man also rendered humblest thanks to her Son for all the blessings of his life and especially for those received during this sickness. The last words which Saint Joseph spoke to his Spouse were: "Blessed art thou amongst all women and elect of all the creatures. Let angels and men praise thee; let all the generations know, praise and exalt thy dignity; and may in thee be known, adored and exalted the name of the Most High through all the coming ages; may He be eternally praised for having created thee so pleasing in his eyes and in the sight of all the blessed spirits. I hope to enjoy thy sight in the heavenly fatherland."
Then this man of God, turning toward Christ, our Lord, in profoundest reverence, wished to kneel before Him. But the sweetest Jesus, coming near, received him in His arms, where, reclining his head upon them, Joseph said: "My highest Lord and God, Son of the eternal Father, Creator and Redeemer of the World, give Thy blessing to Thy servant and the works of Thy hand; pardon, O most merciful King, the faults which I have committed in Thy service and intercourse. I extol and magnify Thee and render eternal and heartfelt thanks to Thee for having, in Thy ineffable condescension, chosen me to be the spouse of Thy true Mother; let Thy greatness and glory be my thanksgiving for all eternity." The Redeemer of the world gave him His benediction, saying: "My father, rest in peace and in the grace of My Eternal Father and Mine; and to the Prophets and Saints, who await thee in limbo, bring the joyful news of the approach of their redemption."
At these words of Jesus, and reclining in His arms, the most fortunate Saint Joseph expired and the Lord Himself closed his eyes. At the same time the multitude of the angels, who attended upon their King and Queen, intoned hymns of praise in loud and harmonious voices. By command of the Lord they carried his most holy soul to the gathering-place of the Patriarchs and Prophets, where it was immediately recognized by all as clothed in the splendors of incomparable grace, as the putative father and intimate friend of the Redeemer, worthy of highest veneration. Conformably to the will and mandate of the Lord, his arrival spread unutterable joy in this countless gathering of the saints by the announcement of their speedy rescue.
It is necessary to mention that the long sickness and sufferings which preceded the death of Saint Joseph was not the sole cause and occasion of his passing away; for with all his infirmities he could have extended the term of his life, if to them he had not joined the fire of the intense love within his bosom. In order that his death might be more the triumph of his love than of the effects of original sin, the Lord suspended the special and miraculous assistance by which his natural forces were enabled to withstand the violence of his love during his lifetime. As soon as this divine assistance was withdrawn, nature was overcome by his love and the bonds and chains, by which this most holy soul was detained in its mortal body, were at once dissolved and the separation of the soul from the body in which death consists took place. Love was then the real cause of the death of Saint Joseph, as I have said above. This was at the same time the greatest and most glorious of all his infirmities, for in it death is but a sleep of the body and the beginning of real life.
The most fortunate of men, Saint Joseph reached an age of sixty years and a few days. For at the age of thirty-three he espoused the Blessed Virgin and he lived with her a little longer than twenty-seven years as her husband. When Saint Joseph died, she had completed the half of her forty-second year; for she was espoused to Saint Joseph at the age of fourteen (as stated in the first part, book second, chapter twenty-second). The twenty-seven years of her married life completed her forty-first year, to which must be added the time from the eighth of September until the death of her blessed spouse. The Queen of Heaven still remained in the same disposition of natural perfection as in her thirty-third year; for, as already stated in the thirteenth chapter of this book, she showed no signs of decline, or of more advanced age, or of weakness, but always remained in that same most perfect state of womanhood. She felt the natural sorrow due to the death of Saint Joseph: for she loved him as her spouse, as a man preeminent in perfection and holiness, as her protector and benefactor.
I perceive a certain difference in the graces given to this great Patriarch and those vouchsafed to other saints; for many saints were endowed with graces and gifts that are intended not for the increase of their own sanctity, but for the advance of the service of the Most High in other souls; they were, so to say, gifts and graces freely given and not dependent upon the holiness of the receiver. But in our blessed Patriarch all the divine favors were productive of personal virtue and perfection; for the mysterious purpose, toward which they tended and helped along, was closely connected with the holiness of his own life. The more angelic and holy he grew to be, so much the more worthy was he to be the spouse of most holy Mary, the depository and treasure-house of heavenly sacraments. He was to be a miracle of holiness, as he really was. This marvelous holiness commenced with the formation of his body in the womb of his Mother. In this the providence of God Himself interfered, regulating the composition of the four radical humors of his body with extreme nicety of proportion and securing for him that evenly tempered disposition which made his body a blessed earth fit for the abode of an exquisite soul and well-balanced mind (Wisdom 8, 19). He was sanctified in the womb of his mother seven months after his conception, and the leaven of sin was destroyed in him for the whole course of his life, never having felt any impure or disorderly movement. Although he did not receive the use of his reason together with this first sanctification, which consisted principally in justification from original sin, yet his mother at the time felt a wonderful joy of the Holy Ghost. Without understanding entirely the mystery she elicited great acts of virtue and believed that her son, or whomever she bore in her womb, would be wonderful in the sight of God and men.
The holy child Joseph was born most beautiful and perfect of body and caused in his parents and in his relations an extraordinary delight, something like that caused by the birth of Saint John the Baptist, though the cause of it was more hidden. The Lord hastened in him the use of his reason, perfecting it in his third year, endowing it with infused science and augmenting his soul with new graces and virtues. From that time the child began to know God by faith, and also by natural reasoning and science, as the Cause and Author of all things. He eagerly listened and understood profoundly all that was taught him in regard to God and His works. At this premature age he already practiced the highest kinds of prayer and contemplation and eagerly engaged in the exercise of the virtues proper to his youth; so that, at the time when others come to the use of reason, at the age of seven years or more, Saint Joseph was already a perfect man in the use of it and in holiness. He was of a kind disposition, loving, affable, growing in virtue and perfection and advancing toward his espousal with most holy Mary by an altogether irreproachable life.
For the confirmation and increase of his good qualities was then added the intercession of the blessed Lady; for as soon as she was informed that the Lord wished her to enter the married state with him, she earnestly besought the Lord to sanctify Saint Joseph and inspire him with most chaste thoughts and desires in conformity with her own. The Lord listened to her prayer and permitted her to see what great effects His right hand wrought in the mind and spirit of the patriarch Saint Joseph. They were so copious, that they cannot be described in human words. He infused into his soul the most perfect habits of all the virtues and gifts. He balanced anew all his faculties and filled him with grace, confirming it in an admirable manner. In the virtue and perfection of chastity the holy spouse was elevated higher than the seraphim; for the purity, which they possessed without body, Saint Joseph possessed in his earthly body and in mortal flesh; never did an image of the impurities of the animal and sensible nature engage, even for one moment, any of his faculties. This freedom from all such imaginations and his angelic simplicity fitted him for the companionship and presence of the Most Pure among all creatures, and without this excellence he would not have been worthy of so great a dignity and rare excellence.
Also in the other virtues, he was wonderfully distinguished, especially in charity; for he dwelt at the fountainhead of that Living Water, which flows on to eternal life (John 4, 14); he was in close proximity to that Sphere of Fire and was consumed without resistance. The best that can be said of the charity of our saint is what I have already said in the preceding chapter; namely, that his love of God was really the cause of his mortal sickness and of his death. The manner of his death was a privilege of his singular love, for his sweet sighs of love surpassed and finally put an end to those of his sickness, being far more powerful. As the objects of his love, Christ and His Mother, were present with him always and as both were more closely bound to him than to any of the woman-born, his most pure and faithful heart was unavoidably consumed by the loving effects of such a close union. Blessed be the Author of such great wonders and blessed be the most fortunate of mortals, Saint Joseph, who so worthily corresponded to their love. He deserves to be known and extolled by all the generations of men and all nations, since the Lord has wrought such things with no other man and to none has He shown such love.
The divine visions and revelations vouchsafed to Saint Joseph, I have particularly mentioned in the course of this history (Vol. II 422, 423, 471); but there were many more than can be described, and the greatest of them all was his having known the mysteries of the revelation between Christ and His Mother and his having lived in their company for so many years as the putative father of the Lord and as the true spouse of the Queen of Heaven. But I have been informed concerning certain other privileges conferred upon Saint Joseph by the Most High on account of his great holiness, which are especially important to those who ask his intercession in a proper manner. In virtue of these special privileges the intercession of Saint Joseph is most powerful: First, for attaining the virtue of purity and overcoming the sensual inclinations of the flesh; secondly, for procuring powerful help to escape sin and return to the friendship of God; thirdly, for increasing the love and devotion to most holy Mary; fourthly, for securing the grace of a happy death and protection against the demons in that hour; fifthly, for inspiring the demons with terror at the mere mention of his name by his clients; sixthly, for gaining health of body and assistance in all kinds of difficulties; seventhly, for securing issue of children in families. These and many other favors God confers upon those who properly and with good disposition seek the intercession of the spouse of our Queen, Saint Joseph. I beseech all the faithful children of the Church to be very devout to him and they will experience these favors in reality, if they dispose themselves as they should in order to receive and merit them.
WORDS OF THE QUEEN
My daughter, although thou hast described my spouse, Saint Joseph, as the most noble among the princes and saints of the heavenly Jerusalem: yet neither canst thou properly manifest his eminent sanctity, nor can any of the mortals know it fully before they arrive at the vision of the Divinity. Then all of them will be filled with wonder and praise as the Lord will make them capable of understanding this sacrament. On the last day, when all men shall be judged, the damned will bitterly bewail their sins, which prevented them from appreciating this powerful means of their salvation, and availing themselves, as they easily could have, of this intercessor to gain the friendship of the just Judge. The whole human race has much undervalued the privileges and prerogatives conceded to my blessed spouse and they know not what his intercession with God is able to do. I assure thee, my dearest, that he is one of the greatly favored personages in the divine presence and has immense power to stay the arms of divine vengeance.
I desire that thou be very thankful to the divine condescension for vouchsafing thee so much light and knowledge regarding this mystery, and also for the favor which I am doing thee therein. From now on, during the rest of thy mortal life, see that thou advance in devotion and in hearty love toward my spouse, and that thou bless the Lord for thus having favored him with such high privileges and for having rejoiced me so much in the knowledge of all his excellences. In all thy necessities thou must avail thyself of his intercession. Thou shouldst induce many to venerate him and see that thy own religious distinguish themselves in their devotion to him. That which my spouse asks of the Lord in heaven is granted upon the earth and on his intercession depend many and extraordinary favors for men, if they do not make themselves unworthy of receiving them. All these privileges were to be a reward for the amiable perfection of this wonderful saint and for his great virtues; for divine clemency is favorably drawn forth by them and looks upon Saint Joseph with generous liberality, ready to shower down its marvelous mercies upon all those who avail themselves of his intercession.
+ Imprimatur: Edwin V. Byrne, D.D. Archbishop of Santa Fe; February 9th, 1949
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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The Importance of Devotion to St. Joseph
March, month dedicated to St. Joseph
Taken from here.
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The Holy Family
St. Teresa of Avila's Plea
“Would that I could persuade all men to be devoted to this glorious Saint [St. Joseph], for I know by long experience what blessings he can obtain for us from God. I have never known anyone who was truly devoted to him and honored him by particular services who did not advance greatly in virtue: for he helps in a special way those souls who commend themselves to him. It is now very many years since I began asking him for something on his feast, and I have always received it. If the petition was in any way amiss, he rectified it for my greater good . . .
"I ask for the love of God that he who does not believe me will make the trial for himself—then he will find out by experience the great good that results from commending oneself to this glorious Patriarch and in being devoted to him.”
- From her Autobiography, VI, 11-12
Words of Our Lady to Venerable Mary of Agreda
“The children of the world are ignorant regarding the privileges and rights which the Most High has conferred on my holy spouse, and the power of his intercession with the Divine Majesty and with me. But I assure you, my daughter, that in Heaven he is most intimate with the Lord, and has great power to avert the punishment of Divine Justice from sinners. In all trials seek his intercession, because the Heavenly Father will grant whatever my spouse asks.”
“On the Day of Judgment, the condemned will weep bitterly for not having realized how powerful and efficacious a means of salvation they might have had in the intercession of St. Joseph, and for not having done their utmost to gain the friendship of the Eternal Judge.”
The Death of St.Joseph
St. Alphonsus Liguori on St. Joseph, Patron of a Happy Death
“Since we all must die, we should cherish a special devotion to St. Joseph, that he may obtain for us a happy death. All Christians regard him as the advocate of the dying who had honored him during their life, and they do so for three reasons:
“First, because Jesus Christ loved him not only as a friend, but as a father, and on this account his mediation is far more efficacious than that of any other Saint.
“Second, because St. Joseph has obtained special power against the evil spirits, who tempt us with redoubled vigor at the hour of death.
“Third, the assistance given St. Joseph at his death by Jesus and Mary obtained for him the right to secure a holy and peaceful death for his servants. Hence, if they invoke him at the hour of death he will not only help them, but he will also obtain for them the assistance of Jesus and Mary.”
![[Image: B008_DeathofSt.Joseph.jpg]](https://www.traditioninaction.org/religious/religiousimages/B008_DeathofSt.Joseph.jpg)
The Death of St. Joseph, in the company of Our Lord and Our Lady
"So let us be confident, let us not be unprepared, let us not be outflanked, let us be wise, vigilant, fighting against those who are trying to tear the faith out of our souls and morality out of our hearts, so that we may remain Catholics, remain united to the Blessed Virgin Mary, remain united to the Roman Catholic Church, remain faithful children of the Church."- Abp. Lefebvre
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