ST. JOSEPH: THE EARLY YEARS

THE CONCEPTION & SANCTIFICATION OF JOSEPH
  
Before I formed thee in the bowels of thy mother, I knew thee: and before thou camest forth out of the womb, I sanctified thee...  – Jeremiah 1:5

Through the Servant of God, Mother Cecilia Baij, whose writings were given both the Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat, we learn of the circumstances of St Joseph’s conception and birth. These events mirror those of the prophet Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5) and St John the Baptist (St. Luke 1:5-19, 41-44) who were sanctified in the womb several months after their conception (freed from the stain of original sin by the grace of God after their conception, not to be confused with the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.)

God permitted that their (Jacob and Rachel’s) marriage should, for a time, prove to be unfruitful, for He wished Joseph to be a child obtained through prayerful entreaty. …

His parents generously bestowed alms upon the poor and for the temple in Jerusalem. They also made many pilgrimages to beg God for the desired offspring! God, before long, provided consolation.

It was on one occasion… in the temple, that Joseph’s mother experienced an inner conviction that God had heard her prayer … and indeed she conceived St Joseph.  …

The happiness and piety of the parents were increased when an angel came to reveal to them … secret facts concerning this child. … It was disclosed that the child would have the happy privilege of seeing the promised Messiah and associating with Him …

The momentous day arrived. Joseph’s mother gave birth to her child with ease… The tiny babe had a most angelic, venerable, and serene expression … and the mere sight of him was an occasion of spiritual stimulation for everyone. …           

Joseph was in the grace and friendship of God, having been previously freed of the stain of original sin. … His soul’s growth was derived from the graces he obtained from the divine bounty and generosity. God fashioned him according to His own heart and spirit, in order to eventually make him a worthy bridegroom for the Mother of the Divine Word. - Servant of God, Mother Cecilia Baij
  
In the seventeenth century, a Spanish mystic named Maria de Agreda (1602-1665) was also given heavenly insights into the life of the Holy Family, which were compiled in her monumental work, Mystical City of God. Her writings have been acclaimed throughout the centuries by Popes and theologians, and she has since been declared Venerable by the Church. She too was shown that St Joseph was sanctified in his mother’s womb:

Joseph 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 would be wonderful in the sight of God and men. - Venerable Maria de Agreda

St. Alphonsus de Liguori was also of the opinion that, for good reason, St Joseph was sanctified in his mother’s womb:

When God, destines anyone for a particular office, He gives him the graces that fit him for it. Therefore, since God chose St. Joseph to fill the office of father over the person of the Incarnate Word, we must certainly believe that he conferred upon him all the sanctity which belonged to such an office.

Among other privileges, Joseph had three which were special to him. Firstly, that he was sanctified in his mother's womb, as were Jeremias and St. John the Baptist. Secondly, that he was at the same time confirmed in grace. And thirdly, that he was always exempt from the inclinations of concupiscence—a privilege with which St. Joseph by the merit of his purity, favors his devout clients by delivering them from carnal appetites. - St. Alphonsus de Liguori 

The sanctification of Joseph in the womb is a remarkable example of God’s infinite wisdom and goodness in preparation for the Incarnation of God the Son. The Heavenly Father sanctified Joseph so that when the time came for him to wed the Blessed Virgin Mary and raise Our Lord Jesus as his own son, he would be the most perfect and holy husband and father.

Just as pharaoh deemed Joseph of the Old Covenant to be the worthy prince over his possessions (Psalm 105:21) and intercessor for those who hungered (Genesis 41:55), so too did our almighty and ever living God choose from eternity this new Joseph to be born to protect and adore His most precious treasures: Our Lord Jesus Christ – the Bread of life (St. John 6:35), and His perfect tabernacle, the Virgin Mary (St. Luke 1:42.)

HOLINESS OF THE CHILD JOSEPH

In the scriptures we are not given any details of St. Joseph’s childhood or his early manhood, so, as with the details of St Joseph’s conception and birth, we have to look to other divinely inspired sources for even a glimpse of Joseph before he appears in the Holy Bible.

Concerning the child Joseph, we have the revelations of Venerable Maria de Agreda, Blessed AnneCatherine Emmerich, and Servant of God Mother Cecilia Baij. We are told that he was a humble and holy boy who possessed great understanding and awareness of God at a young age:

Joseph, whom I saw in this vision at about the age of eight. He was very gifted and was a very good scholar, but he was simple, quiet, devout, and not at all ambitious . . . I often saw him kneeling down with his face to the wall, praying with outstretched arms.  – Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich

The holy child Joseph was born most beautiful and perfect of body and caused in his parents and in his relations an extraordinary delight… The Lord hastened the use of his reason, endowing it with infused science and augmenting his soul with new graces   and virtues. … The child began to know God … 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. … He was of a kind disposition, loving, and 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.  – Venerable Maria de Agreda

… Joseph had the best of dispositions … He matured in a most outstanding manner, both physically and spiritually … God fashioned him according to His own heart and spirit, in order to eventually make him a worthy bridegroom for the Mother of the Divine Word. The child gratefully acknowledged these gifts which he was receiving from God. …

Joseph already possessed the gift of the use of reason, together with the gift of sanctifying grace, and as a result had a greater comprehension of God and of the offenses committed by mankind against Him. He shed   copious tears in this regard and offered them to God with the plea that He might have mercy upon poor sinners, that He would enlighten them, and enable them to see their grievous error…

THE VIRTUOUS ADOLESCENT

He never caused God any displeasure, committing neither mortal sin, nor any deliberate venial sin; and he made every effort to avoid even the very shadow of sin, always taking to heart the admonition of the Holy Spirit: “Whosoever disregards little faults, will eventually fall into greater ones.” He was ever careful in this respect, and very conscientious about minor things.

He guarded his senses most carefully, especially his eyes, remembering how David and many others had fallen through curious looks which ought to have been avoided. The more that he mortified his senses in order to remain faithful to God, the more grace did he receive from God, and the more intense did his love become for this one and only object of all his love and desires…  – Servant of God, Mother Cecilia Baij 

THE DEATH OF JOSEPH’S PARENTS

For any accounting of the deaths of Joseph’s parents, we rely completely on the revelations of Mother Cecilia Baij, as no other venerable or saint has appeared to come forward with such revelations, as with much of St. Joseph’s childhood mentioned earlier.

We are told that St. Joseph was 18 years of age when the time came for his parents to depart from this earth. His mother was first to die, due to illness. It was Joseph, who would one day become the Patron of a Happy Death, who ministered to her in her last days. Such happiness and consolation she experienced in her final moments in the presence of her holy son:

He rendered to his mother Rachel a most commendable assistance and service, strengthening and comforting her in her pain, constantly begging God to give her patience in her agonizing illness.

The holy youth spent many a night watching and assisting at his mother’s bedside, or praying for her. Just as he had previously shown his gratitude for her goodness to him, so now in these last moments of her life, his behavior was exemplary. He did not wish to leave her, and never tired of serving her or comforting her with his truly childlike, yet holy love. ... Joseph remained with her until she expired. He was a great help not only to her, but also to his father, who was sorely grieved over the loss of so virtuous a companion in life.

St. Joseph, suffering and weakened by the loss of his mother, had little time to grieve, as it was soon after her departure that his father had become ill. He would continue in his role as devoted son to his father, just as he had done for his mother, ministering to him in his final moments:

It was not long afterwards that Joseph’s father Jacob became deathly sick. Joseph himself had been weakened considerably during the period of his mother’s painful illness, to which was now added this serious affliction. He fervently implored God for the help of His grace, and for the energy and strength needed to be able to assist his father during his final illness. …

Joseph tended and served his father affectionately, both day and night, and encouraged him in the patient endurance of his sufferings and anxieties. As his father’s last hours arrived, Joseph attended him lovingly, encouraging and stimulating him to an ever greater trust in the divine goodness and mercy, and consoling him with his own conviction that he would soon enter into the domain of peace and joy. Thus, fully resigned and with a firm hope of obtaining eternal life, Joseph’s father finally expired. Once his father had breathed his last, Joseph withdrew and allowed his grief-stricken nature to find relief in tears. Indeed, he had every reason to be sorrowful, considering what a generous, loving and solicitous father he had lost.

After the departure of his father, we are shown the image of an 18 year old Joseph falling under the weight of his tears, not only allowing himself to grieve the loss of his parents whom he loved so dearly, but also, commending himself with filial trust to the care of the Heavenly Father:

After he had thus given free reign to his sorrow, he fell down upon his knees, and streaming with tears, besought the Divine Majesty for aid with these words: “Oh God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-and my own God! Look down upon me, thus deprived of both father and mother. You have graciously placed them beyond reach of the cares of this mortal life, and I now beg You, that in Your goodness You take me entirely under Your protection. I give and surrender myself again entirely to You.

I have always been Yours’, and also have always been safeguarded and defended by You. I wish to renew my dedication to You, and desire to have   You reign over me completely. Since I am no longer subject to anyone but You, my God, give me the requisite grace, so that I too may be able to say with the royal prophet: ‘My father and mother have left me, but the Lord has taken me up’ (Psalm 27:10). From now on do You be my father, my protector, my mother, my refuge, my whole support. Do with me and mine as it pleases You. May Your holy will be accomplished in me in everything. Grant that I may always discern Your will, for it is my desire to follow it completely and perfectly.” – Revelations to Servant of God, Mother Cecilia Baij