Pope Leo XIII,Quamquam Pluries: There are special reasons why Blessed
Joseph should be explicitly named Patron of the Church and why the
Church should in turn expect much from his patronage and guardianship.
For he, indeed, was the husband of Mary and the father, as was supposed,
of Jesus Christ. From this arises all his dignity, grace, holiness,
and glory. The dignity of the Mother of God is certainly so sublime
that nothing can surpass it; but none the less, since the bond of
marriage existed between Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, there can be no
doubt that, more than any other person, he approached that supereminent
dignity by which the Mother of God is raised far above all created
natures. For marriage is the closest possible union and relationship
whereby each spouse mutually participates in the goods of the other.
Consequently, if God gave Joseph as a spouse to the Virgin he assuredly
gave him not only as a companion in life, a witness of her virginity,
and the guardian of her honor, but also as a sharer in her exalted
dignity by reason of the conjugal tie itself.
For more on the Holy Espousals, please visit click HERE.
The Feast of the Holy Espousals was approved in 1546 by Pope Paul III.
Today let us honor St. Joseph and contemplate the Joy of his selection
as the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary! May the Lord God be praised and
glorified through His wonderful mysteries!
St. Luke 1:27 The Virgin was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of David.
Venerable Maria de Agreda: The Most High spoke to the heart of the
high priest, inspiring him to place into the hands of each one of the
young men a dry stick, with the command that each ask his Majesty with a
lively faith, to single out the one whom He had chosen as the spouse of
Mary. While they were thus engaged in prayer the staff which Joseph
held was seen to blossom and at the same time a dove of purest white and
resplendent with admirable light, was seen to descend and rest upon the
head of the saint... And the priest espoused Mary to the most chaste
and holy of men, Saint Joseph.
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich:
As Joseph was about to lay his staff on the altar before the Holy of
Holies, a white flower like a lily blossomed out of the top … I saw over
him an appearance of light like the Holy Ghost.
Servant of
God, Mother Cecilia Baij: Suddenly Joseph saw his branch begin to sprout
and become bedecked with snow-white blossoms! Everyone around him was
soon staring at this miraculous sign. … All those present now saw a
snow-white dove descend from Heaven and settle on the head of Joseph. It
was now quite certain that of all the candidates, Joseph was the man of
God’s choice.
St. Francis de Sales: How exalted in the virtue
of virginity must Joseph have been who was destined by the Eternal
Father to be the companion in virginity of Mary! Both had made a vow to
preserve virginity for their entire lives, and it was the Will of God to
join them in the bond of a holy marriage.
Pope Benedict XVI,
Yaoundé, Cameroon, 18 March 2009: Joseph teaches us that it is possible
to love without possessing. In contemplating Joseph, all men and women
can, by God’s grace, come to experience healing from their emotional
wounds, if only they embrace the plan that God has begun to bring about
in those close to him, just as Joseph entered into the work of
redemption through Mary and as a result of what God had already done in
her.
✠ 1 OUR FATHER ✠ 10 HAIL JOSEPH ✠ 1 GLORY BE ✠
✠
Hail Joseph Son of David, God is with you! blessed are you among men and
blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ! Holy Joseph, Guardian of the
Redeemer, pray for us and be with us now and as we sigh our last breath.
Amen. ✠
Please click HERE to read more on the Holy Espousals of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Virgin was
betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the House of
David.
- St. Luke 1:27
The Fathers and Doctors of the Church agree that God Himself predestined and
sanctified St Joseph in order that he would be the husband and upholder of the
Blessed Virgin Mary and the father and protector of God the Son – Jesus. St.Epiphanius and St. Gregory, among other saints, believed that the selection of Joseph
as Mary’s spouse, predestined by God, was brought out by lot. This brings to
mind the process of the selection of the apostle Matthias in the New Testament.
When the Apostles were trying to find a replacement for Judas Iscariot, the man
who betrayed Christ, they gathered and prayed to God for a sign of who was to
be chosen and they drew lots between them:
Acts 1:24-26 – And they prayed and said, “Thou, Lord, who knows the hearts of
all, show us which of these two men you have chosen . . .” And they drew lots
between them and the lot fell upon Matthias…
When it came to the selection of St. Joseph, there were gathered a group of
young men of the House of David, Joseph among them, one of whom was to be
chosen as the husband of Mary. According to tradition, and the saints and
mystics of the Church, in order to discern a suitable husband for Mary, the
high priest Zachary, by divine inspiration, recalled how the Israelites
rebelled against Moses and Aaron. In order to convince the Israelites that
Aaron was the chosen High Priest, God said to Moses:
Numbers 17:1-23 – “Speak to the Israelites and get one staff from each of them
... Mark each man’s name on his staff; and mark Aaron’s name . . . Then lay
them down in the Meeting Tent . . . There the staff of the man of My choice
will sprout.” . . . The next day, when Moses entered the Tent, Aaron’s staff .
. . had sprouted and put forth not only shoots, but blossoms as well, and even
bore ripe almonds.
So using this example, Zachary told each of the young men of the House of David
to bring a rod with his name engraved on it, and the man whose rod blossomed
would be the chosen husband of Mary. Of course it was Joseph’s rod that
blossomed. This scene was seen as part of a fulfillment of the prophecy of
Isaiah and was revealed to Venerable Maria de Agreda and Blessed Anne Catherine
Emmerich:
Isaiah 11:1-5 – a shoot will sprout from the stump of Jesse, and from his roots
a bud will blossom. The Spirit of the Lord will rest upon him...
Venerable Maria de Agreda: Among the number was Joseph . . . for he was one of
the descendants of the royal race of David . . . The Most High spoke to the
heart of the high priest, inspiring him to place into the hands of each one of
the young men a dry stick, with the command that each ask his Majesty with a
lively faith, to single out the one whom He had chosen as the spouse of Mary.
While they were thus engaged in prayer the staff which Joseph held was seen to
blossom and at the same time a dove of purest white and resplendent with
admirable light, was seen to descend and rest upon the head of the saint …
Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich: As
Joseph was about to lay his staff on the altar before the Holy of Holies, a
white flower like a lily blossomed out of the top … I saw over him an
appearance of light like the Holy Ghost.
Servant of God, Mother Cecilia Baij: Suddenly Joseph saw his branch begin to
sprout and become bedecked with snow-white blossoms! Everyone around him was
soon staring at this miraculous sign. … All those present now saw a snow-white
dove descend from Heaven and settle on the head of Joseph. It was now quite
certain that of all the candidates, Joseph was the man of God’s choice.
This tradition of the selection of St. Joseph is still upheld by Christians to
this day and in almost every image or statue of St. Joseph, he is shown holding
his staff which is blooming flowers (either lilies or spikenard) or just
holding the flowers themselves. This is as a reminder of both his worthiness
and purity in the eyes of the Heavenly Father to be chosen as the spouse of the
Mother of God.
Imagine how honored Joseph would have felt to be the chosen one. Out of all
these men, some more successful than he, God chose a humble worker. Think of
how happy and yet nervous he would have been when seeing the Virgin Mary. Think
of the innocent awkwardness of Joseph and Mary when they first encountered each
other alone, in order to get to know each other. They would both have been
nervous because they had both made vows of virginity to the Lord. Mary would
have told Joseph this in order to be completely honest with him. He should not
expect to have sexual relations with her and therefore, she could not bear him
children. If he wanted, he could find a more suitable wife who had not made this
vow to the Lord.
Joseph however, was relieved at hearing these words. He too had made a vow to
the Lord to remain a virgin. How perfect a union this would be and how
wonderful the moment of their espousals—the choirs of angels must have rejoiced
in the Heavens at that sacred moment in history!
Venerable Maria de Agreda: In the interior of his heart God spoke: “Joseph, my
servant, Mary shall be thy spouse; accept her with attentive reverence, for she
is acceptable in my eyes, just and most pure in soul and body…” At this
manifestation and token from heaven the priests declared Saint Joseph to be the
spouse selected by God himself for the maiden Mary. Calling her forth for her
espousal, the chosen one issued forth like the sun, more resplendent than the moon,
and she entered into the presence of all with a countenance more beautiful than
that of an angel, incomparable in the charm of her beauty, nobility and grace;
and the priests espoused her to the most chaste and holy of men, Saint Joseph.
Proverbs 31:10-29 – Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing
prize! She brings him good, and not evil . . . She reaches out her hands to the
poor, and extends her arms to the needy. Her husband is prominent . . . She is
clothed with strength and dignity and she laughs at the days to come. She opens
her mouth in wisdom, and on her tongue is kindly counsel . . . Many are the
women of proven worth, but you have excelled them all!
When we read the beautiful Nuptial Ode, in the Book of Psalms, we can easily
envision Mary saying to her beloved:
Psalm 45:2-8 – “My heart overflows with a goodly theme as I sing my ode . . .
Fairer in beauty are you than the sons of men; grace is poured out upon your
lips; thus God has blessed you forever . . . God has anointed you with the oil
of gladness above your . . . kings!”
And Joseph serenades his bride:
Psalm 45:14-17 – “All glorious is the . . . daughter as she enters; her raiment
is threaded with spun gold. In embroidered apparel she is borne in . . . Behind
her the virgins of her train . . . are borne in with gladness and joy; . . . I
will make your name memorable through all generations; therefore shall nations
praise you forever and ever!”
The importance of the espousals between Joseph and Mary is shown to us in the
words of Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Leo XIII:
Pope Benedict XVI, Vatican Gardens, 5 July 2010: The espousals between Joseph
and Mary are an episode of great importance. Joseph was of the royal line of
David and, in virtue of his marriage to Mary, would confer on the Son of the
Virgin — on God's Son — the legal tile of "Son of David," thus
fulfilling the prophecies. The espousals of Joseph and Mary are, because of
this, a human event, but determinant in the history of humanity's salvation, in
the realization of the promises of God; because of this, it also has a
supernatural connotation, which the two protagonists accept with humility and
trust.
Pope Leo XIII, Quamquam Pluries: The dignity of the Mother of God is certainly
so sublime that nothing can surpass it; but none the less, since the bond of
marriage existed between Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, there can be no doubt
that, more than any other person, he approached that supereminent dignity by
which the Mother of God is raised far above all created natures. For marriage
is the closest possible union and relationship whereby each spouse mutually
participates in the goods of the other. Consequently, if God gave Joseph as a
spouse to the Virgin he assuredly gave him not only as a companion in life, a witness
of her virginity, and the guardian of her honor, but also as a sharer in her
exalted dignity by reason of the conjugal tie itself.
Feast of the Espousals of Mary and Joseph: January 23 - Approved in 1546 by
Pope Paul III to celebrate the holy espousals of the Blessed Virgin Mary and
St. Joseph.
Having grown considerably for her age,
our most charming Princess, most pure Mary, had another abstractive vision of
the Divinity of the same order and kind as those already described. In this
vision, we might say, happened something similar to that which the holy
Scriptures relate of Abraham, when God commanded him to sacrifice his beloved
son Isaac, the only pledge of all his hopes. God tempted Abraham, says Moses
(Gen. 12, 12), trying and probing the promptness of his obedience in order to
reward it. We can say the same thing of our great Lady, that God tried Her in
this vision, by commanding Her to enter the state of matrimony. Thence we can
also understand the truth of the words: How inscrutable are the judgments of
the Lord and how exalted are his ways and thoughts above our own (Rom. 11, 33)!
As distant as heaven is from earth, were the thoughts of most holy Mary from
the plans which the Most High now made known to Her, by commanding Her to
accept a husband for her protection and company; for as far as depended upon
her will She had desired and resolved during all her life not to have a husband
and She had often repeated and renewed the vow of chastity, which She had taken
at such a premature age.
Nevertheless
at this unexpected command the most prudent Virgin suspended her judgment, and
preserved the calmness of her hope and belief more perfectly than Abraham.
Hoping against hope (Rom. 4, 18), She made answer to the Lord saying:
"Eternal God and incomprehensible Majesty, Creator of heaven and earth,
and of all things contained therein, Thou, O Lord, who weighest the winds (Job
28, 25), and by thy commands settest bounds to the sea and subjectest all
creation to thy will, canst dispose of me according to
thy pleasure, without making me fail in that which I have promised to Thee; and
if it be not displeasing to Thee, my good Lord, I confirm and ratify anew my
desire to remain chaste during all my life and to have Thee for my Lord and
Spouse; and since my only duty as a creature is to obey Thee, see Thou to it,
my Spouse, that according to thy Providence I may escape from this predicament
in which thy holy love places me." There was, however, some uneasiness in
the most chaste maiden Mary, as far as her inferior nature was concerned, just
as happened afterwards at the message of the archangel Gabriel (Luke 1, 8);
yet, though She felt some sadness, it did not hinder Her from practicing the
most heroic obedience which until then had fallen to her lot, and She resigned
Herself entirely into the hand of the Lord. His Majesty answered her:
"Mary, let not thy heart be disturbed, for thy resignation is acceptable
to Me and my powerful arm is not subject to laws; by my disposition that will
happen, which is most proper for Thee."
Consoled
only by this vague promise of the Lord, most holy Mary recovered from her
vision and returned to her ordinary state. Left between doubt and hope by the
divine command and promise, She was full of solicitude, for the Lord intended
that She should multiply Her tearful sentiments of love and confidence, of
faith, humility, of obedience, of purest chastity and of other virtues,
impossible to enumerate. In the meanwhile, while our great Lady applied Herself
to vigilant prayer, and to her resigned and prudent sighs and solicitude, God
spoke in sleep to the high priest, saint Simeon, and commanded him to arrange
for the marriage of Mary, the daughter of Joachim and Anne of Nazareth; since
He regarded Her with special care and love. The holy priest answered, asking
what was his will in regard to the person, whom the maiden Mary was to marry
and to whom She was to give Herself as Spouse. The Lord instructed Him to call
together the other priests and learned persons and to tell them that this
Maiden was left alone and an orphan and that She did not desire to be married;
but that, as it was a custom for the firstborn maidens not to leave the temple
without being provided for, it was proper She should be married to whomever it
seemed good to them.
The
most prudent Virgin, with a countenance betokening virginal modesty, answered
the priest with great composure and humility: "Sir, as far as my
inclinations are concerned, I desire to preserve perpetual chastity during all
my life; for I wished to dedicate myself to God in the service of this holy
temple in return for the great blessings which I have received in it; I never
had the intention or the desire to enter the state of matrimony, since I
consider myself incapable of fulfilling the duties connected with it. This was
my inclination, but thou, my master, who art to me in place of God, wilt teach
me what is according to his holy Will," "My Daughter," answered
the priest, "thy holy desires are acceptable to the Lord; but remember,
that no maiden of Israel abstains from marriage as long as we expect the coming
of the Messias conformably to the divine prophecies. Therefore all who obtain
issue of children among our people, esteem themselves happy and blessed. In the
matrimonial state Thou canst serve God truly and in great perfection; and in
order that Thou mayest obtain a companion according to the heart of God and who
will be conformable to thy wishes, we will pray to the Lord, as I have told
Thee, asking Him to single out a husband for Thee, who shall be pleasing to Him
and of the line of David; do Thou also pray continually for the same favor, in
order that the Most High may favor Thee and may direct us all."
This
happened nine days before the one appointed for the execution and realization
of their resolve. During this time the most holy Virgin multiplied her prayers,
beseeching the Lord with incessant tears and sighs, to fulfill his divine
pleasure in that which She had so much at heart. On one of those nine days the
Lord appeared to Her and said to Her: "My Spouse and my Dove, let thy
afflicted heart expand and let it not be disturbed or sad; I will attend to thy
yearnings and to thy requests, I will direct all things, and will govern the
priests by my enlightenment; I will give Thee a spouse selected by Myself, and
one who will put no hindrance to thy holy desires, but who, by my grace will
prosper Thee in them. I will find for Thee a perfect man conformable to my
heart and I will choose him from the number of my servants; my power is
infinite, and my protection and aid shall never fail Thee."
The
most holy Mary answering said: "Highest Good and Love of my soul, Thou
well knowest the secret of my bosom and my desires, which Thou hast excited in
me from the first moment of the existence received from Thee; preserve me,
then, my Spouse, pure and chaste, as I have desired for Thee and through Thee.
Do not despise my sighs and deprive me not of thy countenance. Remember, my
Lord and God, that I am but a useless wormlet, weak and despicable on account
of my insignificance and if I should fall away from virtue in the state of
matrimony, I shall disappoint Thee and my desires; provide Thou for my security
and be not deterred by my demerits. Although I am but useless dust (Gen. 18,
27),I will call on thy greatness, O Lord, trusting in thy infinite
mercies."
On
the day on which, as we have said in the preceding chapter, our Princess Mary
completed the fourteenth year of her life, the men, who at that time in the
city of Jerusalem were descendants of the tribe of Juda and of the race of
David, gathered together in the temple. The sovereign Lady was also of that
lineage. Among the number was Joseph, a native of Nazareth. and then living in
Jerusalem; for he was one of the descendants of the royal race of David. He was
then thirty-three years of age, of handsome person and pleasing countenance,
but also of incomparable modesty and gravity; above all he was most chaste in
thought and conduct, and most saintly in all his inclinations. From his twelfth
year he had made and kept the vow of chastity. He was related to the Virgin
Mary in the third degree, and was known for the utmost purity of his life, holy
and irreprehensible in the eyes of God and of men.
All
these unmarried men gathered in the temple and prayed to the Lord conjointly
with the priests. in order to be governed by the holy Spirit in what they were
about to do. The Most High spoke to the heart of the highpriest, inspiring him
to place into the hands of each one of the young men a dry stick, with the
command that each ask his Majesty with a lively faith, to single out the one
whom He had chosen as the spouse of Mary. And as the sweet odor of her virtue
and nobility, the fame of her beauty, her possessions and her modesty, and her
position as being the firstborn in her family was known to all of them, each
one coveted the happiness of meriting Her as a spouse. Among them all only the
humble and most upright Joseph thought himself unworthy of such a great
blessing; and remembering the vow of chastity which he had made and resolving
anew its perpetual observance, he resigned himself to God's will, leaving it
all to his disposal and being filled at the same time with a veneration and
esteem greater than that of any of the others for the most noble maiden Mary.
While
they were thus engaged in prayer the staff which Joseph held was seen to
blossom and at the same time a dove of purest white and resplendent with
admirable light, was seen to descend and rest upon the head of the saint, while
in the interior of his heart God spoke: "Joseph, my servant, Mary shall be
thy Spouse; accept Her with attentive reverence, for She is acceptable in my
eyes, just and most pure in soul and body, and thou shalt do all that She shall
say to Thee." At this manifestation and token from heaven the priests
declared saint Joseph as the spouse selected by God himself for the maiden
Mary. Calling Her forth for her espousal, the Chosen one issued forth like the
sun, more resplendent than the moon, and She entered into the presence of all
with a countenance more beautiful than that of an angel, incomparable in the
charm of her beauty, nobility and grace; and the priests espoused Her to the
most chaste and holy of men, saint Joseph.
The
heavenly Princess, more pure than the stars of the firmament, with tearful and
sorrowful countenance and as the Queen of majesty, most humble yet uniting all
perfections within Herself, took leave of the priests, asking their blessing,
and of her instructress and her companions, begging their pardon. She gave
thanks to all of them for the favors received at their hands during her stay in
the temple. The humility of her behavior enhanced the prudence and aptness of
her words for the performance of these last duties in the temple; for on all
occasions She spoke in few and weighty words. She took leave of the temple not
without great grief on account of the sacrifice of her inclinations and
desires. In the company of attendants who were some of the more distinguished
laymen in the service of the temple, She betook Herself with her spouse Joseph
to Nazareth, the native city of this most fortunate married couple. Joseph,
although he had been born in that place, had, by the providential disposition
of circumstances, decided to live for some time in Jerusalem. Thus it happened
that he so improved his fortune as to become the spouse of Her, whom God had
chosen to be his own Mother.
Having
arrived at their home in Nazareth, where the Princess of heaven had inherited
the possessions and estates of her blessed parents, they were welcomed and
visited by their friends and relatives with the joyful congratulations
customary on such occasions. After they had in a most holy manner complied with
the natural duties of friendship and politeness, and satisfied the worldly
obligations connected with the conversation and interaction with their
fellowmen, the two most holy spouses, Joseph and Mary, were left at leisure and
to their own counsel in their house. Custom had introduced the practice among
the Hebrews, that for the first few days of their married state the husband and
wife should enter upon a sort of study or trial of each others' habits and
temperament, in order that afterwards they might be able to make reciprocal
allowance in their conduct one toward the other.
During
this time saint Joseph said to his spouse Mary: "My spouse and Lady, I
give thanks to the Lord most high God for the favor of having designed me as
your husband without my merits, though I judged myself unworthy even of thy
company; but his Majesty, who can raise up the lowly whenever He wishes, showed
this mercy to me, and I desire and hope, relying on thy discretion and virtue,
that Thou help me to make a proper return in serving Him with an upright heart.
Hold me, therefore, as thy servant, and by the true love which I have for thee,
I beg of thee to supply my deficiencies in the fulfillment of the domestic
duties and ofother things, which as a worthy husband, I should know how
to perform; tell me, Lady, what is thy pleasure, in order that I may fulfill
it."
The
heavenly Spouse heard these words with an humble heart, and yet also with a
serene earnestness, and She answered the saint: "My master, I am fortunate,
that the Most High, in order to place me in this state of life, has chosen thee
for my husband and that He has given me such evident manifestation of his will,
that I serve thee; but if thou givest me leave I will speak of my thoughts and
intentions, which I wish to manifest to thee for this purpose." The Most
High forestalled the sincere and upright heart of saint Joseph with his grace
and inflamed it anew with divine love through the word of most holy Mary, and
he answered Her, saying: "Speak, Lady, thy servant hears." On this
occasion the Mistress of the world was surrounded by the thousand angels of her
guard, in visible form. She had asked them to be present in that manner,
because the Lord, in order that the most pure Virgin might act with greater
grace and merit, had permitted her to feel the respect and reverence, with
which She was bound to speak to her husband and left her to the natural shyness
and dread, which She always felt in speaking to men alone; for She had never
done this, except perhaps by accident with the highpriest.
The
holy angels obeyed their Queen and, visible only to Her, stood in attendance.
In this glorious company She spoke to her spouse saint Joseph, and said to him:
"My lord and spouse, it is just that we give praise and glory with all
reverence to our God and Creator, who is infinite in goodness and
incomprehensible in his judgments. To us, who are so needy, He has manifested
his greatness and mercy in choosing us for his service. I acknowledge myself
among all creatures as more beholden and indebted to Him than all others, and
more than all of them together; for, meriting less. I have received from his
liberal hand more than they. At a tender age, being compelled thereto by the
force of this truth, which, with the knowledge of the deceitfulness of visible
things, his divine light made known to me, I consecrated myself to God by a
perpetual vow of chastity in body and soul; his I am and Him I acknowledge as
my Spouse and Lord, with fixed resolve to preserve for Him my chastity. I
beseech thee, my master, to help me in fulfilling this vow, while in all other
things I will be thy servant, willing to work for the comfort of thy life as
long as mine shall last. Yield, my spouse, to this resolve and make a like
resolve, in order that, offering ourselves as an acceptable sacrifice to our
eternal God, He may receive us in the odor of sweetness and bestow on us the
eternal goods for which we hope."
The
most chaste spouse Joseph, full of interior joy at the words of his heavenly
Spouse, answered Her: "My Mistress, in making known to me thy chaste and
welcome sentiments, thou hast penetrated and dilated my heart. I have not
opened my thoughts to Thee before knowing thy own. I also acknowledge myself
under greater obligation to the Lord of creation than other men; for very early
He has called me by his true enlightenment to love Him with an upright heart;
and I desire Thee to know, Lady, that at the age of twelve years I also made a
promise to serve the Most High in perpetual chastity. On this account I now
gladly ratify this vow in order not to impede thy own; in the presence of his
Majesty I promise to aid Thee, as far as in me lies, in serving Him and loving
Him according to thy full desires. I will be, with the divine grace, thy most faithful
servant and companion, and I pray Thee accept my chaste love and hold me as thy
brother, without ever entertaining any other kind of love, outside the one
which Thou owest to God and after God to me. In this conversation the Most High
confirmed anew the virtue of chastity in the heart of saint Joseph, and the
pure and holy love due to his most holy spouse Mary. This love the saint
already had in an eminent degree, and the Lady herself augmented it sweetly,
dilating his heart by her most prudent discourse.
By
divine operation the two most holy and chaste Spouses felt an incomparable joy
and consolation. The heavenly Princess, as one who is the Mistress of all
virtues and who in all things pursued the highest perfection of all virtues,
lovingly corresponded to the desires of saint Joseph. The Most High also gave
to saint Joseph new purity and complete command over his natural inclinations,
so that without hindrance or any trace of sensual desires, but with admirable
and new grace, he might serve his spouse Mary, and in Her, execute his will and
pleasure.
There arose between the two Spouses a holy contest,
who should obey the other as superior. But She, who among the humble was the
most humble, won in this contest of humility; for as the man is the head of the
family, She would not permit this natural order to be inverted. She desired in
all things to obey her spouse saint Joseph, asking him solely for permission to
help the poor, which the saint gladly gave.
As
saint Joseph during these days by divine enlightenment learnt to know more and
more the qualities of his spouse Mary, her rare prudence, humility, purity and
all her other virtues exceeding by far his thoughts and estimates, he was
seized with ever new admiration and, in great joy of spirit, continued to
praise and thank the Lord again and again for having given him a Companion and
Spouse so far above his merits. And in order that this work of the Most High
might be entirely perfect (for it was the beginning of the greatest, which He
was to execute by his Omnipotence) He ordained that the Princess of heaven, by
her mere presence and interactions, should infuse into the heart of her spouse
a holy fear and reverence greater than words could ever suffice to describe.
This effect was wrought upon saint Joseph by an effulgence or reflection of the
divine light, which shone from the face of our Queen and which was mingled with
an ineffable and always visible majesty. So much the more was this due to Her
than to Moses descending from the mountain, (Exod. 24, 30) as her interactions
and conversation with God had been more extended and intimate.
St. Luke 1:27 The Virgin was betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the House of David.
Pope Benedict XVI,Vatican
Gardens, 5 July 2010: The espousals between Joseph and Mary are an episode of great
importance. Joseph was of the royal line of David and, in virtue of his marriage
to Mary, would confer on the Son of the Virgin - on God's Son - the legal tile
of "Son of David," thus fulfilling the prophecies. The espousals of
Joseph and Mary are, because of this, a human event, but determinant in the
history of humanity's salvation, in the realization of the promises of God;
because of this, it also has a supernatural connotation, which the two
protagonists accept with humility and trust.
Venerable Maria de Agreda: The Most High spoke to the heart of the high
priest, inspiring him to place into the hands of each one of the young men a
dry stick, with the command that each ask his Majesty with a lively faith, to
single out the one whom He had chosen as the spouse of Mary. While they were
thus engaged in prayer the staff which Joseph held was seen to blossom and at
the same time a dove of purest white and resplendent with admirable light, was
seen to descend and rest upon the head of the saint... And the priest espoused
Mary to the most chaste and holy of men, Saint Joseph.
St Josemaria Escriva: You don't have to wait to be old or lifeless to practice the
virtue of chastity. Purity comes from love; and the strength and gaiety of
youth is no obstacle for noble love. Joseph had a young heart and a young body
when he married Mary, when he learned of the mystery of her divine motherhood,
when he lived in her company, respecting the integrity God wished to give the
world as one more sign that he had come to share the life of his creatures.
Anyone who cannot understand a love like that knows very little of true love
and is a complete stranger to the Christian meaning of chastity.
St Albert the Great:Here is the name of Joseph which deserves the
homage of virtue, because Mary was espoused to the just Joseph, but not united
to him in concupiscence.Reflect on the
vow of virginity of both these spouses, for it is stated that the angel was
sent by God to a virgin espoused to a man named Joseph.And this is said because she was found to be
with child before they were united.Since therefore she had been espoused before this was revealed to her
that is since she had been entrusted to his care, up to the time when, because
of her physical condition, she was found to be with child, this union would not
have continued unless, by mutual consent, they had already made a vow of
virginity.
St. Francis de Sales:How exalted in the virtue of virginity must
Joseph have been who was destined by the Eternal Father to be the companion in
virginity of Mary! Both had made a vow to preserve virginity for their entire
lives, and it was the Will of God to join them in the bond of a holy marriage.
Pope Benedict XVI,Yaoundé,
Cameroon, 18 March 2009: Joseph teaches us that it is possible to love
without possessing. In contemplating Joseph, all men and women can, by God’s
grace, come to experience healing from their emotional wounds, if only they
embrace the plan that God has begun to bring about in those close to him, just
as Joseph entered into the work of redemption through Mary and as a result of
what God had already done in her.
St. Bernardino of Siena: St
Joseph was the living image of his Virgin Spouse; they resembled each other
like two pearls.
Pope St. John Paul II, Redemptoris
Custos: In the Liturgy, Mary is celebrated as "united to Joseph, the
just man, by a bond of marital and virginal love." There are really two
kinds of love here, both of which together represent the mystery of the Church
-virgin and spouse - as symbolized in the marriage of Mary and Joseph.
“Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not
contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes and confirms it. Marriage
and virginity are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the
Covenant of God with his people,” the Covenant which is a communion of love
between God and human beings.
St. Jerome:That God was born of a virgin we believe because
we read it.That Mary consummated
marriage after her childbirth we do not believe because we do not read it.Nor do we say this in order to condemn
marriage, for virginity is itself a fruit of marriage, but because there is no
license to draw rash conclusions about holy men.For if we wish to take the mere possibility
into consideration, we can contend that Joseph had several wives because
Abraham and Jacob had several wives and that from these wives, the ‘brethren of
the Lord’ were born, a fiction which most people invent with not so much pious
as presumptuous audacity.You say that
Mary did not remain a virgin; even more do I claim that Joseph was virginal
through Mary, in order that from a virginal marriage a virginal son might be
born.For if the charge of fornication
does not fall on this holy man, and if it is not written that he had another
wife, and if he was more of a protector than a husband of Mary, whom he was
thought to have as his wife, it remains to assert that he who merited to be
called the father of the Lord remained virginal with her.
Pope Leo XIII,Quamquam Pluries: There are special reasons why Blessed
Joseph should be explicitly named Patron of the Church and why the Church
should in turn expect much from his patronage and guardianship. For he,
indeed, was the husband of Mary and the father, as was supposed, of Jesus
Christ. From this arises all his dignity, grace, holiness, and
glory. The dignity of the Mother of God is certainly so sublime that
nothing can surpass it; but none the less, since the bond of marriage existed
between Joseph and the Blessed Virgin, there can be no doubt that, more than
any other person, he approached that supereminent dignity by which the Mother
of God is raised far above all created natures. For marriage is the
closest possible union and relationship whereby each spouse mutually
participates in the goods of the other. Consequently, if God gave Joseph
as a spouse to the Virgin he assuredly gave him not only as a companion in
life, a witness of her virginity, and the guardian of her honor, but also as a
sharer in her exalted dignity by reason of the conjugal tie itself.
