Saint Joseph,
Our Catholic Treasure:
The 5 Motivations for Devotion
MOTIVES FOR DEVOTION TO
SAINT JOSEPH
Excerpted From
Devotion to St. Joseph,
Rev. Fr. Joseph Anthony Patrignani,
SJ,
Translated from the French; Approved
by
the Archbishop of New York, 1887
3
Third Motive for Devotion to St.
Joseph------The Example
of the Holy Angels.
When the holy patriarch Jacob saw with his own
eyes the glory of his well-beloved son, forgetting his position of
father,
he prostrated himself before the sceptre of Joseph, and rendered him
the
most respectful homage. What sentiments of veneration and respect must
the example of this old man have excited in the hearts of his other
children
towards a brother become so honorable and exalted! After having
contemplated
the Son of God and His mother at the feet of Joseph, you will, perhaps,
judge it superfluous, dear reader, that we should point out to you the
homage and veneration paid to him by the Angels. It is not astonishing,
you will say, that the lords of a court, those even of the highest
rank,
should honor a person to whom their sovereign Himself has rendered the
homage due to a king. I agree with you, however, if what I have to say
does not appear to you to contribute to our Saint's glory. Your
devotion,
at least, will have cause to rejoice as well as your love for St.
Joseph,
at the sight of the homage which he receives from the Angels, those
humble
servants of Jesus and Mary. The blessed spirits honored St. Joseph, as
they had two powerful motives to do: firstly, because he was their
equal
by his purity and his other virtues; secondly, because he surpassed
them
by his eminent dignity.
Our Divine Master greatly praises virginity. Virgins,
though captives in this miry prison which is called the flesh, know,
however,
how to preserve, in all its purity, a flower which one would think
could
only bud and blossom in its own climate---that is to say, in Heaven; so
that,
although a stranger upon earth, it shines with a lustre as pure as it
is
unalterable, and exhales a perfume which rises even to the throne of
God.
For this reason, virgins have frequently been honored by the same title
as the celestial spirits: thus, the name of Angel was given to St.
Aloysius,
to Stanislas Kostka, and to thousands of others; but how much more
justly
still is St. Joseph the equal of the Angels, he who in purity excelled
all the other Saints, as the lily exceeds the other flowers in majesty!
The virginity of Joseph was, it must be confessed,
a marvel without example at the time, since he was the first who
practiced
it in the married state. Thus grace, in uniting two virgins in the
persons
of Mary and Joseph, added in their hearts a new lustre to that more
than
Angelic purity which constituted their glory and their merit.
Blessed spirits! you will permit me to say that
the purity of Joseph far surpassed your own. At the sight of the Angel
Gabriel appearing under a human form, at the words which he pronounced,
the Queen of Virgins was troubled, said St. Ambrose [Lib.de off.] Never
was she thus alarmed at the aspect or the words of her spouse: she did
not fear to live nor to converse with him. I will say boldly, with St.
Francis de Sales, Joseph surpassed in purity the Angels of the highest
hierarchy during the twenty to thirty years in which he lived with the
Mother of God. The eyes of Mary, says Gerson, distilled a sort of
virginal
dew, which constantly purified the hearts upon which it fell; and since
this Heavenly dew fell abundantly each day upon the heart of Joseph,
which
was perfectly disposed to receive its sweet influence, a new lustre was
daily added to the purity of the holy patriarch.
Therefore, it is not astonishing that Joseph should
have become, so to speak, a pure spirit, nor that he has merited to be
reckoned rather among Angels than among men, according to a celebrated
interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. [Cornelius a Lapide, on St.
Matthew.]
But if Joseph was not inferior to the Angels in
purity, he was still more their equal by the prerogatives merited him
by
his eminent sanctity. It would be rashness in me to endeavor to paint
to
you the fulness in which Joseph enjoyed the possession of the power and
functions of each of the celestial hierarchies; other writers have
undertaken
it before me, and penetrating even into Heaven, they show us Joseph
equal
to the Guardian Angels of the first order by the vigilance he exercised
over the Son of God confided to his care; equal to the Archangels, by
his
transmitting to Mary the commands of God; equal to the Powers, because
he manifested to the Egyptians the power of the Word Incarnate, whose
presence
overthrew their idols; equal to the Virtues, because he governed the
Holy
Family; equal to the Principalities and Dominations, because he
commanded
the King and Queen of Heaven; equal to the Thrones, being himself the
throne
of Jesus when he carried Him in his arms; equal to the Cherubim, since
he penetrated into the most profound mysteries of the Wisdom Incarnate;
equal to the Seraphim, being raised on the wings of love, even to the
highest
state of contemplation, wherein he was enabled to repose sweetly on the
bosom of that Divine Master whom the blessed spirits see unceasingly
and
never tire of beholding. In quem desiderant angeli prospicere. [St.
Peter,
Ep. I. c. i.]
We all know that resemblance induces love; therefore
the Angels of all the various orders, beholding on earth a man, who, by
a particular privilege of grace, equaled them in purity and sanctity,
could
not fail to love him in a special manner. Thus it was not without
design
that the Angel, upon his first appearance to Joseph, called him by his
name---Joseph,
son of David. We see by the Scriptures that it was not customary for
the
Angels to act thus in bringing messages from Heaven to men. "Son of
man,
arise, " said the Angel to Ezekiel; "Rise quickly," said he to St.
Peter;
"Write what you see, "said he to St. John the Evangelist. The Angels
seem
ignorant of, or to make no account of the names of these illustrious
personages.
But such was not their course towards St. Joseph; they called him by
his own name; they treat him as a prince, a descendant of King
David---Joseph
fili David. This glorious title belonged to him, and the Angels
bestowed
it upon him, to honor by that distinction one whom eminence and
sanctity
had already distinguished. Further more, they loved to acknowledge him
as their fellow-citizen, though he was still living in this land of
exile,
for, in fact, Joseph was only bodily on earth; his soul seemed already
dwelling in Heaven, enjoying its delights. So speaks Holy Church, when,
addressing the holy patriarch, she says, "O admirable destiny! even in
this life equal to the Angels, you share their happiness and enjoy the
vision of God." [Roman Breviary, Feast of St. Joseph.]
The New Testament makes no mention of any man
so favored with Angelic visitants as St. Joseph. According to the
Gospel,
he received no less than four. Sylveira, a celebrated commentator of
Holy
Scripture, writing upon this subject, asks why God, Who had Himself
warned
the Magi not to return to Herod, makes use of an Angel to apprise
Joseph
of the project formed by that prince against the life of the Divine
Infant?
His answer is, that the Lord, Who never quitted Joseph, made known to
him
His will by the Angels in order to give the latter an opportunity of
conversing
with a Saint for whom they entertained so great respect and affection.
We are led to wonder why Gabriel, in revealing to Joseph the cruel
projects
of Herod, contented himself with ordering him to fly into Egypt,
without
specifying the time he is to spend there, and that visiting him there
seven
years after, he warns him to return into Judea, but without telling him
where to fix his residence, to provide for the safety of the Holy
Family,
which he will come to tell him later. Why, then, these three visits,
when
one would suffice? Why leave matter of so great solicitude to the
decision
of St. Joseph? Sylveira well tells us: "The Angel," says he, "so loved
to repeat his visits to Joseph, in order to admire the grandeur of his
faith in such profound mysteries and the tranquillity of his soul in
such
strange events, that he esteemed the satisfaction of seeing him
frequently
above the glory of enlightening him completely in a single apparition."
. . .
4
Fourth Motive for Devotion to St.
Joseph------The Example
of Holy Church.
The chaste Joseph . . . during many centuries
remained almost unknown in the Christian world; but the clouds in which
heresy had enveloped him being at length dissipated, he, like the sun,
has issued forth more brilliantly than ever to enlighten the heavens of
the Church.
holy Church seems anxious to indemnify him by
more solemn honors for those which she failed to render him in the
first
ages of Christianity. From the beginning she was persuaded, it is true,
that he was a great and perfect man, the true spouse of the Mother of
God,
and father of Jesus Christ, by the love and care he had for the Divine
Infant. But as too strong a light is apt to dazzle the eyes of the sick
and weak, so, by a wise disposition of Providence, she judged proper to
keep the shining sanctity of Joseph hidden for a time. The heresy
of Cerinthus imposed these precautions. That innovator taught that
Joseph
was the father of Jesus Christ according to nature, whilst revelation
tells
us he was only so in appearance. Thus, that heretic lowered the person
of Jesus Christ, and also that of His Mother, from whom he ravished one
of the most brilliant pearls in her diadem------her
inviolable virginityand
deprived her Son of the glory of His miraculous conception by the power
of the Holy Ghost. However watchful to counteract the poison of this
heresy,
the effects of which would have been so fatal to the faith of her
children,
the Church, among other precautions, took that of not favoring devotion
to St. Joseph just at that time, fearing by that to accredit the error.
Such are the words of a great theologian. Father Paul Segneri, a
celebrated
modern writer, adds, that in order to effect this, she even pretended
to
neglect St. Joseph, to confound him with the crowd, and to prefer,
apparently,
many Saints to him, who assuredly were not his equals in merit. Such
was
the wise reserve of the Church in order to maintain the full dignity of
the God-Man. Another writer tells us, on the authority of St. Gregory
Nazianzen,
that, as the rising Church deemed it fitting not to develop all the
points
of faith on the adorable perfections of the Holy Ghost, the invisible
spouse
of the Blessed Virgin, before the faith in the Divinity of the Savior
had
taken firm root in the hearts of the faithful; so also she judged it
necessary
not to turn their piety towards devotion to St. Joseph, the visible
spouse
of Mary, before the virginity of this Divine Mother was acknowledged
and honored throughout
the universe.
But if in the honors she now renders to this holy
patriarch, the Church compensates for those which were refused him
during
the first ages, she also pays him a just tribute of gratitude for the
signal
favors received from him. She fully realized, says St. Bernard, that
Joseph
had, by his sanctified life, contributed more towards the ineffable
mystery
of the Incarnation of the Word than the ancient patriarchs had done by
their sighs, tears, and
merits; she saw that his virginity had been, in one sense, more
fruitful
than the fecundity of all the ancestors of the Savior, and that this
chaste
father had been more happy in his posterity than all the heroes of the
ancient law put together. She knew that our Saint had been in some way
necessary to the accomplishment of the mystery of the Incarnation, not
only that the Savior might come into the world without dishonor, but
also,
as St. Thomas says, to establish throughout the universe the belief in
the Incarnation of the Son of God, and the virginity of Mary. She felt
that if the parents of Tobias were indebted to the Angel Raphael, who
had
served the young man as guide during his journey, the Holy Family and
the
Christian world owed still more gratitude to Joseph, who had protected
the Infancy of his incarnate God and Savior. Unlike the viceroy of
Egypt,
St. Joseph had not contented himself merely with amassing a provision
of
material corn to nourish the subjects of an idolatrous monarch, but he
had sheltered and preserved for the faithful the wbeat of the elect,
the
true bread of God's children, the vivifying and living bread, the germ
of salvation, the food of immortality. She was not ignorant that if the
guilty incredulity of Thomas had done more towards establishing the
truth
of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, one of the principal foundations
of
Christian faith, in like manner the excusable doubt entertained by St.
Joseph when he first heard of the mysterious pregnancy of Mary had
served
to confirm the new Christians in the faith in the mystery of the
Incarnation,
the source and principle of all the graces we receive from our Lord
Jesus
Christ. In short, she knew that the functions of guardian,
foster-father,
and defender both of the Son and the Mother had cost Joseph pains,
labors,
and anxieties, and that he had endured them all with incomparable love
and
constancy.
Considering these invaluable services, Holy Church
deems herself bound to acknowledge him for her signal benefactor, and
to
prove her gratitude to him by offering him her homage, with that of all
her children. And if Pharaoh, to show his appreciation of his minister,
raised him not only above all the lords of his court, but, furthermore,
confided to him the supreme authority throughout his entire kingdom,
Holy
Church has, it appears, done no less towards Joseph, the nursing father
of Jesus.
"O Joseph," she says to him, "I commend my children
to your care; how happy they will be under the protection of him to
whom
the Eternal Father confided his principal treasures! Jesus, your son,
is
my spouse; Mary, your spouse, is my Mother and my Queen; you, adorable
Saint! will be my father and protector. In adopting the Savior of the
world
for your son, you adopted all His brethren------that
is to say, all the Faithful, who are my children. The service which you
rendered to Jesus, you render equally to those who have become his
brothers.
What homage can I offer you which can equal your benefits and merits! I
will style you, the glory of the Angels and Saints, the invisible prop
of Christianity, the glorious conqueror of Hell, the great minister of
our salvation, the advocate of sinners, the refuge of the afflicted,
the
aid and consoler of the dying; finally, to include in a few words all
your
glorious and praiseworthy titles, I will call you the father of Jesus
and
the spouse of Mary. Blessed father of Jesus! be ever the father of His
Church. Join your spouse in watching over my children; defend them
against
the impiety of the many Herods who endeavor to stifle the faith in and
love of Jesus in their souls. What a happiness for me, O glorious
Joseph!
If I can cause your name to resound over all the universe in company
with
those of Jesus and Mary! What a charming concert will be formed by the
united voices of the Chruch, both triumphant and militant, celebrating
the virtues which have rendered you the worthy spouse of the Queen of
Virgins!"
[Roman Breviary, Feast of St. Joseph.]
5
Fifth Motive for Devotion to St.
Joseph------The Fruits
of the Devotion to St. Joseph Throughout the Whole World.
No sooner had the Egyptians, remarks St. Bernard,
fixed their eyes upon the great and admirable qualities of Joseph,
than,
as if by enchantment, they were attracted to his person. The spouse of
Mary, more amiable assuredly than the minister of Pharaoh, has obtained
a more signal favor, for, within the last few centuries, the grandeur
of
his virtues and the excellence of his merits having appeared in their
full
light, he has seen the most docile as well as the most savage hearts
attach
themselves to him. I mean by this, that the devotion to St. Joseph has
been spread, not only throughout all Europe, which is the center of
religion,
but it has also passed into Asia, Africa, and America. If we go into
Turkey,
we will there find Latins, Greeks, and Catholics of every rite
remarkable
for their devotion to our Saint. Should we penetrate into the thickest
forests of North America, we will hear the first Iroquois who received
Baptism glory in the honor of bearing the name of Joseph. If we cross
the
seas and visit the scorching plains of Paraguay, we will meet with
numbers
of Christians bearing that beautiful name, and we may admire their
devotion
to that great saint. Impelled by the breath of the Holy Spirit, it has
steered its way so fortunately, that, passing the bounds reached by the
most daring conquerors, it has crossed the ocean to implant itself in
the
hearts of people heretofore unknown. If we follow the apostolic
missionaries
into Tonquin, we will disembark at ports which are always safe as long
as they are under the protection of St. Joseph, and we will find his
name
given to the first one Baptized there. If, surmounting our fatigue, we
advance into the most distant parts of India, everywhere in the East as
well as the
If we seek to know the reason why devotion towards
this great Saint has made such rapid progress in those idolatrous
countries,
we may, perhaps, find it in the reflection that, as our Savior, in His
infancy, would only enter Egypt carried thither by St. Joseph, in the
same
manner the faith of the Savior seems only willing to introduce itself
among
infidel nations by the aid of the intercession of the same Saint; and,
if it was in his company that the Infant Jesus threw down the idols of
Egypt, it is also by the devotion to His beloved foster-father that He
will combat them in the present day. In fact, is it not in order to
recompense
St. Joseph for the labor and fatigue he underwent in that barbarous
country,
that God has rendered his name illustrious among idolatrous nations? Is
it not in order to manifest to the world the ardent zeal of this Saint
for the salvation of the Egyptians, who had given shelter to Jesus and
Mary, that the Eternal Father has confided to him, if we may judge from
appearances, the conversion of so many infidel nations? St. Hilary,
considering
St. Joseph in the journey from Judea into Egypt, carrying the Infant
God
in his arms, sees in this devoted servant the figure of the Apostles,
who
were to carry all over the world the faith of their Divine Master.
Also, St. Anselm represents to himself, in the
person of Joseph, whose heart burned with the desire of seeing the
entire
world subjected to the amiable yoke of Christ, preachers who extend the
limits of Christianity, and who, like valiant captains, cease not to
enroll
new soldiers under the banner of Jesus Christ. God, therefore, wished
to
do more for our Saint than the king of Egypt had done for the first
Joseph.
The recompense of his zeal and labors was, firstly, the conversion of
idolatrous
people, like the Egyptians, operated by his special intercession; and,
secondly, the perseverance of many in following the light of faith.
Thus,
the Church contemplates with joy the happy accomplish ment of the
project
she had formed to spread devotion to St. Joseph throughout the
universe,
hoping thereby to find in him a protector full of zeal for the
propagation
of the faith. And since things are never better preserved than when
under
the action of the hand which formed them, it is very probable that our
holy religion, which, while yet in the cradle, was confided to the
guardianship
and care of St. Joseph, in the person of the Infant Savior, must,
according
to the designs of Heaven, and in the different states in which she
finds
herself, experience the effects of his protection,---God
wishing that she should take birth, develop, maintain herself, and
flourish
under the guidance of him who, according to St. Bernadine of Sienna,
held
in his hands the keys to open the gates of the new law and close those
of the old.
Nothing is so dear to the Church as her faith.
She looks upon it as a stronghold, to the preservation of which is
attached
the salvation of the kingdom of her Divine Spouse. Relying implicitly
upon
the promise of Jesus Christ, it is not through fear that the gates of
Hell
or the powers of earth can ever succeed in weakening it; but she dreads
the snares which are laid for her children, and spares no pains to
repulse
the enemies who surround her. Therefore, she has special recourse to
the
protection of those Saints who preached or defended it with the
greatest
success; as, for example, that of the princes of the apostles, SS.
Peter
and Paul. It was in the midst of the greatest dangers of the Church,
according
to some writers, that the devotion to St. Joseph took its rise. A fatal
schism had arisen in the West, which, like a furious hurricane,
attacked
the faith on all sides, and threatened destruction. A council was held
at Constance to devise means to remedy the evil. Then Gerson, in a
discourse
which he pronounced before this august assembly, proposed, among other
means of calming the tempest and bringing about a change of morals, to
invoke St. Joseph in a special manner, and to propagate devotion
towards
him, in hopes that it would be a forerunner of that peace which was so
ardently desired According to him, the illustrious patriarch, having
been
the guardian, and, in some sort, the tutor of Jesus Christ, he would
also
fulfil the same offices to Christianity in general. His discourse was
favorably
listened to and approved by the Council.
The Holy Ghost seemed to approve of Gerson's language,
and manifested His approval by inspiring the people of the West with
the
thought of honoring St. Joseph by a special devotion. They seemed
convinced
that the prayers and merits of this great Saint not only averted the
evils
which threatened Catholicity, but that they also drew down upon them
the
richest blessings; so says Isidore de l'Isle, a pious and learned
Dominican.
Since the Church has experienced the efficacy
of St. Joseph's protection, whether in propagating or manifesting forth
the faith in all its purity, she is inspired with a fresh motive to
honor
him ---namely,
the benefit thence to be derived by the Faithful. Therefore, she seems
to regard St. Joseph as the protector of all Christians, and, as such,
she judges him worthy to be chosen, invoked, and imitated by all ages
and
conditions of men.
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