"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." (Matthew 5:7)
Fidelity to Grace
The folly of our fellow men, their shallowness, hypocrisy, irreverence, and malice can be serious stumbling blocks to us. In our zeal we insist upon high standards of conduct, but we forget the proper role we should play in order to bring them about. A pharisaical hardness of heart impels us to denounce the sinner along with the sin and with austere severity to invoke divine justice upon the wrongdoers. In a passage of Saint Luke's Gospel we see our Lord confronted with such an attitude: "And [He] sent messengers before Him. And they went and entered a Samaritan town to make ready for Him, and they did not receive Him.. .. But when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, 'Lord, wilt Thou that we bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?' But He turned and rebuked them, saying, 'You do not know of what manner of spirit you are; for the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.'" (Luke 9:51-52,54-56)
The fiery indignation of the two apostles whom Christ Himself called "sons of thunder" (Mark 3:17) stands out in sharp contrast to the mild and merciful reaction of Saint Joseph to a world that refused to welcome his foster Son. Christ's plea on Calvary, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34), was anticipated in Saint Joseph's heart on the streets of Bethlehem, on the flight into Egypt, and at the time he learned of Herod's brutal massacre of the innocent Jewish babes. If ever man had provocation for resentment or condemnation in the face of human perversity, it was Saint Joseph. But he followed the inspirations of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Mercy, becoming in this virtue of mercy, as in all others, our perfect model. With heroic self-control and with virtue which flowered because of his fidelity to grace, Saint Joseph won the right to claim God's mercy because he was himself a perfect example of mercy.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, obtain for me the special grace I need in order to be merciful. Help me to distinguish between the sin and the sinner and to measure out mercy to others as I hope to have God show mercy to me. As I recite the Our Father, may I always say with special fervor the words: "Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us."
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
Of Adam's sin, Holy Mother Church sings: "Oh happy fault that merited so great and so merciful a Redeemer!" Had the creature not sinned, he would never have known the full reaches of his Creator's tender forgiveness. Without the example of such mercy, man could never have learned how to practice this virtue, which elevates him to a dignity high above his fallen state.
"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy." From the Word of God incarnate Saint Joseph learned the beauty of mercy. In Mary, "Mother of mercy," he saw this beauty crystallized. Each day, as head of the Holy Family, he uttered in prayer the psalms of David through which, like a golden motif, runs the praise of God's mercy: "Answer me, O Lord, for bounteous is Your kindness; in Your great mercy turn toward me. Great has been Your kindness toward me; You have rescued me from the depths of the nether world. But You, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so surpassing is His kindness toward those who fear Him; gracious and merciful is the Lord."
Each day Saint Joseph silently contemplated the mercy of God as, close beside him in the workshop, measuring a beam, shaping a wagon wheel, wiping perspiration from His forehead, his foster Son - the merciful Son of God - applied Himself to the work of man's redemption. Here was a profound mystery for meditation! As though stored in a fathomless reservoir, the mercy of God remained apparently untapped during those years of the hidden life of Christ. Through long centuries Israel lay steeped in sin. Then came John the Baptist, bearing witness to the coming of the Saviour and reminding the people of the signs which Isaias had said would proclaim this advent. Now would the glory of the Lord be revealed (cf. Isa. 40:5). John uttered a ringing summons to penance. And when the people asked him, "What then are we to do?" he dictated works of mercy: "Let him who has two tunics share with him who has none; and let him who has food do likewise" (Luke 3:11). All this Saint Joseph pondered in his heart.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, whom God has appointed to be my model in all aspects of my life: be my model especially in my life of prayer. Teach me to love the psalms, most of which were composed by your royal ancestor, David, and to recite them frequently, as you did, that I may praise God for all His mercies to me.
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
Not infrequently, at the moment of death, the loving and merciful Queen of heaven has appeared in vision to one of her clients who has cultivated a tender devotion to her throughout life. What, then, must have been the death of Saint Joseph? His unique relationship to Mary surpassed that of any other saint in closeness, tenderness and love. So, too, were the circumstances of his death unique. Years of close association with Jesus and Mary had been its preparation. Constant growth in sanctifying grace had marked those years. Death meant merely the rending of the thin veil which separates this mortal state from life eternal. Son of Adam that he was, Saint Joseph was heir to Adam's punishment. Only by passing through the gate of death could he possess immortality.
Although the Gospel does not describe Joseph's last hours on earth, Holy Mother Church, in her litany in his honor, invokes him as "Patron of the dying." She seems thereby to confirm the tradition - which certainly accords with what one would expect - that Saint Joseph's last moments were made peaceful and holy by the presence of Mary, "our life, our sweetness, and our hope." This was the reward which Joseph's fidelity to Our Lady and her Son merited for him. "Give, and it shall be given to you," our Lord was to tell His followers; "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they pour into your lap. For with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you" (Luke 6:38). How magnificently, at his death, was Saint Joseph rewarded for his years of devotion to Our Lady and her Divine Son!
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, patron of a happy death, assist me in my last hours on this earth. At this moment I willingly accept that death which God has appointed for me. Obtain for me the grace of final perseverance. Draw my thoughts to heaven that amid the pleasures of this life I may never lose sight of the goal of all my striving, the eternal happiness of heaven.
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
One of the most appealing of Christ's parables is the story of the prodigal son. Three characters appear in the story: the spendthrift younger son; the resentful older brother, whose boasted virtues did not include charity; and the tender, loving, merciful father. Is it not likely that in this touching parable Christ drew a picture of His own beloved foster father, Joseph? Upon the sensitive mind of Christ there was stamped, in all probability, the indelible memory of the joy and relief that flooded Saint Joseph's countenance, the love that burned in his eyes, on that morning in Jerusalem when His parents found Him in the Temple. He remembered, too, that His Mother had questioned Him and had mildly, but firmly, rebuked Him for having failed to accompany them as they set out for Nazareth. But Joseph had said not a word; he had simply rejoiced to have his Boy back again.
Christ needed not that any man should tell Him, for He knew what was in man - and He knew what was in Joseph. In the microcosm of a small town like Nazareth, the good and the bad, the weak and the strong, have their types. Jesus must have met them all; and so must Joseph. It is very likely that in the carpenter shop He had seen this silent man's gentle treatment of one of the town's ne'er-do-wells. Or He had observed Saint Joseph as he soothed an angry father's stormy resentment against a spendthrift son, or checked the merciless criticism of the town's gossip.
One could not conceive of Saint Joseph, whose holiness was so pre-eminent, lacking the Christlike virtue of mercy. How comforting is the thought that the Sovereign Pontiffs have acclaimed him not only as the ideal whom husbands and fathers of families should imitate, but as the Patron of the Universal Church. In him, each member of Christ's Mystical Body finds an understanding friend, a wise counselor, a merciful intercessor.
Prayer
Dear Saint Joseph, remember the title you hold by papal pronouncement, "Patron of the Universal Church." As a member of the Church, a member of Christ's Mystical Body, I invoke you as my special patron, father, and guardian. Intercede for me with your Divine foster Son and direct my feeble efforts to reproduce within my soul the image of Christ. Be with me, dear patron, in life and at the hour of my death.
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.