The Praises of St Joseph

(Taken from "St Joseph: A Treasury", Page. 171)

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

"Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God." - St. Matthew 5:8

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed by thy soul, which was adorned with all the virtues and gifts of the Holy Ghost. 

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
 

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed be thine intellect, which was full of the most sublime knowledge of God and was enlightened with revelations. 

Glory be to ...

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed be thy will, which all inflamed with love for Jesus and Mary and always perfectly conformable to the Divine Will.

Glory be to ...

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed be thine eyes, to which it was granted to look continually upon Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed be thine ears, which merited to hear the sweet words of Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Dear St. Joseph, ever blessed be thy tongue, which continually praised God and with profound humility and reverence conversed with Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Chaste St. Joseph, ever blessed be thy most pure and loving heart, with which thou didst ardently love Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Holy Joseph, ever blessed be thy thoughts, words and actions, each and all of which ever tended to the service of Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Holy Patriarch Joseph, ever blessed be all the moments of thy life, which thou didst spend in the service of Jesus and Mary.

Glory be to ...

O Protector St. Joseph, ever blessed be that moment of thy life in which thou didst most sweetly die in the arms of Jesus and Mary. 

Glory be to ...

O Glorious St. Joseph, ever blessed be that moment in which thou didst enter into the eternal joys of Heaven. 

Glory be to ...

O Happy St. Joseph, ever blessed in eternity be every moment in which, until now, in union with all the Saints of Heaven, thou hast enjoyed the incomprehensible bliss of union with God, with Jesus and Mary. 

Glory be to ...

O Dear Protector! Be ever blessed by  me and by all creatures, for all eternity, with all the blessings which the Most Holy Trinity bestowed upon thee and with all the benedictions given thee by Jesus and Mary and by the whole Church. 

Glory be to ...

O Thrice Holy Joseph, blessed in soul and body, in life and death, on earth and in Heaven. Obtain for me, a poor sinner, a share in thy blessings, the grace to imitate thee ardently, and to love and faithfully serve Jesus, Mary, and thyself, and especially the happiness to die in thy holy arms. 

In the Name of the Father + and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. 

The Dreams of St Joseph

... behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife ...Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him... - St. Matthew 1:20, 24

St. Joseph is presented as a “just man” (Matthew 1:19), faithful to God’s law, ready to do His will. On account of this he enters into the mystery of the Incarnation after an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and tells him: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife with you. In fact the child that has been conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus: he in fact will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). Forgetting the thought of repudiating Mary in secret, he takes her in because his eyes now see the work of God in her. - Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus, 19 December 2010

Many writings on St. Joseph make reference to his silence, as not a single spoken word by him is recorded in the Scriptures. Many of us would have liked some sort of Fiat or Canticle from St. Joseph, since even Zechariah, who at first doubted the angel’s words (Lk. 1:11-19,) has a song of praise after the birth of his son (Lk. 1:68-79.) However, until the birth, Zechariah was made mute for his disbelief, whereas when the angel appeared to St. Joseph, his silence was not a chastisement but his own choice.

If we read carefully, St. Joseph actually has a lot to say to us – not in his words but in his deeds. Each time the angel instructed him, revealing God’s Will through his dreams, immediately upon waking he responded in action. He did not waste time in questions and wondering, but obeyed and acted as God wanted. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Proclaim the Gospel always, if necessary use words.” Joseph did this long before St. Francis' observation. He may have had a verbal Fiat (“Let it be done unto me”) or Magnificat (“My soul magnifies the Lord,") but his words were not recorded for us. The Lord did not include St. Joseph’s actual words in the Scriptures, choosing instead to give us his example of quiet contemplation and perfect obedience – a total submission to God’s Will. His actions are his “Fiat” and his “Magnificat," and for many of us who are “all talk," the Lord gives us the silent but active example of St. Joseph – who wasn’t “all talk," but a man of action, ready and willing to serve his Lord. - J. Rodrigues

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him." And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son." - St. Matthew 2:13-15 

Consider the ready obedience of St. Joseph, who raised no doubts about the time of the journey, nor about the manner of traveling, nor about the place in Egypt in which they were to stay, but immediately prepared to set out. He instantly makes known to Mary the command of the angel, and on the same night sets out without guide on a journey of 400 miles through mountains, across rugged roads and deserts. … How much St. Joseph must have suffered on the journey into Egypt in seeing the sufferings of Jesus and Mary! … Joseph was indeed conformed in all things to the will of the Eternal Father, but his tender and loving heart could not but feel pain in seeing the Son of God trembling and weeping from cold and the other hardships which He experienced on that hard journey. - St. Alphonsus Liguori

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, and take the child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” So he arose and took the child and his mother, and went into the land of Israel. - St. Matthew 2:19-22

And so Jesus' way back to Nazareth from Bethlehem passed through Egypt. Just as Israel had followed the path of the exodus "from the condition of slavery" in order to begin the Old Covenant, so Joseph, guardian and cooperator in the providential mystery of God, even in exile watched over the one who brings about the New Covenant. - Blessed Pope John Paul II, Redemptoris Custos

But hearing that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there; and being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee. And he went to a town called Nazareth. - St. Matthew 2:22-23

This passage from Matthew (2:22-23) is often passed over quickly without a word or thought, but I believe that even this scene merits mention. In it we find that Joseph is afraid to return to Judea with his family, fearing that Herod’s successor would seek to destroy his Son. Though St. Joseph has faith he still has a temporal fear which is a part of the human condition and the Heavenly Father understands this. So once again He sends His messenger to instruct Joseph on what he is to do. This mention of Joseph’s fear speaks volumes not only about our human frailties but also of God’s compassion. The Heavenly Father allows Joseph to have, to a certain extent, self reliance even if it allows for him to fear. But the Lord is merciful, and so He sends his messenger to advise Joseph on the course he should take, to bring his family safely out of exile. - J. Rodrigues

Taken from the book "St Joseph: A Treasury."

www.PrinceOfTheChurch.yolasite.com

ST. JOSEPH: A TREASURY - New Book -

While researching for my previous work, St.Joseph: Prince of the Church, I happened upon some wonderful quotes by the saints and popes regarding Joseph, the husband of Mary and the Virgin-Father of Christ – some of which I shared in my book, but many I had to leave out as it was not meant to focus wholly on the sayings of others. However, I still wanted to share these wonderful reflections with the faithful to show just how highly esteemed St. Joseph is in Holy Mother Church. Most were short and simple but still contained great themes to meditate on. But as beautiful as the quotes in my possession were, there were not enough to justify a new book. 

Reflections on Our Lord and the Blessed Virgin, given to us by holy men and women, would easily fill thousands upon thousands of pages, yet those of St. Joseph are a different matter. Though compiling these quotes may sound easy, it was an arduous task which required much research and patience.

I also wanted to include pious artwork to accompany each quote so as to give the reader appropriate illustrations to reflect on, but not just any images would do. I wanted to present depictions that were not so widely known – at least in North America. So now, mingled with the holy words of saints and pontiffs, are works of art to add to the uniqueness of this little book.  

The image and story of St. Joseph has long been regulated to being a foot-note to the story of our faith. He has been “hidden” from us for so long that many in the Church fail to contemplate this man who was much beloved by God. The purpose of my previous book, St. Joseph:Prince of the Church, was to bring him from out of the shadows so that many more of the faithful would come to love and understand him more. Now with this work, St. Joseph: A Treasury, my goal is to enhance devotion to this glorious saint by meditating upon the words of those who have given themselves wholly to God, just as Joseph has.

I call this little book a “treasury” for two reasons. Firstly, because uncovering these words (and the images which accompany them) has proven to be quite the treasure hunt. Digging deep and searching far and wide, following the clues of dusty footnotes and “brief mentions,” I have managed to uncover some of the precious gems and pearls of wisdom which lead us to reflect more deeply on the person and dignity of St. Joseph.

Secondly, I call this humble work a “treasury” because I myself will always treasure this incredible saint whom Our Lord, with complete reverence, deigned to call “father.” St. Joseph, in union with Our Lady, has recovered me from the depths of my despair – bringing me back to the Church, bringing me back to Jesus Christ! And for this, I will always be grateful.

In the Old Testament, when the people of Egypt hungered for food, Pharaoh instructed them to “go to Joseph” and to do all that he told them (Genesis 41:55.) The Joseph of Genesis fed the people and provided for them. The Joseph of the New Testament, our St. Joseph, was the first man to receive the Word made flesh, Who is our Lord Jesus Christ. He first held him in Bethlehem (which literally means “House of Bread”,) and so now, grateful for this honor, he too extends his hands to us who hunger, offering us not manna, but the true Bread of Life, from which we receive our salvation. (John 6:58.)

Thus I offer this humble little book with the prayer it may assist many in their devotion to St. Joseph – the Father chosen by Our Lord Himself. 

You can order directly from the Apostolate or from Amazon.com

Ite Ad Ioseph!

José Rodrigues