About him Sacred Scripture has little more to say than that he was a just man-an expression which indicates how faithfully he fulfilled his high trust of protecting and guarding God's greatest treasures upon earth, Jesus and Mary. We place our confidence in his protection because he protected the Church family just as he protected the Holy Family. St. Joseph is a great saint.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.
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 interactions. 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 your 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 the intimate friend of
the Redeemer, worthy of highest veneration. Conformably to the will and
mandate of the Lord, his arrival spread inutterable joy in this
countless gathering of the saints by the announcement of their speedy
rescue.
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 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.
The Happy Death of Saint Joseph In the Visions of Venerable Mary Agreda from The Mystical City of God
Already eight years saint Joseph had been exercised
by his infirmities
and sufferings, and his noble soul 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 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."
divine love on account of these blessings, he was wrapped in an ecstasy which lasted twenty-four hours.
The Lord himself supplied Joseph the strength he
needed for this miracle. 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 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 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 among 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."
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 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 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 pre-eminent
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
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
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 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 a
perfect man in the use of it and in holiness. He was of a kind
disposition, loving, affable, sincere, showing inclinations not only
holy but angelic, growing in virtue and perfection and advancing toward
his espousal with most holy Mary by an altogether irreproachable life.
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 of Them 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 was
his having known the mysteries of the relation 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. (The Virgin Mary speaks to Sister
Mary of Agreda, Spain.) 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. 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.
Prayers
through intercession of St. Joseph:
Prayer for a Holy Death
Gracious St. Joseph, protect me and my family from all evil as you did the Holy Family. Kindly keep us ever united in the love of Christ, ever fervent in imitation of the virtue of our Blessed Lady, your sinless spouse, and always faithful in devotion to you. Amen.
Prayer to Saint Joseph to Know One's Vocation
O Great Saint Joseph, you were completely obedient to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Obtain for me the grace to know the state of life that God in his providence has chosen for me. Since my happiness on earth, and perhaps even my final happiness in heaven, depends on this choice, let me not be deceived in making it.
Obtain for me the light to know God's Will, to carry it out faithfully, and to choose the vocation which will lead me to a happy eternity. Amen.
Prayer To St. Joseph
Blessed Joseph, husband of Mary, be with us this day.
You protected and cherished the Virgin;
loving the Child Jesus as your son,
you rescued Him from danger of death.
Defend the Church, the household of God,
purchased by the blood of Christ.
Guardian of the Holy Family,
be with us in our trials.
May your prayers obtain for us
the strength to flee from error
and wrestle with the powers of corruption
so that in life we may grow in holiness
and in death rejoice in the crown of victory.
Amen.
(A partial indulgence.)
Prayer to St. Joseph as Consoler of the Afflicted
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you.
O Saint Joseph, my patron and my advocate, to you do I have recourse that you may obtain for me that grace for which I humbly pray. It may well be that the disappointments and the bitterness in my life may be the just punishment for my sins. But even If I should have to recognize my own guilt, need I lose hope in obtaining the help of the Lord? ‘Oh no,’ would be the answer of your devoted client, Saint Theresa, ‘indeed, nor all you poor sinners. No matter how great your needs, turn to the powerful help of Saint Joseph. Go to Saint Joseph with sincere confidence and rest assured that your pleas will be heard.
Following the teaching of Saint Theresa, therefore, I present myself before your glorious throne, 0 Holy Saint Joseph and beg for your powerful intercession in my present tribulations.
Bring my petitions before the throne of God, that by your power and mercy I may obtain that which of myself I would not be worthy to receive. And grant that having obtained the favorable answer to my petition, I may return to your altar and there fulfill my devotion of praise end thanksgiving for your Intercession.
Remember O most merciful foster father of the Lord Jesus, that no one who has ever had recourse to you was left unaided. Countless are the graces and favors which you have obtained in answer to the prayers addressed to you. The sick, the oppressed, those who suffer injustice, the betrayed, the abandoned, in short, all who have had recourse to your protection were aided in their afflictions. O Holy Saint Joseph, do not leave me to be the only one to be deprived of your help. Show yourself kindly and generously even to me, so that my prayers of thanksgiving for your mercy may rebound for the greater glory of God.
O Saint Joseph, head of the Holy Family, I venerate you from the profoundest depth of my heart. To the afflicted who have appealed to you before me, you have granted comfort and peace. Console even my own poor afflicted soul. You know all my needs, Saint Joseph, even before I set them before you in prayers. O powerful Saint Joseph, you know how important this petition is for me. I place all my hope in your intercession.
Grant me the answer to the favor for which I so desperately pray and I pledge myself to spread your devotion everywhere and to support, within the limits of my abilities, those charities which, in your name, aid the afflicted and the dying throughout the world.
Saint Joseph, consoler of the afflicted, have mercy on my sorrow. Amen.
"Imagine poor St. Joseph. He had to live with two perfect People." ~ Fr. Benedict J. Groeschel C.F.R. (rest in peace)
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