The Lesson is taken from a Sermon by St. Bernardin of Siena
Here is what we may call the ordinary rule concerning the bestowal of special favours on natural beings, namely; whenever divine grace electeth such an one to a particular privilege, or to a vocation of special responsibility, the person so elected receiveth all the gifts of grace which be needful for him in that state of life whereunto he is called, and receiveth them abundantly. Of this there is an excellent instance in the case of the holy Joseph, the so-called father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the real husband of her who is Queen of the world, and Lady of the Angels. He had been elected by the eternal Father to be the faithful cherisher and protector of God's two chief treasures, namely, Jesus and Mary, God's own Son and Joseph's own wife. This duty Joseph faithfully discharged. Wherefore there hath been said unto Joseph, those words of the Lord: Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
Let us consider this man Joseph in connection with the Universal Church of Christ. Is he not that elect and chosen one, through whom, and under whom, Christ is orderly and honestly brought into the world? If, then, the Holy Universal Church be under a debt to the Virgin Mother (because through her the Church hath been made to receive Christ), next to Mary the Church oweth thanks and reverence to Joseph. He verily is the key which unlocked the treasures of the Church of the Old Testament, for in his person all the excellence of Patriarchs and Prophets cometh to the completion of achievement, seeing that he alone enjoyed in this life the full fruition of what God had been pleased to promise aforetime to them. It is therefore with good reason that we see a type of him in that Patriarch Joseph who stored up corn for the people. But the second Joseph hath a more excellent dignity than the first, seeing that the first gave to the Egyptians bread only for the body, but the second was, on behalf of all the elect, the watchful guardian of that Living Bread which came down from heaven, of which whosoever eateth will never die.
No doubt Christ still treateth Joseph in heaven with that familiarity, honour, and most high condescension which he paid, like a son to a father, whilst he walked among men. Nay, rather, Christ hath now crowned and completed in heaven those habits which he learnt on earth. Hence it is reasonable to see a particular application to Joseph in those words uttered by Christ: Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Note that we think of the joy of eternal blessedness as entering into the heart of men. But the Lord preferred to say to the man: Enter thou into the joy. Thus did the Lord mystically set forth a joy which should not only be within man, but outside him also (that is; above him, and below him, and all round about him, and overflowing him), as it were a great bottomless pit of joy to swallow him up altogether. In this thy blessedness, O thou blessed Joseph, remember us! In thy helpful prayers, make intercession for us with him who was supposed to be thy Son! Likewise, obtain some favour for us from that most blessed Maiden who was thy wife, and the Mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth one God, world without end. Amen.
Here is what we may call the ordinary rule concerning the bestowal of special favours on natural beings, namely; whenever divine grace electeth such an one to a particular privilege, or to a vocation of special responsibility, the person so elected receiveth all the gifts of grace which be needful for him in that state of life whereunto he is called, and receiveth them abundantly. Of this there is an excellent instance in the case of the holy Joseph, the so-called father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the real husband of her who is Queen of the world, and Lady of the Angels. He had been elected by the eternal Father to be the faithful cherisher and protector of God's two chief treasures, namely, Jesus and Mary, God's own Son and Joseph's own wife. This duty Joseph faithfully discharged. Wherefore there hath been said unto Joseph, those words of the Lord: Well done, thou good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of the Lord.
Let us consider this man Joseph in connection with the Universal Church of Christ. Is he not that elect and chosen one, through whom, and under whom, Christ is orderly and honestly brought into the world? If, then, the Holy Universal Church be under a debt to the Virgin Mother (because through her the Church hath been made to receive Christ), next to Mary the Church oweth thanks and reverence to Joseph. He verily is the key which unlocked the treasures of the Church of the Old Testament, for in his person all the excellence of Patriarchs and Prophets cometh to the completion of achievement, seeing that he alone enjoyed in this life the full fruition of what God had been pleased to promise aforetime to them. It is therefore with good reason that we see a type of him in that Patriarch Joseph who stored up corn for the people. But the second Joseph hath a more excellent dignity than the first, seeing that the first gave to the Egyptians bread only for the body, but the second was, on behalf of all the elect, the watchful guardian of that Living Bread which came down from heaven, of which whosoever eateth will never die.
No doubt Christ still treateth Joseph in heaven with that familiarity, honour, and most high condescension which he paid, like a son to a father, whilst he walked among men. Nay, rather, Christ hath now crowned and completed in heaven those habits which he learnt on earth. Hence it is reasonable to see a particular application to Joseph in those words uttered by Christ: Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Note that we think of the joy of eternal blessedness as entering into the heart of men. But the Lord preferred to say to the man: Enter thou into the joy. Thus did the Lord mystically set forth a joy which should not only be within man, but outside him also (that is; above him, and below him, and all round about him, and overflowing him), as it were a great bottomless pit of joy to swallow him up altogether. In this thy blessedness, O thou blessed Joseph, remember us! In thy helpful prayers, make intercession for us with him who was supposed to be thy Son! Likewise, obtain some favour for us from that most blessed Maiden who was thy wife, and the Mother of him who with the Father and the Holy Ghost, liveth and reigneth one God, world without end. Amen.
