Joseph consented to become the spouse of the Blessed Virgin, because he
knew he could preserve the chastity which he had vowed to keep, and
because he could be the guardian of the virginity of Mary. Little did he
suspect that he was to become the spouse of the Mother of God. St. Bridget
had a vision, in which the sentiments of St. Joseph were made known to her
by the Blessed Virgin herself. She said: “When Joseph, who was given to me
by the Most High as my protector, knew of the mystery of the incarnation,
which was operated in me by the power of the Holy Ghost, he was filled
with astonishment, and conceived not the least suspicion against my
purity. He believed firmly in the prophecies which proclaimed that the Son
of God would be born of a Virgin, and therefore he considered himself
unworthy to serve such an exalted Mother.” St. Joseph learned the virtue
of humility still more profoundly in his association with Jesus and Mary,
for how could it be otherwise when he hourly observed their self‐
abnegation? Daily did he see the Mother of God engaged in the most lowly
services.
Prayer.
Holy Joseph, spouse of Mary, etc., etc.
Seventh Day.
What must have been the feelings of the holy patriarch in witnessing the
humiliation of the Son of God! What must have been his astonishment, when
the divine wisdom of the Child Jesus asked him his counsel, obeyed him in
all things, and was for many years his fellow‐laborer at his humble trade!
The Lord taught him the great lesson: to be meek and humble of heart.
Surely we may suppose that St. Joseph was in a constant ecstasy of
adoration as he contemplated the Son of God, lowered to the condition of a
helpless child, and afterwards by natural growth becoming a man and
laboring at such humble employment. How could he have within himself one
spark of pride or vanity in the knowledge that he was a descendant of King
David? Therefore he humbled himself all the more, and only considered
himself great in the thought that he was allowed to imitate the
humiliation of the Son of God. Let us learn from St. Joseph the value of
this virtue, and practise it all our lives. Let us often enter the Sacred
Heart of Jesus to learn from Him meekness and humility.
Prayer For Humility.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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