March. St. Joseph.
We can easily imagine that the foster-father of the Infant Jesus must have been a great man in the eyes of God. His duties were very important; they called for such a self-sacrificing character. We wish to imitate his virtues this month; we wish to praise almighty God for all the distinctions which He has showered upon St. Joseph; we want to belong to St. Joseph, to be associated with him in heaven, and even now while we are still on earth, for prayer associates us here with those whom we address above. The saints hear our prayers by God's favor, and they reply at once. We need many things, and so we are going to pray to St. Joseph, especially during this month, for whatever we want. Go confidently and make out a list of your necessities, write them down, and look over them occasionally to see whether your petitions have been granted.
St. Joseph is all-powerful before God; whatever we ask of him we are sure to obtain; this has been the experience of many good Christians; it will also be your experience if you sincerely try it.
St. Joseph sanctified labor, poverty, and privations, by bearing them with patience, humility, and resignation to the will of God. We have many trials in life to endure, we have need of these virtues; let us look to it that we acquire them for our own spiritual comfort. Let us bear with patience all these trials; patience makes things bearable, for without this virtue we would sink in despair.
The feast of St. Joseph is celebrated on the nineteenth of March, and for this reason the month of March is dedicated to honor, venerate, and pray to this great friend of God. The Church has in various ways encouraged this devotion. Her devout children have taken it up, so that we find the month of March as much dedicated to St. Joseph as the month of May to the Blessed Virgin. Catholics hold St. Joseph in high veneration, [pg 100] and deservedly so, as we will see in the following meditations on his life. They have great confidence in his power before God, they know that he is a great saint, and a great favorite with the Almighty. Many examples of virtue has this loved saint given to us: his love of poverty, his assiduous labors, his resignation to the will of God in the most trying circumstances, are practical virtues, which we may endeavor to acquire for our own spiritual as well as temporal welfare. The affairs of human life are such, that we often find ourselves having to sustain hard trials, in which we need precisely those same virtues which made him a great saint.
Let us then enter upon this month with great joy, and continue to honor this saint, that we may love him, and become particularly devoted to him. Let us pray especially for our eternal salvation, in which he is greatly interested being the patron of a happy death, and then we will be sharers, after this life, in the same glory which he enjoys in heaven.
Considerations and Prayers for Every Day.
First Day.
After the adoration of the Lord, and the veneration of the Blessed Virgin, next in order of importance comes the devotion to St. Joseph. Among all the saints of God in heaven, there is none more powerful, none has more claim on our confidence and love. Almighty God encourages us to look up to St. Joseph, for to him were intrusted the greatest treasures that the world ever saw, Jesus and Mary. Our Lord from the first moment recognized St. Joseph as the one who took the place of His heavenly Father, and He obeyed him in all things. Mary respected this saintly man as the head of the family, as her spouse whom God had sent to her for her protection. She, before whom the angels bowed in respect, willingly served St. Joseph in the necessities [pg 101] of this life. The Church of God, the custodian of truth, revelation, and tradition, has encouraged this devotion by many indulgences. St. Francis de Sales said to his confessor on the eve of his death: “Do you not know, venerable father, that I belong to St. Joseph?” St. Teresa called him her father and master.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, be mindful of me, pray for me, watch over me. Guardian of the paradise of the new Adam, provide for my temporal wants. Faithful guardian of the most precious of all treasures, I beseech thee to bring this matter to a happy end, if it be for the glory of God and the good of my soul. Amen.
Second Day.
The devotion to St. Joseph, when well understood and faithfully practised, is undoubtedly a great means of increasing piety. We know well that we honor the saints most by imitating their virtues, therefore we will endeavor to acquire these virtues which most distinguished our saint, and the chief virtue of St. Joseph was piety. We will learn to love Jesus tenderly; to do all our actions with the intention of pleasing Him, to remain faithful to the teachings of the Church; all this is piety. The whole life of St. Joseph was a life of poverty, humility, retirement, recollection and prayer. When the Egyptian people were starving, and clamoring for food, Pharao said to them, “Go to Joseph,” who had gathered [pg 102] the superfluous grain of seven abundant years, and kept the keys of the granaries in his possession. So now, also, can we say confidently, “Go to Joseph,” who holds the keys of the graces and blessings of God. We need never fear the poverty which may stare us in the face, knowing that all our needs will be supplied by him.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Third Day.
When Mary was chosen to be Mother of God, the old judgment of God was re-echoed: “It is not good for man to be alone.” God gave her a chaste spouse. The honor of the Son of God required that He should be born of a virgin, but He needed a man to protect Him and His Mother. A man worthy of this trust had to be chosen, and such a one was found in the person of St. Joseph. He was a man of angelic purity and he would guard the purity of his bride. He was to be the reputed father of Jesus before the Jews, lest Mary be stoned for having broken her marriage vows; his purity was to be in every way similar to that of the purest of virgins. All those who were immediately connected with the great work of our salvation, were to be pure and spotless, their sanctity was to be unquestioned. It was the will of God that the divine origin of His adorable Son should be hid from human eyes, and Joseph was chosen to become the cloak with which this mystery was enshrouded. Only in the secrecy of his family life did he manifest his adoration of the [pg 103] “Word made flesh,” and there, as in a sanctuary, he adored his Lord and Saviour.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Fourth Day.
Joseph is that wise and provident servant, who was set over his family to distribute to it the necessary food at stated times. He is the visible physical means which God employed for the work of the salvation of mankind. God chooses, it is true, humble instruments to accomplish His holy designs, but at the same time He furnishes them with suitable graces, that His work may be gloriously and effectively performed. Such a servant was chosen by God in the person of St. Joseph, who was a humble and saintly man. To him He gave His graces, for He refuses them to the proud. We too ought to be disinterested and humble in the service of God, using our natural talents to the fullest extent because they belong to God, and have been given to us for the special purpose of performing the duties of our vocation in this world. Disinterestedness and humility are the great sources from which all good proceeds.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Fifth Day.
All the saints were filled with the spirit of the Lord, and in consequence they esteemed the [pg 104] virtue of humility as the foundation of perfection. St. Bernard considered this virtue as the corner-stone of the edifice of faith; the perfection of Christian virtues; the tower of safety, into which the soul could retire before the insidious attacks of Satan. And St. Ambrose calls this virtue the first one, and the source of all other virtues—all other virtues must be combined with humility to give them value. To no other virtue does God give so many graces. Just because St. Joseph thought nothing of himself, and lowered himself in the eyes of others, did Jesus select him as His foster-father. This great virtue of humility appears in all the circumstances of his life. Though of the royal house of David, still he did not disdain to labor at the humble trade of a carpenter. He was perfectly resigned to the providence of God; God's will was his will, and he never repined at the trials God sent him.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Sixth Day.
Joseph consented to become the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, because he knew he could preserve the chastity which he had vowed to keep, and because he could be the guardian of the virginity of Mary. Little did he suspect that he was to become the spouse of the Mother of God. St. Bridget had a vision, in which the sentiments of St. Joseph were made known to her by the Blessed Virgin herself. She said: “When Joseph, who was given to me by the Most High as my protector, knew of the mystery of [pg 105] the incarnation, which was operated in me by the power of the Holy Ghost, he was filled with astonishment, and conceived not the least suspicion against my purity. He believed firmly in the prophecies which proclaimed that the Son of God would be born of a Virgin, and therefore he considered himself unworthy to serve such an exalted Mother.” St. Joseph learned the virtue of humility still more profoundly in his association with Jesus and Mary, for how could it be otherwise when he hourly observed their self-abnegation? Daily did he see the Mother of God engaged in the most lowly services.
Prayer.
Holy Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
What must have been the feelings of the holy patriarch in witnessing the humiliation of the Son of God! What must have been his astonishment, when the divine wisdom of the Child Jesus asked him his counsel, obeyed him in all things, and was for many years his fellow-laborer at his humble trade! The Lord taught him the great lesson: to be meek and humble of heart. Surely we may suppose that St. Joseph was in a constant ecstasy of adoration as he contemplated the Son of God, lowered to the condition of a helpless child, and afterwards by natural growth becoming a man and laboring at such humble employment. How could he have within himself one spark of pride or vanity in the knowledge that he was a descendant of King David? Therefore he humbled himself all the [pg 106] more, and only considered himself great in the thought that he was allowed to imitate the humiliation of the Son of God. Let us learn from St. Joseph the value of this virtue, and practise it all our lives. Let us often enter the Sacred Heart of Jesus to learn from Him meekness and humility.
Prayer For Humility.
Glorious patron, St. Joseph, let me understand the deep feeling with which thou didst witness the humble lives of Jesus and Mary. How far am I from being able to say that I have acquired this virtue! Thou seekest only to hide from the gaze of the world the divine gifts with which thou art enriched, whilst I seek to draw the attention of the world on myself, to shine before the world, and to be much thought of. O my loving protector, my patron, my father, obtain for me the virtue of humility, which is the foundation of all perfection. Obtain for me the great grace to know myself, to despise myself, to look for humiliations from others, to feel inferior to all, that in the future I may desire no other witness of my actions but God, and no other reward but God. Amen.
Eighth Day.
When God had created Adam, and made him strong and intelligent, He found that one great thing was wanting. Adam needed a companion; he could not content himself in all the superabundance that was around him. Then God took a rib out of the first man, and built a woman upon it. The same thing seems true in the case of the [pg 107] Blessed Virgin. She was all alone in the spiritual order among men. She was endowed with many graces, yet in all her abundance she would be desolate, only God said, let us make her a companion like unto herself, one who would also be the favorite creature of God, and would be the recipient of many extraordinary graces. He therefore chose a great saint, and gave him special gifts. A prince of this world does the same thing when he desires to make a lowly subject his companion; he first makes him a noble, then enriches him with much wealth in order that the favorite may make a good appearance before the world. God united in St. Joseph all the virtues and graces of the other saints, that he might be greater than they. From all eternity it had been ordained that St. Joseph was to be the foster-father of Jesus.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Ninth Day.
Great must have been the terror of Mary when the angel of God appeared to her, and announced that she was to be the Mother of God. She was troubled, but the angel encouraged her, saying, “Fear not, Mary.” The angel announced the incarnation to St. Joseph, and he was greatly troubled; the angel assured him, “Fear not, Joseph, Son of David.” Mary gave life to the Lord and brought Him up. Joseph, on his part, labored day and night to scrape together what was necessary for their existence. Both Mary and Joseph were equally, according [pg 108] to their position, contributing to the rearing of Jesus. Like Mary, the Mother of Jesus, St. Joseph is powerful with her divine Son. St. Joseph is called, by the Holy Ghost, a just man. He was the first to be exposed to the persecutions of the Jews for the Lord. In all things then, is Joseph like unto Mary; similar also are his virtues, and like also his eternal reward.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Tenth Day.
We may trace other phases of similarity between the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph. Mary is the Queen of angels, high above them, because she is the Mother of the Creator; she is then all-powerful, and she can use these heavenly spirits for the glory of God. St. Joseph is not inferior to the angels in purity; his mind was always careful to guard against any pollution; he was a guardian angel to Jesus, Our Lord. This office made him a great being in the sight of Jesus Himself, for He acknowledged His guardian angel and was on the most intimate terms with him. St. Joseph served Our Lord as a throne. The choir of thrones are the angels on whom God is carried about in majesty, and Jesus was carried about in the arms of St. Joseph. The seraphims, in a certain degree, were inferior to St. Joseph. The angels have no paternity, but St. Joseph is called the father of Jesus. The angels could then bow down before St. Joseph, and acknowledge and call him their superior, because he had received a commission which no angel had ever [pg 109] yet received, and because he had a name which had never been given to any of these holy choirs.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Eleventh Day.
It was the privilege of the father to give a name to the child, and this privilege St. Joseph exercised at the circumcision of the Lord. It was he too who usually performed the painful operation of the circumcision. Thus it was that St. Joseph shed the first drops of the adorable blood which was to redeem mankind. The name of Jesus had been predestined for the Saviour, and given by God Himself; but Joseph, the father on earth, was commissioned to declare it publicly. O great saint! you cannot give to this divine Child a greater dignity than He possesses, for He is your Creator and Lord; but you do the next greatest thing, you give him a name which publishes Him to the world in His character of Redeemer—this great honor is reserved for you. Holy name of Jesus, the greatest of all names, before the mention of which all heaven and earth shall bow their knees in adoration, be to me a source of heavenly joy, and a consolation in all the trials of life.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twelfth Day.
Joseph, no doubt, understood all the importance and meaning of the name of Jesus. He therefore [pg 110] knew all the obligations which this holy name imposed on the divine Child, as well as the obligations which it imposed on himself. He understood that Jesus must be the man of sorrows and derision, and that he must share His destiny. St. Joseph always had the image of the crucified Lord before his eyes. If the faith of the great Apostle of the world was such that he carried the image of the crucified Redeemer always before his eyes, much the more can this be said of our saint, for he had Jesus always with him. When he embraced His sacred head, he had before him that head crowned with thorns, and bowed on His breast in His last agony; he could see that little body covered with wounds from the scourging. God treated St. Joseph as His most intimate friend, and filled him with His share of sorrow. Do we wish to enter into the glory of the Lord, then we, too, must suffer patiently. The closer we follow the Lord, the more intimate we are with Him, the more we will look for sufferings, and love them because they make us resemble the Lord more closely.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Thirteenth Day.
St. Joseph was a man of faith. We read in St. Paul, “the just man lives by faith.” It is the foundation of sanctity, it is the fountain of our spiritual life. All the works of St. Joseph were done in a spirit of faith. Were it not for this spirit of faith, he would never have consented to become the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, for he desired to preserve [pg 111] his own chastity; and the spirit of faith taught him how he might do this. When he had entered upon his duties as spouse, he noticed that the Virgin was with child, and he fell into deep sorrow and concern, until an angel appeared, dispelling all his doubts: “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife: for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost; and she shall bring forth a Son: and thou shalt call His name Jesus: for He will save His people from their sins.”—Matt. i. 20, 21. The spirit of faith made him believe in these words, whether he understood them or not. He subjected his will to the manner in which God wished to redeem mankind, and he was forever afterwards without solicitude.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Fourteenth Day.
Then came a new trial to the faith of St. Joseph. In due course of time the Lord was born, a little helpless Child, in the humble stable at Bethlehem: where He was wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and laid on a little straw in a manger. Joseph became the first adorer, after the Blessed Virgin. But it required great faith to recognize in this weak Infant the Son of the most high God; still the grace of God sustained him, and he humbly adored. The angel had promised a wonderful Child. He was to be a powerful being, Who would conquer the demons of hell, and free the people of Israel. Now Joseph beholds a small, weak Infant, beginning life in [pg 112] poverty and distress. Far from being a powerful creature He even needs the help of Mary and Joseph. St. Joseph carried the Child in his arms, and yet at the same time acknowledged that the same Child in heaven was carried about on the shoulders of the holiest angels, and governed the universe with His will. He heard the wailings of the Child, but knew that He was the joy of paradise. He taught Him the praises of His heavenly Father, knowing at the same time that He was eternal wisdom.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Fifteenth Day.
Joseph is eminently the just man who lives by faith. No sooner is the Child Jesus born, than, as if an unforeseen accident had happened, which made it necessary to fly, as if there were no God to protect that Babe, an angel appeared to Joseph in his sleep, and bids him arise, and take the Child and His Mother, and fly into the land of Egypt. The enemies of the Child will be on your heels, and all depends on your rapid flight, to save Him from their hands. “Fly into Egypt,” a far-off foreign country. He gets up, and hastily gathering the few necessary articles, makes off in the dead of night, so that the people of Bethlehem may not know where he has gone. But Joseph performs his duty in a spirit of faith: he does not doubt the omnipotence of God. He feels that such is the command of God, and he makes no objections, but goes with alacrity into the poverty and suffering which he knows are inevitable.
[pg 113]Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Sixteenth Day.
Joseph remained in Egypt until the time of Herod's death. The angel again appears to him, and bids him return to Judea, as if the divine Infant were not sure of His life until His enemies had disappeared. What frailty, what meekness in this little Child! Can this be a God? Without the least hesitation, Joseph treats the Child with the same reverence, and adores Him, as if he had seen Him working miracles. Never was such a faith found in Israel. Nowadays we could not find such a faith. “From a want of this noble faith,” St. Teresa says, “the world is full of sin.” Ask St. Joseph to obtain for us a faith similar to his. Faith is a gift and a virtue. By this gift our intellect is enlightened, we know God, and confide in Him. By the virtue of faith we use this light, and let it shine on all our actions. Let us not be satisfied to bow down our intellect under the influence of the great grace of the gift of faith; we should regulate all the actions of our life according to the dictates and laws of this faith, and live according to it. St. Joseph can obtain such graces for us, if we pray to him.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Seventeenth Day.
St. Joseph possesses another great virtue: it is his obedience. From his childhood he observed [pg 114] with conscientious exactitude all the laws of God. Without a murmur he accompanied Mary to Bethlehem in a severe time of the year, and with Mary so soon to give birth to the Child Jesus, to fulfil the command of a heathen prince. When the command was given to take up the Child and flee into Egypt, he was ready. But one word is necessary: he does not consider any plans for flight, but executes the command without a moment's delay. In many cases he could have alleged causes of inconvenience, or of his not understanding how it could be accomplished; he might have asked the angel for an explanation, saying, how comes it that a few days ago you announced that this Jesus is to be the Redeemer of His people, and now He is to fly before His enemies? He will not be able to free His people afterwards, when now He cannot hold His ground. But he subjected his reason to his faith, and obeyed.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Eighteenth Day.
Through our faith God leads us to the knowledge of His goodness and His promises, that so the desire and hope of enjoying God may be born in us. St. Joseph's faith and knowledge of God effected in him a great confidence; he had been peculiarly confirmed in hope. It is a fact that our confidence in God grows with grace when our hope is strengthened by the infinite merits of Jesus Christ, and when we have great devotion and love for the Blessed Virgin; so we must certainly conclude that Joseph's love of Jesus, [pg 115] Whom he daily carried in his arms, should lay a greater foundation of hope than that of any of the saints. The flight into Egypt is an example of it. His confidence in the providence of God is so implicit that he makes no preparation. There is Jesus, the Son of God, Who is to go with Him; there is Mary, the Virgin Mother of God, who is to be of the party. These are the two strongest pillars of our hope, and why not to the hope of St. Joseph? God the Father will provide. Is He not the God Who, with a strong arm, led the Israelites out of Egypt, and, after forty years of wandering, introduced them according to promise into the land flowing with milk and honey?
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Nineteenth Day.
In Joseph's flight into Egypt, he knew that Jesus was a more powerful protector of a perilous journey than the Ark of the Covenant which was carried before the tribes of Israel, or the column of smoke that led them during the day and the pillar of fire that protected them at night. He would be the manna, the inexhaustible food, in a desert and strange land. Accompanied by this treasure, St. Joseph is content to suffer for Jesus, and under the eyes of Jesus. We can imagine the sympathy of Joseph for his charge, when he relieved the Blessed Virgin of her burden, and had Him to rest on his bosom. Good and faithful Christian, in all the trials of life keep Jesus close to your heart, and when the world storms and frets, be faithful to your promises made in Baptism, and [pg 116] often repeated during your Christian life by receiving the sacraments.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twentieth Day.
The providence of God knows what our destiny is, and what is the best for us. Then let us be resigned to His will. All our anxieties would disappear if we were thoroughly convinced of the goodness of God in our behalf; but because we want to do everything without God, not only do we feel anxiety for the future, but disaster will really overtake us. Let us trust in Providence and give Him entire control of all that concerns us. In all our necessities let us pray and wait, until it is God's pleasure to step in, and do away with our troubles, if it be to His greater glory; or if not, then let us patiently bear them. We know that Providence so watches over us, that not a hair falls from our head without His approval. God has His reasons for all that He does, and for all the evil that He permits, though we may not be able to see them. In this way the Christian soul sleeps softly and peacefully in the arms of God, as a child in the arms of its mother. As David, the prophet king, sang in his psalms: “I will sleep and rest in peace because Thou, O Lord, hast founded my hope on Thy providence. Thy mercy shall accompany me all the days of my life.”
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-first Day.
Joseph lived in Egypt for eight years, among a pagan people, without repining, without being distressed at the prolonged stay, an exile from his own country and relatives. There, far from the sacred Temple of God, he remained in seclusion, serving God in his soul. Who can tell the suffering he underwent among the barbarians, amid their shocking practises of religion, which were abhorrent to him who was so closely united to God? Good people are in the same condition in the wickedness of the world: it is a cross to them. But crosses are to be met with everywhere; you cannot escape. If you get rid of one cross, another is waiting for you, and perhaps a far heavier one; but your consolation should be the knowledge that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph endured the same sufferings. Joseph lived in the Holy Family with the greatest recollection. This should also be the case with those who live in the world, that fiery oven of the trials of God; they should sing the praises of God in the very midst of distractions, and be perfectly recollected, serving God without being led away from the path of duty.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-second Day.
So greatly did Jesus love poverty, that, not finding it in heaven, He came upon the earth to practise it. All those principally associated with Our [pg 118] Lord in the salvation of mankind were obliged to endure poverty. Since the Lord loved poverty so much, St. Joseph, too, had to practise this virtue. Even before St. Joseph was selected to become the foster-father of Our Lord, he was poor according to the will of God, but afterwards he learned the virtue still more from the example of Our Lord. If one single sentence that he had heard from the Gospel, induced St. Antony, abbot and patriarch of monks, to give all his wealth to the poor, how much more did the example of Our Lord act effectively on Joseph, so that he renounced all expectation of worldly advancement. Often in their communing with each other, the question of their destitution must have been the topic; but it was not to find ways and means to avoid it; on the contrary that they should be patient in the trial. Joseph possessed nothing; hence he witnessed the Lord in His poverty laid in a manger after His birth. At the presentation he could make no other offering but that of very poor people, a pair of pigeons which could be bought for very little money. He also had to undergo many hardships on his journey to Egypt.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-third Day.
In Egypt, so tradition has it, Joseph had to labor for others in order to bring in the means of a livelihood for himself and the Holy Family. Even then their income was by no means superfluous, and according to St. Liguori they often had to suffer [pg 119] actual want. In this manner Joseph spent eight years in Egypt. When he was recalled by the voice of the angel, he settled in Nazareth; though his circumstances there were probably better, they were by no means luxurious. Bossuet says: “Imagine a poor laborer, who had no other fortune than the labor of his willing hands, no other means of subsistence but his work. Every day he saw the end of his provision, and he had to begin again on the following day, like our poor working people. Still he was rich in contentment; he had enough, because he had nothing which might be coveted by others; he possessed all because he stood in need of everything; he was happy, quiet, secure, although he had no place whereon to rest his head. He was continually constrained to labor with the sweat of his brow. He divided all his income with Jesus and Mary. Was it not a consolation for him to do this? even according to our weak reason, guided by religion.”
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-fourth Day.
When we have contemplated the willing poverty of Joseph, the thought naturally comes to us to imitate him in the practise of this virtue. Poverty makes us like to the Lord. Our Lord walks before us with giant strides in the practise of this virtue. The rich, burdened with the goods of this world, can hardly follow Him. Let us consider that, after all, our happiness is not to be found in the possession of wealth. He is happy, according to St. [pg 120] Augustine, who possesses what he wants, and who wants nothing beyond what God has sent him. The rich are frequently unhappy, because they are carried along to desire the things which they cannot reach. Not only is poverty a source of virtue and of peace; but also it is a means by which we can make progress in our perfection. For as avarice is the source of all evils, so also poverty is the power by which all our vices are corrected, and held in check. This virtue watches over humility: a virtue so very necessary to our perfection, and it preserves chastity by reason of the mortification of our senses.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-fifth Day.
The interior life of the Holy Family in Nazareth must have been a most beautiful one. They were joined so closely to God, that there was no earthly distraction which could separate them from contemplating and communing with Him. They formed a kind of trinity on earth, a representation of the Trinity in heaven. These three were one, because they were united by the bond of union, Jesus Christ. The people of Nazareth did not know the adorable person of the Lord, nor the dignity of the Mother of God. They knew Joseph by sight, for he had often gone out to look for work, and necessarily came more in contact with his neighbors. That holy house of Nazareth was a perfect paradise, full of peace, of order, recollection, unity, and happiness. Their conversation was about God and the best means to [pg 121] comply with His holy will. Joseph and Mary adored the Lord because He was God; but they exacted His obedience because He was their Son.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-sixth Day.
Let us think to-day, of the social life between Joseph and Mary. St. Joseph was a very great saint, and Mary was unstained by sin: so pure, so holy, that no created being could be compared to her. What can we suppose was the conversation of these heavenly beings? When Mary visited her cousin, St. Elizabeth, John, in his mother's womb, leaped for joy. In other words, the presence of the God-man in the womb of the Blessed Virgin scattered graces about her with god-like profusion, and certainly St. Joseph, too, was affected by it. With as lively a faith as we have before the tabernacle on the altar, St. Joseph must have recognized the presence of the Lord, for he was acquainted with the mystery of the incarnation, as it had been revealed by the mouth of the angel. We are silent, and sunk in deep devotion in church, where God dwells. Was St. Joseph less impressed than we, when he recognized Him Who was the Son of God, and Who was to redeem His people Israel from their sins? How great was their devotion to the hidden Lord, how fervent their prayers! Still St. Joseph was the master in that house; he was the head of the family, and was obeyed in all his instructions.
[pg 122]Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-seventh Day.
Joseph was obedient to the Law of Moses; scrupulously exact in following the instructions of the Jewish ceremonial, as all good Jews were. Poor as he was, and notwithstanding the loss of time it necessarily entailed, he still went every year, as was the custom, to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of the Passover. He did this because it was a law of Moses. The Blessed Virgin and the Child Jesus were equally anxious to fulfil the law. And when the feast was over, all went back to Nazareth, but Jesus remained behind, and hid Himself from Joseph for three days, making him feel wretched, because he thought that he had been delinquent in his trust of the divine Jesus. But Jesus wants to be looked for, not with an ordinary desire, but with a real love, and the longer we are separated from Him the more loving should we become, because our heart is desolate without His holy presence. O my God, I have sought Thee all my life! but I have not found Thee because I do not look for Thee where Thou art to be found. Indeed Thou art in my heart, but I go out and look for Thee in distractions where Thou shalt not be found.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-eighth Day.
St. Joseph, as we have seen, earned his livelihood by the sweat of his brow. When Jesus grew up and was stronger, He helped His father, and tradition tells us that the Blessed Virgin was not idle. She sewed and embroidered in order that they might live. The lot of the laborer is always hard, and St. Joseph's life, beyond the consolations of religion, was no exception. Day after day work was necessary, and pleasures and recreations few. That Joseph was of the royal house of David was forgotten because he was poor; had he been rich people would have honored him, would have given him political prominence. Let us also sanctify our labors; Joseph's work made him holy, because it was honest work, done with a good intention and in the spirit of prayer. Prayer and work were the constant employment of St. Joseph; this is the way that God wishes us to spend our time. He wishes us to pursue an active, laborious life, while we keep our eyes on Him.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Twenty-ninth Day.
The whole life of St. Joseph is a perfect model of a Christian life, a life which we must necessarily lead in order to go to heaven; a life of piety and faithful fulfilment of the duties of our station, and the performance of our daily actions in the best manner. In this way St. Joseph reached heaven, and we cannot [pg 124] choose another road. Joseph did nothing extraordinary in a worldly sense; he was no king, with great command of men; he was not a literary man; but he was great, because he made himself, with the grace of God, a great saint. He lived a simple life as far as possible, he strove to perfect himself more and more in the presence of Jesus, his daily companion, and consequently he was always impressed with the omnipresence of God, before Whom he walked in the simplicity of his heart all the days of his life. He is the best model of obedience to Jesus and Mary. In his life we can find a great example of all Christian virtues.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Thirtieth Day.
As the life of St. Joseph was such a perfect one, the seal of approval from almighty God was placed upon it by the grace of a happy death. For thirty years St. Joseph was the head of the Holy Family, and now Jesus was to go forth on His public mission. By the disposition of divine Providence, when his course had been completed and the purpose of his life was over, he was called away to another world to be rewarded for his holy life. What death was ever more precious in the sight of God, than that of St. Joseph! St. Paul exclaimed that the grace of God was not ineffectual in him, and it gave him great joy. But much more did Joseph co-operate with the graces received, so that he was sure that every moment of his life was spent for the greater [pg 125] glory of God. Holy Scripture describes the death of the just as a peaceful falling asleep in the Lord. Precious in the sight of God is the death of His holy ones. They can exclaim, “I know that my Redeemer liveth and mine eyes shall behold Him on the Last Day.” St. Joseph died in peace and happiness in the embrace of Jesus and Mary; his soul was sent forth to the abode of the patriarchs at the bidding of Jesus, Who had created him. What words can describe the consolations that filled this noble breast, and with what confidence he looked up to his Redeemer! And so St. Joseph has become the patron of a happy death.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Thirty-first Day.
On this last day of the month, let us consider the power of St. Joseph for our good in heaven, so that we may draw from it confidence in his willingness to use it for our spiritual and temporal welfare. The general principle is, the greater the saint the greater friend he is of almighty God; and the greater is the power given him by God for the benefit of those who live in this vale of tears. We may with reason assert that after the Blessed Virgin, St. Joseph is the greatest saint in heaven. He has been distinguished by God with the greatest privileges on earth, which certainly did not cease in heaven but rather increased. The heavenly Father loved him, because he represented the paternity of His divine Son on earth. God the Son loved him because he was the [pg 126] protector of His infancy and youth, and the faithful guardian and spouse of the Blessed Virgin. The Holy Ghost loved him, because he complied so faithfully to His inspirations. In this predilection for him by the Holy Trinity, lies the secret of his great power. Who will say, if he asks for anything from God, that his prayer will be rejected? Let us turn with confidence to the patronage of St. Joseph, and entreat him to pray for us in all our necessities.
Prayer.
Holy St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Efficacious Prayers.
Thirty Days' Prayer To St. Joseph.
To Obtain a Happy Death and Other Good Intentions.
Ever-blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and indulgent father, and compassionate friend of all in sorrow, through that bitter grief with which thy heart was saturated, when thou didst behold the sufferings of the Infant Saviour, and in thy prophetic view didst contemplate His most ignominious Passion and death, take pity, I beseech thee, on my poverty and necessities, counsel me in my doubts, and console me in all my anxieties. Thou art the good father and protector of orphans, the advocate of the defenceless, the patron of those who are in need and desolation. Do not, then, disregard the petition of thy poor child; my sins have drawn down upon me the just displeasure of my God, and hence I am surrounded with sorrows. To thee, O amiable guardian of the poor neglected family of Nazareth, do I fly for shelter and protection. Listen, then, I entreat [pg 127] of thee, with a father's solicitude, to the earnest prayer of thy poor supplicant, and obtain for me the objects of my petition. I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which induced Him to assume our nature and be born into this world of sorrow. I ask it by the grief which filled thy heart when, ignorant of the mystery wrought in thy immaculate spouse, thou didst fear thou shouldst be separated from her. I ask it by that weariness, solicitude, and suffering which thou didst endure when thou soughtest in vain at the inns of Bethlehem a shelter for the sacred Virgin and a birthplace for the Infant God, and when, being everywhere refused, thou wert obliged to consent that the Queen of heaven should give birth to the world's Redeemer in a wretched stable. I ask it by that most sad and painful duty imposed on thee when, the divine Child being eight days old, thou wert obliged to inflict a deep wound on His tender body, and thus be the first to make flow that sacred blood which was to wash away the sins of the world. I ask it by the sweetness and power of that sacred name, Jesus, which thou didst confer on the adorable Infant. I ask it by that mortal anguish inflicted on thee by the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother the future victims of their love and our sins. I ask it through that sorrow and anguish which filled thy soul when the angel declared to thee that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies, from whose impious designs thou wert obliged to fly with Him and His blessed Mother into Egypt. I ask it by all the pains, fatigues, and toils of that long and perilous pilgrimage. I ask it by all the sorrows thou didst endure when in [pg 128] Egypt thou wert not able, even by the sweat of thy brow, to procure poor food and clothing for thy most poor family. I ask it by all the grief thou didst feel each time the divine Child asked for a morsel of bread, and thou hadst it not to give Him. I ask it by all thy solicitude to preserve the sacred Child and the immaculate Mary during thy second journey, when thou wert ordered to return to thy native country. I ask it by thy peaceful dwelling in Nazareth, in which so many joys and sorrows were mingled. I ask it by thy extreme affliction in being deprived three days of the company of the adorable Child. I ask it by thy joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the ineffable consolation imparted to thee in the cottage of Nazareth with the company and society of the little Jesus. I ask it by that wonderful condescension by which He subjected Himself to thy will. I ask it through that dolorous view, continually in thy mind, of all thy Jesus was to suffer. I ask it by that painful contemplation, which made thee foresee the divine little hands and feet, now so active in serving thee, one day to be pierced with cruel nails; that head which rested gently on thy bosom, crowned with sharp thorns; that delicate body which thou didst tenderly fold in thy mantle and press to thy heart, stripped and extended on a cross. I ask it by that heroic sacrifice of thy will and best affection by which thou didst offer up to the eternal Father the last awful moment when the Man-God was to expire for our salvation. I ask it by that perfect love and conformity with which thou didst receive the divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by that exceeding great joy which filled thy soul when [pg 129] the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom, and conducted thee also into it with especial honors. I ask it through Mary's glorious assumption, and through that interminable bliss, which with her, thou wilt eternally derive from the presence of God. O good father! I beseech thee by all thy sufferings, sorrows, and joys, to hear me and to obtain the grant of my earnest petitions. (Here name them or reflect on them.) Obtain for all those who have asked thy prayers all that is useful to them in the designs of God; and finally, my dear protector, be thou with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally chant the praises of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Amen.
Choice Of St. Joseph As A Patron.
O blessed Joseph, faithful guardian of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ, protector of thy chaste spouse, the Virgin Mother of God, I choose thee this day to be my special patron and advocate, and I firmly resolve to honor thee from this time forth. Therefore I humbly beseech thee to receive me as thy client, to instruct me in every doubt, to comfort me in every affliction, to obtain for me and for all the knowledge and love of the Heart of Jesus, and finally to defend and protect me at the hour of death. Amen.
Virginum Custos.
Guardian of Virgins, and father, holy Joseph, to whose faithful care Christ Jesus, Innocence itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, were committed, I [pg 130] pray and beg of thee, by these dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, free me from all uncleanness, and make me with spotless mind, pure heart, and chaste body, ever most chastely to serve Jesus and Mary all the days of my life. Amen.
An indulgence of one hundred days, once a day.
Sorrows and Joys of St. Joseph.
1. O glorious St. Joseph, most pure spouse of thy most holy Mary, even as the trouble and anguish of thy heart was great in the perplexity of abandoning thy most chaste and stainless spouse, so, too, inexplicable was thy delight when by the angel was revealed to thee the sovereign mystery of the incarnation.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, we pray thee, now and in our last agony, to comfort our soul with the joy of a good life, and of a holy death, like unto thine between Jesus and Mary.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
2. O glorious St. Joseph, most blessed patriarch, who wast selected for the office of reputed father of the Word made man, the grief which thou didst feel at seeing the Child Jesus born in such great poverty was suddenly changed for thee into heavenly exultation at hearing the angelic harmony, and seeing the glories of that most resplendent night.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, we beseech thee to obtain for us that, after the journey of this life is over, we may pass hence to hear the angelic praises, and to enjoy the splendors of the glory of heaven.
[pg 131]Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
3. O glorious St. Joseph, who didst fulfil most obediently all God's commands, the most precious blood which the Child Redeemer shed in the circumcision struck death into thy heart, but the name of Jesus revived it, and filled it full of joy.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that, all vices having been taken from us during life, we may expire in exultation with the most holy name of Jesus in our hearts and upon our lips.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
4. O most glorious St. Joseph, most faithful saint, who wast a partaker in the mysteries of our redemption, if Simeon's prophecy of that which Jesus and Mary were to suffer caused thee a mortal pang, it filled thee also with a blessed joy at the salvation and glorious resurrection of innumerable souls, which he at the same time foretold would thence proceed.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that we may be of the number of those who, through the merits of Jesus, and at the intercession of the Virgin Mother, are to rise again in glory.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
5. O glorious St. Joseph, most watchful guardian and familiar attendant of the incarnate Son of God, how much didst thou suffer in supporting and in serving the Son of the Most High, particularly in the flight which thou hadst to make into Egypt; but how much again didst thou rejoice at having always with thee that same God, and at seeing the idols of Egypt fall to the ground.
[pg 132]Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that, by keeping far from us hell's tyrant, especially by flying from dangerous occasions, every idol of earthly affection may fall from our hearts; and that, wholly occupied in the service of Jesus and of Mary, we may live for them alone, and die a happy death.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
6. O glorious St. Joseph, angel of the earth, who didst marvel at beholding the King of heaven subject to thy commands, if thy consolation at bringing him back from Egypt was disturbed by the fear of Archelaus, yet, assured by the angel, thou didst with Jesus and Mary dwell in joy at Nazareth.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, obtain for us that our heart, unclouded by hurtful fears, may enjoy peace of conscience, and that we may live secure with Jesus and Mary, and with them may also die.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
7. O glorious St. Joseph, model of all holiness, when, without fault of thine, thou hadst lost the Child Jesus, thou didst seek Him for three days in the greatest sorrow, until with joyful heart thou didst possess again thy life, finding Him in the Temple, among the doctors.
Through this sorrow and this joy of thine, with fervent sighs we supplicate thee to interpose in our behalf, that so it may never befall us to lose Jesus by mortal sin; but that, if unhappily we ever lose Him, we may seek Him again with unwearied sorrow, until once more we find His favor, especially at the moment [pg 133] of our death, that so we may pass to the enjoyment of Him in heaven, and there, with thee, sing His divine mercies for all eternity.
Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory be to the Father.
Ant. Jesus Himself was beginning about His thirtieth year, being (as it was supposed) the son of Joseph.
V. Pray for us, O holy Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray.
O God, Who by Thy ineffable providence didst vouchsafe to choose the blessed Joseph for the spouse of Thy most holy Mother; grant, we beseech thee, that he whom we venerate as our protector on earth may be our intercessor in heaven; Who livest and reignest forever and ever. Amen.
Indulgences: One hundred days each time, three hundred days on Wednesdays, three hundred days on each day of the two novenas before St. Joseph's feast and his patronage; plenary on those two feasts; plenary once a month for daily recital; three hundred days for each Sunday when recited seven Sundays running. Applicable to the dead.
Responsory To St. Joseph.
Ant. Behold the faithful and prudent servant whom the Lord set over His house.
V. Pray for us, holy Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Litany of St. Joseph.
(For Private Devotion Only.)
V. Pray for us, O holy St. Joseph.
R. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray.
Grant, O Lord, we beseech Thee, by the merits of the spouse of Thy most holy Mother, that what our unworthiness cannot obtain may be given us by his intercession with Thee, Who livest and reignest with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.