Episode Transcript
Speaker 0 00:04 This coming Saturday. March 19th is the feast of Saint Joseph. So today we'll spend a few minutes talking about the Great Saint Joseph, the man who was chosen by God from all eternity to be the husband of the blessed Virgin Mary, the head of the holy family and the man our Lord can self created specifically for the perfect example of manhood for him to look up to while she was incarnate word and as the most perfect human representative of his heavenly father after our Lord and the blessed Virgin Mary. No honor, no office, no dignity in the world is comparable to that of Saint Joseph. As Saint Alphonsus says, quote, the dignity of Saint Joseph is superior to that of all the saints saving only that of the virgin mother because God, Destin, Joseph, to fulfill the offsets father to the incarnate word, it must be held as certain that he conferred upon him all the gifts of wisdom and sanctity that be fit, such an office, close quotes and Alphonsus.
Speaker 0 01:24 And speaking of this same point, St Jerome notes that Saint Joseph possessed all the virtues in a perfect degree. In fact, it's the common teaching of the doctors of the church that no gift is stowed on any of the other saints except me. Of course, the blessed mother that no gift bestowed on any of the other saints was denied to Saint Joseph. Saint Alphonsus points out three of the greatest of these gifts that were granted to St Joseph first being sanctified in the world. What does that mean? Well, as we all know, our lady was conceived without sin. She's the Mack like conception, the Prophet Jeremiah cleansed in the womb. Of course, Saint John The baptist. At the visitation cleanse, civil war, Saint Joseph was conceived with original sin, but he was cleansed from that sin. Immediately after its conception, it was conceived in sin, but immediately cleansed after his conception.
Speaker 0 02:25 Second privilege being confirmed in grace. This is a privilege that our lady had throughout our life. It's a privilege that the apostles received on Pentecost Sunday. Okay. What does that mean? What does it mean to be confirmed and grace? At the very least, what it means? It said, Saint Joseph had so much grace pour down to into his soul during his lifetime that he never once committed a mortal sin. And he also never once committed a fully deliberate venial sin. That's the minimum of in grace. That's what Saint Joseph had. Third Privilege being free from. Can Coupa sense it's land? Remember they can Coupa senses this rebellion if our passions and our emotions against the rule of right reason, which is one of the principal reasons we do patents and lab, is to fight this down to get them us drawn control over can Coupa since Saint Joseph had perfect control over his passions and his emotions from the time of his sanctification in the wall.
Speaker 0 03:28 So there's three great privileges that he had spiritually speaking or sanctification in the room, confirmation and grace and freedom from concupiscence. Now let's take a look at a few of the interesting aspects of Saint Joseph's life. It's the universal opinion of the fathers and the church that the priests of the old covenant actually arranged the marriage between Saint Joseph and our lady. One of the reasons the father's gift for this marriage being arranged by the priest. Was it Saint Joe came and sang to Yan and that Saint Anne with the young busted virgin there, Saint Joe came and Saint Anne, we're dead. By the time our lady was a teenager, the fathers and doctors generally agree that there was a miraculous sign from heaven that pointed out Saint Joseph as the spouse to marry. An ancient tradition describes that and it says that the high priest was inspired to use the exact same test that God had Moses perform to show that Aaron was the high priest.
Speaker 0 04:31 In other words, the high priest asked each one of the single men from the tribe of Judah, because you want to know who should be your spouse. He asked each one, single men to bring a Rod, wouldn't rod with their name written on it and to deposit in the counsel the next day they check them. If anyone had blow off blossomed, well that would be the spouse to the blessed Virgin Mary. So the order went out and all this. You have guys that paid the high priest and they come in with their wooden rods with their names written on it the next day. Here's all these wooden sticks piled up there with the names on except for one that had blossomed. It was covered with leaves and beautiful flowers and his stick was that, well it was Saint Josephs. Okay. How old was he when he, when they got married? Now nowadays artists make him an old timer, but we'll pretend back to the most ancient tutorials of Saint Joseph.
Speaker 0 05:22 He shown as a young man, it was many centuries before Catholic artists started portraying Saint Joseph as an old man, busted Mary of a grader, says that he was 33 years old. Like our lady Saint Joseph was also a virgin throughout his life as a great doctor, Saint Athanasius and St Jerome teach another doctor, the church, Saint Peter Damien points out in his work defending himself to see the clarity that it was the face of the Catholic church, that the son of God and knowing had a version for his mother, but also the man that he chose represent his father was also a version. A question often arises if Saint Joseph was so perfect to why did he consider setting him upside? Our Lady after he married and he found out she was pregnant. Now this is important, but let me make a parenthetical comment. It's this to suggest to some people do these days.
Speaker 0 06:21 Their lady was an unwed mother. Absolutely not. She's married great friend, Dr St Francis to sales explains, but when what was going on here and he explained to him the stance if at Saint Joseph reasoning with himself when he discovers that or lady's pregnant quote, what is this? I know she's a virgin for together, we took the vow of preserving our virginity in our purity in which she certainly would not have sailed. On the other hand, I can see that she's with child, that she's a mother. And how can maternity and virginity coexist? Might it be he then said to himself that she is that glorious version of whom the Prophet declares she could come, she has shall conceive and bring forth a child and he will be the messiah. If this d far be it from me to by to any longer with her I who am unworthy to do so.
Speaker 0 07:27 It were better that I should secretly leave her on account of mine worthiness and not live any longer in her company. Close quote Saint Francis to sales Saint Bernard or Mites, much like the same thing. And Saint Bernard sites the fathers in doing so. So what happened? St Joseph is in awe. He struck with fear. He realizes who our lady is and you realize how unworthy he is to take care of her and this child. And what changed his mind? God. The father saw the humility of St Joseph there who hadn't sinned it all and sent down an angel to say, don't fear Max. When Saint Joseph realized, okay, I will stay. So he wasn't doing it out of suspicion or anger like some people think, but a lot of holy fear, a tradition to the eastern Catholics is that throughout his life, Saint Joseph, even though he grew in years, he never lost his strength.
Speaker 0 08:27 His I stayed, remained strong. He had good teeth. He, he made very sound, but up to the end when he finally died from the love of God, how about his death? Only tradition tells us that both Jesus and Mary were present at Saint Joseph's death. That's why he's the patron saint of a holy death. Of course, when he died, heaven hadn't been opened yet. What does that mean? That means that is pure and noble. Soul couldn't go to heaven. He had to go to the underworld just like our Lord did. We talk about that and the creed will sing here in a minute that he descends into the underworld, descended the debt. When we say Saint Joseph to sanity into the underworld, what are we talking about? The Great Jesuit doctor, the Church cardle Robert Bell are main points out, but it's the common teaching of the scholastic theologians. It's the underworld is divided into four regions that two of these regions are places of punishment and pain and two, these regions are places of great natural happiness.
Speaker 0 09:29 Okay. The two that are suffering, one is for the souls and the damned, that's what we'd call it. Your hand out or in modern English. Hell and one as for the souls, as I was being purified, that's the place we call purgatory. The two that are places of natural happiness. One is for the souls of infants who die without baptism. That's the place we call limbo and one was for the souls of all the chess man who died before our Lord's passion. Death on the Cross and resurrection from the dead. That is called the limbo of the fathers. This place is now vacant. It's been vacant since that first Easter Sunday. Some 2000 years ago. The limbo or the fathers is where Saint Joseph's sold to send it to when he died and you can bet that when I Lord went down there and Good Friday, he'd be the very first one they get gone and see and that must've been some kind of a meeting. Anyway, if interval bead doctor, the church skates at Saint Joseph died, not surprisingly on March 19th he was up in Jerusalem for the feast of unleavened bread. He is buried nearby. St Jerome has a fascinating observation about the place of Saint Josephs area. St Drums is a particular place where Saint Joe's who was buried is actually within the garden of <inaudible>.
Speaker 0 10:55 It's one spiritual writers noted perhaps the reason our lord chose to pray in the garden of Gethsemane Adrian slash agony was so that each of us might be encouraged to to be close to St Joseph in our last day. Agony. The fathers, the early fathers also point out that St Joseph's too, which was visible in those days is empty stuff is tomb is empty. Where have they taken? Saint Joseph, the Dr. Church, St Francis to sales answers the question called Saint Joseph is in heaven, in body and soul of that. There is no doubt close quote. Now when and how did that happen? The holy scriptures teach that on that first Easter quote, many of the bodies in the saints, it's fallen asleep, were raised and coming out of the tombs. After his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many coes quo. The saints and doctors teach that St Joseph was among those things that were resurrected.
Speaker 0 11:53 The dead on that first Easter Sunday, our Lord wasn't going to leave him out and as we've seen, no gift bestowed on any of the other saints was denied to Saint Joseph. Saint Thomas points out that after having spent 40 days on earth, these resurrected saints followed our Lord when he ascended into heaven and said, that's how Saint Joseph got into heaven, body and soul, and what's he doing now? He's looking down from heaven upon us with the most tender and thoughtful five Care Pope Leo the 13th isn't in his, it's cyclical recon. St Joseph Explains Saint Joseph's care for us. Quote, the blessing Patriarch looks upon the multitude of Christians who make up the church, especially consigned to his trust. This limitless family spread over the earth over which because his, his spouse is married and the father is Jesus Christ. He holds as it were, a fatherly authority. It is in natural worthy.
Speaker 0 12:56 That is the busted just minster to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girded about with his production. He should now cover with the coke of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ. Close quote, if you want to know more about Saint Joseph, there's a lot of good books. This particular one is a very good book. It's called the life and glory, the Saint. If it's by Edward Haley Thompson, it's available from Tan. It's got 500 pages of of things on Saint Joseph. It's a great book, Chapter after chapter. Let's close today by listening to that gray client of Saint Joseph, the doctor, the church, Saint Teresa of Avila, who tells us about Saint Joseph's care for us. Quote, I cannot call to mind that I have ever asked him at any time for anything which he has not granted and I am filled with amazement when I consider the great favors that God has given me through this blessed at st the dangerous from which she is delivered me both body and soul to other saints.
Speaker 0 14:04 The Lord seems to have given grace to aid men and some special necessity, but to this glorious Saint Joseph he has given grace is I know by experience to help us all and the Lord would have us to understand that having a title of father and being his guardian justice could command him. So now in heaven our Lord does whatever. Say Joseph asks many persons who I'm whom I have recommended to have recourse to him have known this by experience and many already devoted to him have had fresh evidence of this truth. Close quote Saint Teresa Allah, I cannot call to mind that I have ever asked him at any time for anything. If he is not granted, go to Joseph. If you haven't started Novena, at least to tread on, that's three days at prayer. Pray this Thursday, Friday and Saturday to Saint Joe's for your needs that needs your family, the needs of our country, the needs of the church. Go to Joseph, Saint Joseph, patron of the universal church. Pray for us.
