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 [pg 105] 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 [pg 106] 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.
Glorious patron, St. Joseph, let me understand the deep feeling with which thou didst witness the humble lives of Jesus and Mary. How far am I from being able to say that I have acquired this virtue! Thou seekest only to hide from the gaze of the world the divine gifts with which thou art enriched, whilst I seek to draw the attention of the world on myself, to shine before the world, and to be much thought of. O my loving protector, my patron, my father, obtain for me the virtue of humility, which is the foundation of all perfection. Obtain for me the great grace to know myself, to despise myself, to look for humiliations from others, to feel inferior to all, that in the future I may desire no other witness of my actions but God, and no other reward but God. Amen.