Life of St. Joseph as Manifested to Mo. Cecilia Baij

Footnotes

1. As a house cannot be built without first laying its foundations, so here also, before narrating about the life, graces, virtues, and glory of St. Joseph there is first laid down the theological foundation for them, i.e., the predestination of St. Joseph as the spouse of Mary, Mother of Jesus, the Only-Begotten Son of God the Father, according to the designation of the Gospel "Joseph, the spouse of Mary," etc. (Mt 1:16).

Predestination is the divine preordination ab-aeternis of those things which will be fulfilled by God's providence in time to come (St. Thomas, Summa Theol., p. 3, q. 24, art. 1). Now God, in the admirable disposition of His providence, preordained ab-aeternis the ineffable mystery of the Divine Incarnation as reparation for the fall of Adam, and as the means of saving all his descendants from eternal ruin. Therefore, in the fullness of time, the Eternal Word was to be made human flesh, and after a life of suffering, was to die on the cross as a voluntary victim. Jesus is therefore the first preordained one (Rom 1:3-5).

But under the eternal predestination fall not only what is to be fulfilled, but also the manner and order in which it is to be fulfilled (St. Thomas, p. 3, q. 24, art. 4). The manner and order in this case was that the Word would be made flesh of a virgin. It was necessary, however, to conceal this mystery of love from the world until the established time, in order to safeguard the reputation of the virgin Mother, and to preserve the honor of the Son. It was for this reason that God decreed that Mary was to become the spouse of the most humble, most chaste, and most holy among men in a celestially sanctioned marriage, and to this end a virgin spouse was preordained for Mary. He was to retain his virginity, and at the same time was to be the lawful father of Jesus, and in this manner Joseph was included, after Mary, in the decreed Incarnation of the Word, and after Mary, was also called to play the part of completing this ineffable mystery. "Hunc Deus elegit, ut Incarnationis aeconomise inserviret (Nat. Alex. Inst Concion, p. 3, in festo S. Joseph).

Because of this divine preordination, Joseph's sublime dignity, and also his part in the mystery of the human redemption, at once become evident.

a) His sublime dignity: In the supernatural realm we may consider three orders to exist, that of the angels, that of the saints, and that of the Hypostatic Union. This last is actually superior to the other two for the simple reason that Jesus is its beginning, its author, and its head. From Him as sovereign prince springs forth every hierarchy, every sacred principality in heaven and on earth. Now Joseph by divine preordination belongs precisely to this sovereign order, which is comprised of only three individuals: Jesus, true God and true man; Mary true Mother of God and of mankind; and Joseph true spouse of Mary and virginal yet lawful father of Jesus. When we consider that the lowest one of a higher order is always greater in dignity than one who is the highest of a lower order, we understand immediately that Joseph, though the last in his particular order is nevertheless superior (not by nature, but in dignity) to all the angels and to all the saints (see Suarez, in p. 3, Bk. 2, disp. 8, sect. 1).

b) Joseph's part in the economy of the human redemption: This is based upon the fact that the Divine Victim was the fruit of Mary's virginal marriage, whereby he was given to Her as support and protection, and all at the price of great sacrifices. The Church in her liturgy recalls both of these things as she sings and prays on the feast of St. Joseph's Patronage: "Oh God, Who in Your unspeakable providence didst deign to choose blessed Joseph to be the spouse of Your most holy Mother...(Collect of the Feast); also "The Creator of all things appointed you as spouse of the chaste virgin; He willed that you be called the father of the Word and empowered you to be a minister of salvation (Hymn at Matins); (see Lepicier: De Sancto Joseph, p. 1, art. 1, nn. 1-19; Card. Vives, Summa Josephina, Introd. chap. 1; Jamar, Theologia S. Josephi, chap. 1). Thus do the theologians, as well as the Fathers and other ecclesiastical writers treat of the matter of St. Joseph's predestination. [back]
2. It is the teaching of the angelic doctor that those whom God has chosen and destined for some great task are also prepared and disposed by Him for it so that they will properly acquit themselves of the mission for which they have been destined (p. 3, q. 27, art. 4). It was consequently most fitting that Joseph should also be a partaker of this divine economy. As the chosen spouse of the Mother of God, and as the virginal, yet legitimate father of Jesus, he necessarily had to be endowed with such graces as would make him worthy of his mission. Therefore, Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Quamquam Pluries, expresses his own thoughts as follows: "It is from this fact of his being the spouse of Mary and the putative father of Jesus that St. Joseph's dignity, holiness, and glory is derived. It certainly is true that the dignity of the Mother of God is so exalted that there is nothing to surpass it. However, since a conjugal bond existed between the most blessed virgin and St. Joseph, he was without doubt closer than any other creature to that sublime dignity whereby the Mother of God surpasses all other creatures. For marriage is an institution of the highest order and a form of association and friendship which by its very nature involves a mutual sharing of goods. It therefore follows that when God gave Joseph to Mary as spouse, He gave him to Her not only to be for Her a lifetime companion, a witness to Her virginity, and guardian of Her integrity, but also to become a partaker of Her eminent greatness by virtue of his espousal to her" (see the above-mentioned theologians in the places already cited). [back]
3. Nazareth then is the birthplace of St. Joseph and not Bethlehem as others have thought. This also seems evident from the Gospel, since Philip tells Nathaniel that "the Messiah foretold by Moses and the prophets was indeed Jesus, the Son of Joseph of Nazareth" (Jn 1:44). We also read in St. Luke (2:39 that, "when they had fulfilled all things prescribed in the Law of the Lord they returned to Galilee, into their hometown of Nazareth."

St. Joseph always lived in Nazareth, before and after the birth of Christ, and again after the return from Egypt. St. Chrysostym writes: "Joseph, therefore, came to Nazareth for both reasons: to avoid the danger and to live in his own birthplace" (Hom. 9 in Matt. 4). Consequently Jamar also states: "Following the general opinion of the holy fathers we, too, have therefore declared that Joseph's homeland was Nazareth" (Theologia S. Josephi, chap. 2, art. 1) (see also Card. Vives, Summa Josephina, Introd. Chap. 3). [back]
4. Mt 1:16; cf. Card. Vives, loc. cit., chap. 6; Jamar, op. cit., chap. 1, art. 3). [back]
5. Hence a more perfect likeness between St. Joseph and the old Patriarch Joseph, who was also the son of Jacob and Rachel. Some contemporary writers also have considered a "Rachel" to be the mother of St. Joseph (see Vitali, Vita e Gloria di S. Giusseppi, Life and Glory of S£. Joseph, Bk. 1, chap. 9). [back]
6. This follows from the genealogy quoted by St. Matthew (1:1-16), and, consequently, the angel of the Lord also calls Joseph the "son of David," (Matthew 1:20). Concerning these words St. Peter Chiysologus declared: "Observe how this entire genealogy is focused upon a single person, how the whole human race is recalled in one man, and how the entire succession of the dynasty of David culminates with Joseph. Joseph was born in the 38th generation. How then can he be designated as 'son of David,' if not because in him is manifested the mystery of descent, in him the trust in the promise is fulfilled, and through him the supernal idea of the divine incarnation in the virgin Mother became a reality?" [back]
7. St. Joseph, therefore, just like St. John the Baptist, was born in answer to the prayers of his holy parents, and as the account shows, was their only son. How appropriate indeed is the account, and how well does it correspond to the high mission that the Lord wished to assign to Joseph! [back]
8. In fact, it is common opinion that the name to be given to Joseph was revealed to the parents by God (See Card. Vives, Summa Josephina, Introd, chap. 2; P. Lepicier, De Sancto Joseph, p. 1, art. 2, n. 12; Card. Toletus, Comment, in Luc. 1, chap. 1, Annot. 58; Jamar, Theologia St. Joseph, chap. 2, art. 4).

The name "Joseph" means "increase," and certainly no other appellation would have been more appropriate for him whose entire life was destined to manifest a continuous advancement towards the sublime heights of sanctity. Indeed, were not his fame, his glory, and his veneration to become the object of ever new and more splendid manifestations, so that the point was finally reached at which it became imperative for Christ's Vicar to proclaim him "Patron of the Universal Church"? [back]
9. Similarly, the Ven. Mary of Agreda wrote concerning Mary: "While carrying Him in Her womb, His Mother experienced great jubilation of spirit without knowing the reason for it" (Geheimnissreiche Stadt Gottes, Mystical City of God, Bk. 2, p. 30). [back]