The divine communion of Joseph and the Infant Jesus
August 30, 2021 • 2 min
From The Life and Glories of St. Joseph, page 386
By Edward Healy Thompson, M.A.
Another powerful source of love is mutual knowledge. Without some kind of knowledge there can, properly, be no love; and, generally speaking, those love our Lord best who have the greatest knowledge of His perfections.
But to whom were those adorable perfections made known so fully as to Joseph; to whom first—with the exception of Mary—was revealed His Name of Saviour, which contains them all in compendium?
How exalted must have been Joseph’s perception of the majesty of the Incarnate Word, inclosed in the sacred womb of the Virgin, even previously to this revelation, since it was needful for an angel to descend from Heaven to prevent his withdrawing from his august spouse, as in his humility he was about to do! Such is the opinion, at least, of many holy doctors, as being the most probable, and, at the same time, the most honourable to Joseph and to our Blessed Lady.
It was given to Joseph to be the first to know and become enamoured of the riches of the Saviour in the poverty of the crib, and lovingly to adore the splendour of His glory in the obscurity of the stable.
The familiarity to which he was admitted with the Divine Babe, and all the mysteries of the Infancy, must have inundated His soul with ineffable sweetness. Mary pondered them in her heart, and so did Joseph likewise; and all were food for love.
And what shall we say of the thirty years? Who, save the Blessed Mother herself, ever enjoyed so close and prolonged an intimacy with Jesus as did Joseph? Who, then, can have equalled him in love?
Holy souls have dwelt on the thought that for many long miles during the flight into Egypt Joseph carried Him in his arms, partly to shield Him from the wintry blast in the folds of his cloak, and partly especially during the early part of the journey to conceal Him; and all that time he felt the beatings of the Sacred Heart against his own, and learned secrets which had never been confided even to the blessed spirits in Heaven.
Latest book snippets
Search | Random | 909 total | 50h 1m
June 7, 2022
God’s goodness in giving Himself to us sinners should inspire us with even greater humility, trust and love
1 min — Imitation of Christ
June 6, 2022
The more we preserve our hearts for God, the more will he fill us with Divine Love and Grace
1 min — Imitation of ChristThe love of friends must only depend on and exist in the Love of God
1 min — Imitation of Christ
May 24, 2022
Mary’s love was greater than any angel’s or saint’s as much as the moon is bigger and brighter than any star
1 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De SalesMary only slept in order to love and serve God better
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 17, 2022
May 17th: Mary not only practiced perfect obedience, but recommended it to all in the Gospel
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 15, 2022
May 15th: The union of Humility and Charity in the Blessed Virgin Mary
4 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De SalesMay 15th: The three Unions that occurred at the Incarnation
2 min — The Month of Mary According to the Spirit of St. Francis De Sales
May 13, 2022
By humility and a desire to love God, we begin to pray, which is so effective against the devil that he tries to convince us not to
2 min — The Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena