"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)"Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied." (Matthew 5:6)
Fidelity to Grace
In a single word the evangelist has summed up the virtues of Saint Joseph: he was a just man. The virtue of justice is coextensive with the rational activities of man's mortal life. It imposes the obligation of rendering to God and man what is due to each. Essentially justice is a social virtue which regards first the acknowledgment of God's rights - His right to the worship of His creatures and their recognition of His goodness and love - and, secondly, the rights of the members of the human family. One who consistently respects these rights is a just man and, therefore, holy.
The ramifications of this virtue are so numerous that without the light of grace one can easily overlook some of its obligations. Justice requires us to do certain things and to refrain from certain actions. The minimum prescriptions are set down in the Ten Commandments. More than this, however, justice obliges us to be something. The relative importance of what one does and of what one is shines forth strikingly in Saint Joseph's life. He erected no cathedrals, organized no societies, led no pilgrimages, founded no institutions, made no contributions to the art or literature of the world. Yet what saint could match the ardor of his devotion to Our Lady, his conformity to the will of God, his intimacy with God's own Son? God's plan for him called for no magnificent display of talents. His was not to be a life of startling austerities nor was he to endure heroic martyrdom. The proof of his zeal and fortitude was the quiet perseverance with which he rendered justice to God and man. His was a steady growth in holiness. In return he received, even in his mortal life, his fill of happiness in the company of Jesus and Mary, knowing that with the help of grace he was sharing in the redemptive act of Christ.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, lead me to understand that what I am in the sight of God is more important than what I do. Clarify my spiritual vision so that in each situation in life I may recognize what constitutes justice to God and men and may have the grace and strength I need to act accordingly.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty Father, from whom all graces come: I praise and bless and thank Thee for Saint Joseph's fidelity to grace. Grant that, through his loving intercession, I, too, may be faithful to grace. O my powerful patron Saint Joseph, obtain for me the favor I now ask.
Fidelity to the Interior Life
"To hunger and thirst for justice": this phrase expresses, in figurative language, the intensity with which one should yearn to see his fellow men respect the rights of God and the rights of men. When these rights are violated, one is inclined to resort to action to compensate for the injustice done to another. But action which is concerned merely with legislation or social reform is liable to remain ineffective. It must be aimed at the rectification of men's hearts. Our Lord Himself, enumerating some of the forms of injustice, declared: "For from within, out of the heart of men, come evil thoughts, adulteries, immorality, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, shamelessness, jealousy, blasphemy, pride, foolishness" (Mark 7:21-22; cf. Matthew 15:19-20).
Careful scrutiny of one's own heart must precede efforts to correct the injustice of others. In phrases unequaled for clarity and simplicity, Christ emphasized this principle: "But why dost thou see the speck in thy brother's eye, and yet dost not consider the beam in thy own eye? And how canst thou say to thy brother, 'Brother, let me cast out the speck from thy eye,' while thou thyself dost not see the beam in thy own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam from thy own eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the speck from thy brother's eye." (Luke 6:41-43)
How nobly Saint Joseph exemplifies the just man, the man of holiness of life, whose first concern is the purity of his own heart! Because of his persistent searching, not the slightest vestige of sin was allowed to gain en¬ trance there. By a similar fidelity to the interior life, the Christian, too, can maintain a purity of heart that constitutes a delightful garden wherein the Holy Spirit loves to dwell.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, direct my zeal and temper it with prudence and tact that I may not be overeager to criticize or correct my neighbor while I neglect my efforts at self-improvement. Strengthen me in my resolve to attack with persistence my evil inclinations and to root out of my heart all sinful passions.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty Father, from whom all graces come: I praise and bless and thank Thee for Saint Joseph's fidelity to the interior life. Grant that, through his loving intercession, I, too, may be faithful to the interior life. O my powerful patron Saint Joseph, obtain for me the favor I now ask.
Devotion to Our Lady
Guided by his unerring sense of justice, Saint Joseph lavished upon Our Lady a constant and selfless devotion. Mary was his lawful wife. It was not only his unique privilege, then, but also his duty to protect her, to provide for her needs, to be her companion, and to share with her the responsibility for the upbringing of the Christ Child. To meet these obligations, Joseph had to work hard. Far from considering his work distasteful or burdensome, Joseph regarded it as the blessed means whereby he earned a livelihood for the Holy Family.
In his work, as in all else, Saint Joseph was just. We can interpret this to mean that whether he was building a cradle for a friend's baby or a house for a relative, his prices were fair and his work was thorough. To all his labors he brought deep honesty of workmanship. No matter for whom a piece was intended, Joseph fashioned it with the skill and love he would have expended on it had he been making it for Mary. And the work thus accomplished must have won not only the respect and admiration of his fellow townsmen, but the loving approval of Our Lady. With this, Saint Joseph knew complete happiness.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, in you I find the perfect model of devotion to Mary, to whom you consecrated your life. Teach me to model my devotion to our Blessed Lady on the devotion you showed her. Let me offer my work to her and invite her to be with me as I work. Help me to carry out my assignments in the spirit of Mary and to consciously perform my tasks in her honor that, like you, I may offer her constant and selfless devotion.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty Father, from whom all graces come: I praise and bless and thank Thee for Saint Joseph's devotion to Our Lady. Grant that, through his loving intercession, I, too, may be truly devoted to Our Lady. O my powerful patron Saint Joseph, obtain for me the favor I now ask.
Devotion to the Divine Child
If at any time the heart of Saint Joseph burned with a desire for justice, it surely did so on the evening when he and Mary arrived in Bethlehem. The journey from Nazareth had been long and wearisome. Our Lady's fatigue caused Joseph increasing anxiety. At last they came upon an inn. It is important to note that Joseph had no hesitancy about asking for lodging there. He and his wife were not beggars; they had money to pay for their room and board. In commenting upon the humiliating experience, Saint Luke uses words suggesting Our Lady's mild reserve, "There was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).
Months of prayer and meditation had brought to Saint Joseph some insight into the impenetrable mystery of the Incarnation. Already he had comprehended the truth which Saint John was to set forth so starkly in the opening chapter of his Gospel: "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not" (John 1:11). Here, in this city of David, the King whom David prefigured was rejected. Here, in Bethlehem, "House of Bread," there was no room for Him who was the Bread of Life. In the face of his fellow men's cold indifference to human need, the great heart of Saint Joseph was flooded with emotion. For the people of Bethlehem he felt overwhelming pity. Their ears, attuned only to the frivolous din of the world and deafened to charity, could not hear their Saviour's voice as He called to them, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock" (Apocalypse 3:20). For Mary, his soul cried out with what Saint Thomas calls an "insatiable desire" for the consideration which in justice was due to her. For the unborn Christ whom Mary bore, Saint Joseph burned with the desire that He be recognized and accepted among His own. Yet all these emotions produced no disquietude of heart. One dominant note prevailed: "For those who love God all things work together unto good" (Romans 8:28). From the unjust refusal of men, Saint Joseph turned to the cave of Bethlehem; and when "the night in its swift course was half spent" (Wisdom 18:14), Mary brought forth her Son and for Saint Joseph the cup of happiness was full: his heaven had begun on earth.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, pour into my heart an ardent zeal for the spread of Christ's kingdom on earth. Increase my fervor, extend the desires of my heart that they may include all the desires of Christ. Teach me to be generous in my prayers that, having the mind of Christ, I may offer fervent supplication for priests, for missionaries, and for all who labor for the conversion of sinners.
Concluding Prayer
Almighty Father, from whom all graces come: I praise and bless and thank Thee for Saint Joseph's devotion to the Divine Child. Grant that, through his loving intercession, I, too, may be truly devoted to Jesus. O my powerful patron Saint Joseph, obtain for me the favor I now ask.
- taken from Reflecting on Saint Joseph: A Nine-Day Devotion, by Sister Emily Joseph Daly, C.S.J.