♔ ST. JOSEPH HUMBLE ARTISAN ♔ - Venerable Pope Pius XII

Remember: Every Wednesday is dedicated to St. Joseph. Let us honor St. Joseph and contemplate his humble and just example of diligent labor and perfect union with God! May almighty God be praised and glorified through His wonderful mysteries! 

 

Venerable Pope Pius XII, 11 March 1958: O glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, humble and just artisan of Nazareth, thou hast given to all Christians, and particularly to us, an example of a perfect life through diligent labor and admirable union with Jesus and Mary.

✠ 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. ✠

 

♔ THE NOBILITY OF ST JOSEPH SON OF DAVID ♔

And David the king begot Solomon... Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, and of her was born Jesus who is called Christ. – St. Matthew 1:1-16

In all, there were forty generations from Abraham to Jesus Christ. St. Joseph was a descendent of great patriarchs, princes, and kings, and when Jesus chose Joseph to be his father on earth, he too became linked with this esteemed lineage. This brings to mind a prophecy from the book of the prophet Isaiah:

“Fear not, O Jacob . . . I will pour out My Spirit upon your offspring, and My blessing upon your descendents. … One shall say, ‘I am the Lord’s’, another shall be named after Jacob, and this one will write on his hand, ‘The Lord’s’ and Israel will be his surname.” – Isaiah 44:2-5

STOLEN BIRTHRIGHT

In the Book of Genesis, the prophecy of Jacob states that the kingdom will be taken away from God’s chosen people when the arrival of Jesus, the Redeemer, is at hand. The loss of the Davidic crown was the sign of the coming of the Christ.

The scepter shall not depart from Judea… until He comes to whom it   belongs. To Him will be the obedience of nations.

– Genesis 49:10

This removal of authority happened by the time when Joseph was born into the world, to be the herald of the Lord who was to come shortly and proclaim the Kingdom of God. This kingdom would surpass those of the earthly realm and Christ would be its king. Joseph was meant to serve the Lord as a worker and to hide and humble himself in domestic life—therefore sanctifying it and giving dignity to an honest day’s work, while at the same time being a nobleman. St. Joseph had perfect claim to the throne, but with what army would he defeat the foreign king who sat in his place? And besides, what was God’s will in all this? We read the words of St. Peter Julian Eymard (1811-1868) and St. Bernardino of Siena (1380-1444) who comment that though throne was taken from Joseph’s family, he was no less a king because of it:

St.Peter Julian Eymard:  Therefore, since Christ was King, of the line of David, He made St. Joseph to be born of this same royal line. He wanted him to be noble, of earthly nobility. In the veins of St. Joseph, therefore, flows the blood of David and Solomon, and of all the noble kings of Judah. If his dynasty still sat on the throne, Joseph would be the heir and would have sat on the throne in his turn. Injustice had expelled his family from the throne to which he had the right. For this he is no less a king, the son of these kings of Judah, the greatest, noblest and richest in the world. Thus in the census records of Bethlehem, St. Joseph was inscribed and recognized by the Roman governor as the heir of David: therein lies his royal title, which is easily identifiable, and bears the royal signature.

St.Bernardino of Siena: St. Joseph was born of a patriarchal, royal and princely race in a direct line. The Gospel of St. Matthew establishes the direct line of all the fathers from Abraham to the spouse of the Virgin, clearly demonstrating that all patriarchal, royal and princely dignity came together in him.

The Sovereign Lord had deigned to make St. Joseph of royal blood, placing in him all the honor and glory of the House of David. Though St. Joseph’s family no longer sat on the throne, he was still a continuation of this nobility. He carried this heritage as though it were a secret between himself and his Lord – a sacred bond between an earthly prince and the Ruler of Heaven and Earth. St. Joseph’s royalty was not shown with an outward crown, but one which was hidden within his most Chaste Heart – a heart in which the Lord took great consolation and great delight.

DREAMS OF SPLENDOR

Imagine Joseph working hard during the day, a king hidden amongst us, sweat dripping off his brow as he fought to make ends meet. Imagine him lying in bed at night, pondering life and its meaning. Did he ever wonder what life would be like if he were ruler? He had a claim to the throne and yet here he was, a laborer, making his living by working with his hands. Did he dream of living in the palace with throngs of servants and visiting dignitaries? Did he imagine his beautiful bride, full of virtue and grace? How did he picture her? She would sit next to him at the royal table, her beauty the talk of all the people. They would have banquets in halls of gold and precious stones and entertain friends till dawn. The tables would glisten with gold plates and ornaments, overflowing with fresh fruit and nuts. Musicians would play a constant stream of melodies, filling the royal air that surrounded them. Sweet perfumes and lovely dancers, wine in abundance, entertainers and exotic birds to serenade them throughout the night. Imagine this splendor and luxury. Imagine all the wealth and power he would yield. He would be the envy of every man and he would never have to do manual labour again! Imagine Joseph waking up. Yes, this would all have been a dream, but in actuality would he really have wanted all this?

The covetous man is never satisfied with money, and the lover of wealth reaps no fruit from it; … Where there are great riches, there are also many to devour them. Of what use are they to the owner except to feast his eyes upon? Sleep is sweet to the laboring man, whether he eats little or much, but the rich man’s abundance allows him no sleep.

– Sirach 5:9-12

Joseph’s humility exalted him above all his noble ancestors and made him great in the sight of God. Joseph did indeed have royal blood flowing through his veins, but he lived like an average Jewish man. He lived like an “average Joe.” No palace, no power, no crown. And this was fine with him because he enjoyed his life and felt blessed to have what he did. In him, the Lord was preparing a true friend, and just as Jesus chose some of His apostles from among the lowly, He too chose His father. When Christ gives us the Beatitudes, surely we see Joseph as one of the blessed in God’s eyes:

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the earth. … Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. … Rejoice and exult, because your reward is great in Heaven! – St. Matthew 5:3-12

ST FRANCES SPEAKS OF ST JOSEPH: OUR MODEL IN TIME OF TRIAL

ST FRANCES DE SALES Speaks of ST JOSEPH: Our Model in Time of Trial  O, what a great saint is the glorious St. Joseph! He is not only a Patriarch, but the Prince of all Patriarchs; he is not simply a Confessor, but still more, for his life contained the generosity of the martyrs and of all the other saints.

Among the virtues which were found to an eminent degree in St. Joseph are courage, perseverance, constancy and strength. Now there is a great difference between constancy and perseverance, between strength and courage.

We call constant or steadfast the man who holds firm during the fight, ready to suffer the enemy’s attacks without dismay or loss of heart; perseverance is mainly concerned with a kind of inner weariness which comes when our troubles are long-drawn-out and which is one of the most dangerous enemies we meet. Thus, perseverance allows a man to scorn that enemy in such a way that he triumphs by his unbroken conformity and submission to God’s will.

Strength enables a man effectively to resist his enemy’s attacks; courage is the virtue which not only keeps him ready for battle or resistance in due time, but also encourages him to attack first when the enemy is off guard. 

Thus our glorious St. Joseph was blessed with all these virtues and he practiced them wondrously well. As regards his constancy, how greatly it shone forth, did it not, when he saw Our Lady with child without understanding how such a thing could happen? My God, what distress, what trouble and what grief he endured! Nevertheless, he did not complain once; he was not harsh nor unkind toward his wife; he did not mistreat her for it, remaining just as gentle and respectful as before. But to what courage and strength does not the victory bear witness which he won over the two greatest enemies of man, the devil and the world, by that perfect humility which, as we have seen, he practiced throughout his life. As for perseverance, the contrary of lassitude, that inner enemy which invades us in the long succession of miseries, humiliations, hardships and misfortunes, or simply the various happenings of our lives, how greatly was this saint tested by God and by men, too!