Excerpt from "THE BOOK OF JOSEPH"
by José A. Rodrigues
St. Joseph was constantly faithful in his devotion to his Lord and Lady
and would often experience ecstasies as a reward; his heart constantly
aflame with love that it consumed his whole being.
As he became more and more affected by love, he began to yearn for the
day of his death, while asking the Lord to envelop him completely in
this fiery love. This divine burning grew so intense that it began to
radiate outwardly in Joseph's physical appearance.
During the latter days of Joseph's life, Jesus would often visit with
him, caring for and encouraging him, especially during the violent
bursts of ecstatic love within his body and soul.
Servant of God Mother Cecelia Baij and Venerable Maria de Agreda
reveal these moments:
The love of God attained such an intensity within Joseph, that
his body was affected by it. His heart became as a volcano of
fiery divine love, so that he would often exclaim:
“Oh, God of love! Put an end to my life! Oh, if this fire of love now
burning in my breast would only consume me completely!” Joseph
began to have the desire for death by being consumed with divine love. …
Joseph’s heart was on fire, his body was radiant, and his eyes
sparkled. Mary was delighted as she looked at Joseph, for he seemed to
be more like a creature of Heaven than of earth (C. Baij, 1997, pg.
307).
Joseph, in his final years, was weakened from the fire of his ardent
love which was so vehement, that the flights and ecstasies of
his most pure soul would often have burst the bounds of his body if the
Lord, who vouchsafed them, had not strengthened and comforted him
against these agonies of love (M. Agreda, 1912, p. 143).
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