De sancto Joseph sponso virginis
The Duty of Devotion to the Saints
The author establishes the spiritual necessity of honoring the saints as intercessors and reflections of God's grace.
It is a most noble thing for us miserable mortals in this world to hold a singular devotion not only to the eternal God, but also to His glorious saints. And this is because of our own poverty, since we deserve nothing of ourselves before God; rather, full of sins, we deserve punishment. For this reason, it is necessary for us to take refuge in the saints, so that through their merits God may be appeased, and we may effectively obtain what we ask for. To this, Job 5: turn to one of the saints; and then also for the reverence of our God, since God, who dwells in them, is honored. Whoever indeed shows honor to the saints honors Him especially, who sanctified them by dwelling in them through grace; and then thirdly, because of their virtue and glory, for which they are worthy of honor. For, as the philosopher testifies in Book IV, Ethics: honor is the reward of virtue, and to perfect virtue, fitting honor is not given. Therefore, the saints ought to be honored as such. Most virtuous and glorious spiritual patrons of ours, since, as is held in XI q. VII cap.
The Noble Lineage and Grace of Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is introduced as a figure of immense spiritual importance, defined by his noble Davidic lineage and his unique role as the spouse of the Virgin Mary.
Anyone who fails to honor a spiritual patron or father seems to sin more than one who fails to honor a biological father. This is especially true because Saint Joseph is one of the most glorious saints in paradise, to whom the Lord granted such grace that He entrusted His own most beloved Mother to him as his ward and spouse. Therefore, we are moved to show him great devotion. Saint Joseph possesses many privileges; first, he is said to be of the most noble lineage, for as the Gospel testifies, he was of the house and family of David. “Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife,” from which house of David Christ Jesus was to descend. If, however, anyone wishes to know the method of the genealogy, according to John of Damascus it should be noted that Melchi descended through the line of Nathan the prophet, son of David; from this Melchi, Joseph is distant by four degrees in a direct line, as is evident in Luke 3, and Melchi is the great-grandfather of Joseph’s grandfather. Melchi, in fact, had a brother named Panthera, who fathered Barpanthera, and he fathered Joachim, who fathered the glorious Virgin Mary. Through the line, however, of Solomon himself, son of David. Mathan descended naturally, who was the grandfather of Saint Joseph.
The Virtues and Privileges of the Foster Father
The text details the four primary privileges of Joseph: his noble kinship, his perfect justice, his virginal purity, and his holy companionship with the Mother of God.
Mathan himself had a wife, by whom he fathered Jacob, the father of Joseph; from all these facts, the nobility of both the blessed Virgin and her spouse Joseph is clearly shown, since they were relatives. Oh, how noble this spouse is, who is truly a relative of many saints, such as John the Baptist and many of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. The second privilege of this spouse of the glorious Virgin Mary is his commendation in the Gospel, for in the holy Gospel Joseph himself is commended for having been just—as it says in Matthew 1: 'When Joseph was just, he did not want to expose her'—because, as Catholic doctors testify, he is commended for truth through his perfect virtue. In such writings, justice is understood primarily as a general virtue that encompasses all others. In him, we can see the virtues of nearly all the patriarchs and prophets. There is no doubt that he possessed the prompt obedience of Abraham when he offered his most beloved son, the patience of the patriarch Joseph, the humility of David, and the devotion of the prophets, holy fathers, and devout women from whom the Virgin's spouse was formed. The third privilege is that of virginal election, shining with the glory and halo of virginity. For he was chosen as an incorrupt virgin, a virginity he had vowed by mutual consent together with the blessed Virgin. Hence, Saint Jerome says against Helvidius: 'The companionship of the Virgin Mother and Joseph was pleasing, graceful, and flourishing,' and just as lovers of purity were chosen by the Holy Spirit in the marriage of virginity. And Augustine says in his book *On the Good of Marriage*: 'If Joseph had not been a virgin, the virgin mother of God would by no means have been given to him as a spouse by God; otherwise, this holy marriage would have been flawed.' The fourth privilege was that of love and holy conversation, for there was a most holy love and holy conversation between the blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph. For it is a general rule that with the holy you will be holy, and with a wicked and perverse person you will be perverted (Psalm). Since Saint Joseph had the most holy companionship of Mary, the daughter of God—for when the Virgin wept, Saint Joseph also wept, and when she went into Egypt, he also went—there are also other privileges of sweetest consolation, angelic frequency and visitation, and most powerful intercession and support. Whoever, therefore, serves him devoutly, whoever asks for his support, will without doubt be heard in his prayers before our Lord Jesus Christ; for it is not right to deny what he asks for the sake of his honor, since he is the foster father. Foster father.
A Prayer for Joseph's Intercession
The chapter concludes with a direct devotional petition to Saint Joseph for his intercession.
O most blessed and holy Joseph, we ask you to pray for us, along with your spouse, the blessed Virgin, that she may lead us to the heavenly kingdom. Amen.
Read the original Latin
Nobilissima res est nobis miseris mortalibus in hoc mundo habere singularem devotionem non solum Deo aeterno, sed etiam suis gloriosis sanctis. Et hoc propter nostram inopiam, quia nil ex nobis meremur coram Deo, imo pleni peccatis demeremur supplicia, Propter quod ad sanctos opus est nos refugere, quatenus eoruin meritis Deus placetur, et quod petimus, efficaciter consequimur. Huic Job, V: ad aliquem sanclorum convertere, Tum etiam propter Dei nostri reverentiam, quoniam Deus, qui in iis habitat, honoratur. Qui nempe sanctis honorem tribuit, illum specialiter honorat, qui eos inhabitando per gratiam sanctificavit, Tum etiam tertio propter eorum virtnositatem et gloriam, propter quam digni sunt honore. Nan teste philosopho in IV. ethic,: honor est praeminm virlutis et virtnti perfectae non fit condiznus honor, Debent ergo sancti honorari tamquain. virtnosissimi et gloriosissimi nostri patroni spirituales, quoniam, ut habetur XI qu. VII cap.
qualis, qui patronum sive patrem spiritualem non honorat, plus videtur peccare, quam qui patran carnalem. contemnit, et quoniam sanctus Joseph est unus de gloriosioribus sanctis paradisi, cui dominus tantam gratiam contulit, ut suam dilectissimam matrem ei in custodiam et sponsam daret. Ideo ad ipsum immerito devotione wtinum magna movemur. Habet enim ipse sanctus Joseph plurima privilegia; Primnm dicitnr nobilissimae generationis, Erat eniin teste evangelio de domo et familia David; Matth. 1: Joseph, fili David, noli tinere accipere Mariam conjugem, ex qua domo David Christus Jesus descensurus erat. Si autem quis modum genenlogiae scire vellet, secundum Johannem Dignascenun notandum foret, quod per catenam Nathan prophetae filii David descendit Melchi, a quo Melchi quarto gradu descendit et distat in recta linea ipse Joseph, ut patet Luc, IH, et Meléhi est ipsi Joseph avus avi, Melchi vero habuit fratrem nóinine Panthera, qui genuit Barpanthera, et hic gennit Joachim, qui genuit gloriosam virginem Mariam. Per catenam autem ipsius Salomonis filii David. naturalis descendit Mathan, qui fuit avus sancti Joseph.
Ipse autem Mathan habuit uxorem, ex qua genuit Jacob patrem Joseph, Ex his omnibus aperte monstratur nobilitas tam beatae virginis quam ejus sponsi Joseph, quoniam fuerunt propinqui. O igitur quam nobilissimns est iste sponsus, qui ntique est propinquus multorum sanctorun, ut Johannis baptistae et multorum apostolorum domini nostri Jesu Christi. Secundun privilegium ipsins sponsi gloriosae virginis Mariae est evangelicae commendationis, quoniam in sancto evangelio ipse Joseph commendatur justus fuisse, Matth, I: cum esset Joseph justus, nolebat traducere, quia, ut testantur doctores catholici, veritati commendatur a perfecta virtuositate. Praecipue in talibus scriptis accipitur justilia, in quantum est virtus generalis omnes virtutes comprehendens, In ipso siquidem videre potuissemus virlutes ferme omnium patriarcharum et prophetarum, et certe haud dubium, quia in ipso erat obedientia promta, quae fuit in Abrahamo, immolando filimn suum dilectissimum, patientia Joseph pairiarchae , humilitas David, devotio prophetarum et sanctorum patrum et devotarum mulierum, ex quibus reddebatur sponsus virginis. Tertium privilegium virgineae electionis, refulget nempe gloria et aureola virginitatis, Fuit enim electus virgo incorruptus , quam virginitatem voverat inutuo consensu una cium virgine benedicta, Unde Hieronymus sanctus contra Helvidium ait: grata gratia et florida fuit virginis matris et Joseph socielas, el sicut amatores puritatis in matrimónio virginitatis fuerunt a spiritu sancto electi, Et Augustinus in libro de conjugali bono: Joseph nisi virgo fuisset, virgo maler Dei nequaquain in sponsam sibi a Deo data fuisset, alias hoc sanctum conjugium claudicasset. ' Qnartum fuit privilegium dilectionis et sanctae conversationis, Fuit enim inter benedictam virginem Mariam et sanctum Joseph amor sanctissimus et conversatio sancta. Generalis enim regula est, quod cuin sancto sanctus eris, et cum persona mala et perversa perverteris, Psalm, Cuin autem sanctas Joseph sanctissimam societatem habuerit Mariam filiam Dei, flente enim virgine flebat etiam sanctus Joseph, eunte in Aegyptum eliam ibat, sunt etiam alia privilegia dulcissimae consolationis, angelicae frequenlationis et visitationis, potissimae impetrationis et suffragationis, Quisquis ergo ei devote servit, quisquis ejus suffragia exposcit, absque dubio exaudielur in suis precibus apud dominum nostrun Jesum Christin; Non-enin est fas negare, quod petit propter honorem suum, quoniam fait. pater -putalivus.
- O igitur vironun felicissime et sancte Joseph, rogamus, ora pro nobis una cuim-tua-eponsa virgine benedicta, ut nos perducat ad coelestia regna, Amen,
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