Puer natus est nobis!

The adoration of the shepherds. J-J Tissot.

Puer natus est nobis

A child is born to us [Isaias ix. 6]

Laudate Dominum, omnes Gentes: laudate eum omnes populi: Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericordia eius: et veritas Domini manet in aeternum.

O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. 

Quoniam confirmata est super nos misericordia ejus, et veritas Domini manet in æternum. [Ps. cxvi]

Mirabile mysterium declaratur hodie,
innovantur naturæ; 
Deus homo factus est;
id quod fuit, permansit,
et quod non erat, assumpsit,
non commixtionem passus neque divisionem.

 

A wondrous mystery is this day declared,
New natures are delivered;
God is made man;
That which He was, He remains,
and that which He was not, He takes on,
yet suffering neither confusion nor division. 

[From the Antiphon sung before the Canticle of Zachary during Christmas Lauds in the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary]

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 9 - Jesus is lost and found; the Hidden life

Today is the final day of this Novena to St. Joseph. It concludes on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception and is offered as a present to Maria Immaculata. The Novena serves also to mark formally the inclusion of reverence for St. Joseph in our daily prayers, following the example of Santa Teresa of Jesus and Sainte Thérèse of the Child Jesus.

 

9) a) Jesus is lost and found

Jesus is lost. J-J Tissot

Whom once as lost thou didst deplore,

When from the Feast returning;

But in the Temple find once more,

'Midst doctors Him discerning. Hail Mary.

Quem ad festum transiens:

dolenter perdidisti:

sed mox templum adiens:

gaudenter repperisti. Ave Maria.

Thou didst notice with sorrow that Jesus was missing while returning from the Feast; but  returning swiftly to the Temple, there didst thou find Him with joy.

Gospel account

Jesus is found in the Temple. J-J Tissot

And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch, and when He was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not. Thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey, and sought Him among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. Not finding Him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking Him.

It came to pass, that, after three days, they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. All that heard Him were astonished at His wisdom and his answers. Seeing Him, they wondered. And His mother said to him: ‘Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.’ And He said to them: ‘How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business?’ And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. [Luke ii]

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

9) b) The Hidden Life

The hidden life. J-J Tissot

Whom thou didst bring up at thy side,

Due care and toil expending;

And for His food and needs provide,

His holy childhood tending. Hail Mary.

Quem manuum per opera:

sollicite nutrivisti:

et in aetate tenera:

in omnibus providisti. Ave Maria.

Thou didst carefully rear Him by the labour of thy hands; and in His tender years thou didst provide for Him in all things.

Gospel account

Jesus went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. His mother kept all these words in her heart. Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. [Luke II]

Notes

Our Lord learned Joseph’s craft and worked with him until Joseph’s death. In the course of His work, Jesus would have handled hammers, nails and wood - the instruments of His Passion many years later. Here in his picture, Tissot shows Our Lord carrying wood on His shoulder, presaging the Via Crucis culminating in His redemptive death on the Cross. A seated Mary looks on; a close examination of the painting reveals Tissot has made the Holy Face of Jesus similar to that of His Mother.

Standing by the arch, Joseph watches his foster-son with a keen and thoughtful gaze. In his portrayal of Joseph with a white beard, Tissot has followed a traditional belief that Joseph was much older than Mary. This might explain why there are no references to him in the Gospels after the extract from Luke above.

The tradition continues by inferring that Joseph died whilst consoled by the presence of both Jesus and Mary. For this reason, many pray to St Joseph for a holy death: 

Oratio, pro felici morte impetranda

Prayer asking for a happy death

O SAINT JOSEPH, thou left this life in the gentle embrace of thy sweet spouse Mary and thy adopted son Jesus. Help me, O holy Father, along with Jesus and Mary, that at the appointed time when death puts an end to my life; obtain for me the one thing I ask, that same solace, so that in those same arms of Jesus and Mary I may expire. Into your hands, O Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, living and dying I commend my spirit! Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui in suavissimo Iesu clientis tui, et dulcissimae sponsæ tuae Mariæ complexu ex hac vita emigrasti: succurre mihi, o S. Pater! cum Iesu et Maria, tunc potissimum, quando mors vitæ meæ finem imponet; illudque (quod unice peto) solatium mihi impetra, ut in iisdem sanctissimis Iesu et Mariæ brachiis exspirem. In manus vestras vivens et moriens commendo spiritum meum, Iesu, Maria, Ioseph! Amen.

Another prayer for the same end is the following one which I learned as a child. I have used the first person plural so as to offer the prayer on behalf of those souls whom the Lord committed to my charge:

Jesus, Mary and Joseph: we give you our hearts and our souls;

Jesus, Mary and Joseph: assist us in our last agonies;

Jesus, Mary and Joseph: may be breathe forth our souls in peace with you. Amen.

 

Conclusion

This post concludes with a further gift in honour Maria Immaculata and her spouse most chaste: a poem written by Ste Thérèse to St Joseph in 1894. I have attempted a translation into English, retaining the metre and rhyming scheme of the French original.

- 1 -

Joseph, votre admirable vie

Se passa dans l'humilité;

Mais de Jésus et de Marie

Vous contempliez la beauté!

Le Fils de Dieu dans son enfance,

Plus d'une fois, avec bonheur,

Soumis à votre obéissance

S'est reposé sur votre cœur!

Oh Joseph, how extraordinary,

Thy life was meek with humble duty

Yet Jesus and His mother Mary

Thou could'st admire in all their beauty.

The Son of God as child and youth

Full oftentimes with joy was bless'd

Obedient to thee in truth

Upon thy heart he'd gladly rest.

- 2 -

Comme vous dans la solitude

Nous servons Marie et Jésus;

Leur plaire est notre seule étude,

Nous ne désirons rien de plus.

Sainte Thérèse, Notre Mère,[1]

En vous se confiait toujours;

Elle assure que sa prière

Vous l'exauciez d'un prompt secours.

Like thee we too in solitude

Do serve the Lord and mother Mary;

Their pleasure our solicitude,

Our wish that we shall never vary.

Teresa, saint and founding Mother,1

Did ever place her trust in thee,

Assuring thou wouldst, like no other,

Bestow thine aid full speedily.

  

- 3 -

Quand l'épreuve sera finie,

Nous en avons le doux espoir,

Près de la divine Marie,

O Père, nous irons vous voir!

Alors nous lirons votre histoire

Inconnue au monde mortel;

Nous découvrirons votre gloire

Et la chanterons dans le ciel.

When trials of life at length subside

May tender hope our hearts enfold

And, keeping close by Mary’s side,

Oh Father, may we thee behold!

Then shall we learn thy secret story

Concealed while thou wast here below,

Discovering thy wondrous glory

The which to hymn for evermoe.

[1]  St Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582)

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.  

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 8 - The Flight into Egypt and Return to Nazareth

 

8) The Flight into Egypt and Return to Nazareth

The flight into Egypt. J-J Tissot

Whom safe to Egypt thou didst bear

Whilst Herod's rage was swelling;

But bring back with maternal care,

To Nazareth thy dwelling.

Quem Herodem fugiens

Aegypto adduxisti:

tandem inde rediens

ad Nazareth venisti. Ave Maria.

Fleeing from Herod, thou didst take Him to Egypt; returning thence after a time, thou didst come to Nazareth.

Gospel account

The return to Nazareth. J-J Tissot.

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: ‘Arise, and take the child and His mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.’ [14] Joseph arose, and took the child and His mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod, so that it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: ‘Out of Egypt have I called my son.’

‘Then Herod, perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry; and sending killed all the men children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying: ‘A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.’ But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt, saying: ‘Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child.’

Joseph arose, and took the child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel; but hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee,  and coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by prophets: ‘That he shall be called a Nazarene.’ [Matthew ii 13-23]

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.

 

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 7 - The Presentation in the Temple

 

7) The Presentation in the Temple

Whom thou upon the fortieth day

In His own house presenting,

Didst freewill offerings duly pay

To Moses' law consenting. Hail Mary.

Quem die quadragesima

in templo præsentasti:

ac Moysi legitima

spontanee subisti. Ave Maria.

On the fortieth day, in the Temple thou didst present Him, and thou didst freely comply with the law of Moses.

Gospel Account

After the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: as it is written in the law of the Lord: ‘Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord,’ and to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons. 

Behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. He had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord, and He came by the Spirit into the temple. When His parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, Simeon also took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: 

‘Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: a light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.’ 

His father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning Him. Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: 

‘Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed.’ 

And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser; she was far advanced in years, and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and she was a widow until fourscore and four years; who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day. Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord; and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel. [Luke ii 22-38]

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Notes

Jesus is taken to the Temple by Joseph, His foster-father, and His Mother Mary. Jesus finds Himself in His Father’s house for the first time, forty days after His birth. Parents will testify that babies smile for the first time around this time (ie, six weeks).Did Joseph see this first smile? The first-born little boy is offered up as a sacrifice to His Father in heaven, in accordance with the Law, but God in His mercy allows the parents to buy back, or redeem, their Son. The Redeemer is redeemed, and Simeon makes a prophecy that gives Joseph and Mary much cause to reflect, wondering at those things which were spoken concerning their baby Son. 

Joseph, together with Mary, receives a blessing from Simeon and then they hear more mysterious words from Anna, the prophetess, speaking of the Redeemer and those who in Israel were looking for Redemption.

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.

 

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 6 - The Adoration of the Magi

6) The Adoration of the Magi

Who was by Eastern kings adored,

As homage due they proffered;

When Him confessing for their Lord,

Their noblest gifts they offered. Hail Mary.

Qui a tribus regibus

ferventer adoratur;

magnisque muneribus

decenter venerant. Ave Maria.

Three kings fervently adored Him; and offered their veneration most fittingly, with magnificent gifts.

Gospel Account

Falling down, they adored Him. J-J Tissot

When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to adore him.’ King Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born, and they said to him: ‘In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet: “And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.”’ 

Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them; and sending them into Bethlehem, said: ‘Go and diligently inquire after the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come to adore him.’ Having heard the king, they went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was. Seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

Entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, and falling down they adored Him; and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country. [Matthew ii 1-12]

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.

 

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 5 - The Circumcision

 5) The circumcision

The Circumcision. Barocci. 

Who, as for human kind was meet,

Enduring circumcision,

Was called Jesus; Name most sweet!

In token of His mission. Hail Mary.

Qui iuxta ritum hominis

passus circumcisione;

Dulcis Iesu nominis

cepit impositionem. Ave Maria.

Who, in accordance with the rite of man, underwent circumcision; He accepted being given the sweet name of Jesus.

Gospel account

After eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb. [Luke II]

Notes

The table below presents some interesting points of similarity between our Lord and His foster-father:

Joseph	Jesus
Hebrew יוֹסֵף‎ Yoséf, “God will add”;	"God will save", from (1) יה (yah), the name of the Lord, and (2) the verb ישע (yasha'), to save.
First born son of Jacob (“May God protect” or “heel”), son of Mathan	First born Son of God, first-born of Mary (who is linked to the image of a heel, as in Genesis iii 15[1] and in I Kings xviii 44) and adopted son of Joseph.
Descendant of King David	Descendant of King David
Circumcised	Circumcised
Carpenter	Carpenter
Spouse most chaste of the Blessed Virgin	Spouse most chaste of the Bride of Christ
Died in the presence of Mary (trad)	Died in the presence of Mary

[1] I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.[Genesis iii 15]

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.

 

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 4 - The Adoration of the Shepherds

4) a) Whilst shepherds watched

Whom brightest Angels at His birth,

With laud and carol hailing,

Praised God; announcing Peace on earth,

Good will and love unfailing. Hail Mary.

Quem magno cum tripudio

angeli laudaverunt;

pacemque cum gaudio

in terris cecinerunt. Ave Maria.

Angels praised Him with a great celebration of song and dance; they sang joyously of peace on earth.

Gospel Account

An angel of the Lord stood by them. J-J Tissot

There were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock; and behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear. And the angel said to them:

‘Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, that shall be to all the people: For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David. And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger.’ 

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God, and saying: ‘Glory to God in the highest; and on earth peace to men of good will.’

4) a) The adoration of the shepherds

Whom wondering shepherds as of all

The Shepherd Prince declaring,

Yet found, a stable mean and small

With ass and oxen sharing. Hail Mary.

Quem pastorem omnium

pastores cognoverunt;

dum in praesepe Dominum

iacente invenerunt. Ave Maria.

The Shepherds recognised Him, the Shepherd of all shepherds, when they found Him laid in a manger.

Gospel Account

They found Mary and Joseph, and the infant Jesus. J-J Tissot

And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: ‘Let us go over to Bethlehem, and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.’ And they came with haste; and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. And all that heard, wondered; and at those things that were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God, for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Notes

Joseph would have heard the great hymn sung by the heavenly army of angels, perhaps the most beautiful and sublime music the earth had ever heard. He may have ventured outside to see what was happening in the skies above Bethlehem. He was present and witnessed with amazement the arrival of the shepherds and their adoration of the little Baby. He too would have heard with wonder the things that were told them by the shepherds.

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.

 

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 3 - The Nativity of Christ

3) The Nativity (a)

In Bethlehem Whom, a Holy Seed,

Thou didst bring forth with gladness;

In that thy wondrous labour freed

From human pangs and sadness. Hail Mary.

Quem in civitate Bethlehem

laetando genuisti:

neque dolorem aliquem

gignendo pertulisti. Ave Maria.

Who was born by thee rejoicing in the town of Bethlehem; and thou had no pains of labour at His birth.

Gospel account

No room in Bethlehem. J-J Tissot.

It came to pass, that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be enrolled. This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria. All went to be enrolled, every one into his own city. Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.

Notes

As the crow flies, it is around 70 miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Estimates vary as to the distance because it is possible that Joseph chose a route avoiding the land of the Samaritans. Taking into account Mary’s advanced state of pregnancy, and the need to plan the route so as to include wells for the travellers and any donkey, it may be that the journey took 7 or as many as 9 days.

3) The Nativity (b)

Scion of Royal David's line,

New-born thou didst adore Him;

Whose nurturing breast with love benign

A wailing Infant bore Him. Hail Mary.

Quem regis David genere

mox natum adorasti;

ac vagientem ubere

virgineo lactasti. Ave Maria.

Christ's birth. J-J Tissot

Thou didst adore thy new little baby, born of the family of King David; and thou didst nurture the mewling infant at thy virginal breast .

Gospel account

And it came to pass that, when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered, and she brought forth her firstborn son.

3) The Nativity (c)

Whom in the manger thou didst lay,

With swathing bands enfolding,

And Him to cherish, day by day,

No pains or care withholding. Hail Mary.

Quem pannis fasciis

constrictum reclinasti;

et suis obsequiis

te totam mancipasti. Ave Maria.

Thou didst wrap Him tightly in swaddling clothes and didst lay Him (in His crib); and Thou gavest Thyself entirely to His service.

St. Joseph was present at this turning point in the history of mankind, when the promised Redeemer was born in the silence and seclusion of a simple stable. Once Mary had given birth in all modesty and privacy, Joseph would have been at hand to offer his help; he would have been the first man to set eyes upon the little Baby, the Word made Flesh; he, too, would have wondered at this adorable Infant, adorable like all tiny babies but adorable too as the very Word of God Incarnate.

Adoremus in æternum Sanctissimum Infantem!

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.  

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 2 - The Visitation

2) The Visitation

Thou great with Him, forthwith didst haste

To give thy cousin greeting;

He the unborn John inspired and blest

At that most hallowed meeting. Hail Mary.

Quo impraegnata citius

cognatam visitasti:

Ioannemque celeriter

in ventre sanctificasti. Ave Maria.

Pregnant with Him, thou didst immediately journey to visit thy kinswoman : and full speedily didst  thou bless and sanctify John in his mother’s womb.

The Gospel account

Mary had been told by Gabriel that her kinswoman, Elizabeth, was expecting a child despite her advanced years. Accordingly, rising up in those days, Mary went into the hill country with haste into a city of Juda. It is believed that Elizabeth and Zachary were living in Ein Karem at the time, which is roughly 100 miles from Nazareth. Ein Karem is about 2,500 feet above sea level, some 1,300 higher than Nazareth. The journey would have been physically demanding and there was a risk of meeting robbers. It is  reasonable to suppose that Joseph would have accompanied his young wife, perhaps arranging to travel with others in a caravan, before returning to his work as a carpenter in Nazareth.

Mary entered into the house of Zachary, and greeted Elizabeth; and it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: she cried out with a loud voice, and said: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb; and whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed art thou that hast believed, because those things shall be accomplished that were spoken to thee by the Lord.” 

Notes

John dances with joy in his mother's womb. This surely corresponds to his having been freed at this instant from Original Sin. His birth will be only the third in history of a baby free from all sin, the other two being Our Lord and His Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception. These three alone are honoured by feast days on their birthdays. 

Another prophet, David, is recorded as dancing and leaping with joy before the Ark of the Covenant, some 1000 years before the Visitation. Here are the parallels between David and John:

David                                                                John the Baptist

                                                                   

Prophet                                                             Prophet

Leaping and dancing with joy before               Leaping and dancing with joy before  

the Ark of the Covenant, containing:                the Blessed Virgin Mary, bearing within her womb:

    the Word of God on the tablets of stone       the Word made flesh, Jesus Son of God

    Manna                                                           the living bread from heaven [John vi 41]

    the rod of Aaron, High Priest                        the eternal High Priest

John, through his actions, is fulfilling his role as Prophet and Forerunner; through his joyful dancing in his mother’s womb, he announces: Ecce Agnus Dei, Behold the Lamb of God. The Ark of the Covenant (Fœderis Arca) is one of the titles of Mary in the Litany of Loreto.

In Tissot’s picture above, Joseph is a silent witness to this event, which is surely among the most remarkable in human history. 

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.  

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena to St Joseph : Day 1 - The Annunciation

Mother & son (author). The Scottish Highlands (c.1958)

Today is the feast of St Andrew and also the anniversary of the death of my dear mother in 1977.

ETERNAL rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.

REQUIEM æternam dona ei, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat ei. Requiescat in pace. Amen.

This year, today is also the start of my novena to St Joseph, spouse most chaste of the Blessed Virgin and foster-father of Our Lord.

1) The Annunciation

Whom of the Holy Spirit, thou
A virgin pure conceivedst,
When Gabriel's word, with meekest bow
Assenting, thou believedst. Hail Mary.

Quem virgo carens vitio
de flamine concepisti:
dum Gabrieli nuntio
humillime consensisti. Ave Maria.

O Mary, a virgin without any stain of sin, thou didst conceive of the Holy Spirit when, with deepest humility, Thou gavest thy assent to Gabriel, envoy (of the Almighty).

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us

Et Verbum caro factum est, et habitavit in nobis

I BELIEVE in … Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.

CREDO … in Iesum Christum, Filium eius unicum, Dominum nostrum, qui conceptus est de Spiritu Sancto, natus ex Maria Virgine,

Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.

Qui propter nos homines, et propter nostram salutem descendit de caelis. Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto ex Maria Virgine: Et homo factus est.

The Gospel account

The Annunciation. J-J Tissot. Brooklyn Museum.

St Luke recounts the Annunciation in Chapter 1 of his Gospel. The angel Gabriel was sent from God into a city of Galilee, called Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 

The text says that Mary was a virgin espoused to Joseph. The Latin word is desponsatam, which means promised or betrothed. It is generally believed that Mary was contracted to marry Joseph at the time of the Annunciation; she had not, however, moved in to live with Joseph. According to the existing law and custom, any child conceived during the period of betrothal was regarded as being conceived in wedlock. 

The angel being come in, said to Mary: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.” Mary was troubled at these words, and she thought with herself what manner of salutation this should be. Gabriel reassured her, saying: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary asked the angel a question: “How shall this be done, because I know not man?” Gabriel answered her, saying: “The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee, and therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

Mary said: “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word,” and the angel departed from her.

St Matthew supplies additional information regarding the conception and birth of Christ. He starts with the genealogy of Christ, starting with Abraham and descending to Joseph’s father Jacob. He uses the same form of words for each generation until he gets to Joseph, e.g., Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and so on. He changes the wording when he gets to Joseph, saying not that Joseph begot Jesus, but :  “And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” 

We may note firstly that Joseph is described as the husband (virum, man or husband) of Mary; and secondly that Joseph did not beget Jesus, but that He was born of Mary.

Matthew goes on to relate : “Now the generation of Christ was in this wise. When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost.” This seems to confirm that Mary had not moved in to live with her husband at the time of the Annunciation. Matthew then describes Joseph’s reaction : “Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately.” 

Joseph will have known certain things : 

• Mary was betrothed to him as his wife; betrothal was by law and custom the same as marriage, with the sole difference that the bride had not yet left her home to live with her husband; 
• he was not the father of the child Mary’s womb. 

Beyond this, I am not sure what else Joseph knew or understood. Did he understand that Mary had taken a vow of virginity before the betrothal was agreed? Some writers think he did, and that he too had resolved to live chastely. Did he have any inkling of the true paternity of Mary’s child? 

Whatever the answer to that question, Joseph was to receive reassurance from an Angel in his sleep: 

“But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: ‘Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost; and she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save his people from their sins.”

It seems safe to assume that Joseph acted promptly after this message from the angel and that he took Mary at this point into his home to be his wife.

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.  

St. Joseph. J-J Tissot.

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

A Novena to St Joseph : Preliminary

The following series of posts is the result of an accumulation of considerations all prompting me towards a more explicit veneration of St Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin and foster-father of Jesus of Nazareth. These considerations include the following, listed not in importance but chronologically as they appeared in my life:

• When I was a boy, the local secondary school for Catholics was called St. Joseph's R.C High School, Nuneaton. My siblings attended this school but I went to King Edward VI Grammar School in Nuneaton. The latter was founded thanks to a bequest by a Catholic benefactor but traces its official history to the Protestant King Edward, 1552.
• My own children attended Our Lady and St Joseph's RC Primary School, Hackney. After a relocation of the family, my sons attended St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, Hendon. They then moved up to the Salvatorian College, next to St Joseph’s Church, Wealdstone and Harrow Weald.
• In the early 1980’s, I read Fatima, the Great Sign, by Francis Johnston. I discovered that Lucia reported that, among the scenes she witnessed on the 13th of October, she saw St. Joseph carrying the child Jesus:

“After Our Lady had disappeared into the immense distance of the firmament, we beheld St. Joseph with the Child Jesus and Our Lady robed in white with a blue mantle, beside the sun. St. Joseph and the Child Jesus appeared to bless the world, for they traced the Sign of the Cross with their hands.” [Fatima in Lucia’s own words. 2007]

• Quite recently, I discovered St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus had a devotion to St. Joseph. Here are the words she wrote concerning a trip planned to Rome:  

“I was well aware that during this journey I might come across things that would disturb me; knowing nothing of evil, I feared I might discover it. As yet I had not experienced that "to the pure all things are pure,"1 that a simple and upright soul does not see evil in anything, because evil exists only in impure hearts and not in inanimate objects. I prayed specially to St. Joseph to watch over me; from my childhood, devotion to him has been interwoven with my love for our Blessed Lady. Every day I said the prayer beginning: St. Joseph, Father and Protector of Virgins. . . so I felt I was well protected and quite safe from danger.” [Chapter VI of her Histoire d’une Âme]

• She also wrote a poem to St Joseph in which she refers to the Foundress of her Carmelite Order, St Teresa of Ávila. St Teresa herself had a strong devotion to St Joseph.

Reflections on St Joseph in the Rosarium Aureum

The Rosarium Aureum, or Golden Rosary, is a form of the Rosary dating from the Middle Ages. This Rosary presents the drama of Salvation History, focussing on Our Lord’s life from the moment of the Annunciation to His Second Coming. The drama is divided into five Acts, each Act containing ten scenes. Each scene is accompanied by a verse of four lines. When praying the Golden Rosary, it is customary to say one Pater at the beginning of each Act and one Ave Maria after each verse. For those who wish to pray this Rosary as a Marian Psalter, three Ave Maria’s are recited with each scene, making a total of 150 (+3) for the completed Rosary.

In this booklet, I have selected those scenes in the Rosarium where Joseph is present, finishing with his death, on which the Gospel is silent but which by tradition occurred before the Miracle at Cana.

Prayer asking St Joseph to be one's companion and guide in this life

Oratio, ut S. Ioseph in via vitae huius ducem et comitem impetremus.  

O SAINT JOSEPH, just as thou as father and mentor didst most faithfully guide Jesus Christ during His boyhood and adolescence through His journeys in this life, I beseech thee to assist me in the wanderings of my life as just such a companion and guide. Never permit me to turn aside from the path of God's commandments. Be for me a protection in adversity, and a solace in hardship, until I finally arrive in the land of the living, where I may rejoice forever with thee, with the most holy spouse Mary, and with all the saints in my God Jesus. Amen.

O S. IOSEPH! qui tanquam pater et manuductor Christum Iesum in pueritia et iuventute per omnes peregrinationis humanæ vias fidelissime deduxisti: et mihi obsecro in vitae meæ peregrinatione tanquam comes et ductor assiste, nec unquam permitte me a via mandatorum Dei declinare; sis in adversis præsidium, in ærumnis solatium, donec tandem ad terram viventium perveniam, ubi tecum et sanctissima sponsa tua Maria, omnibusque Sanctis æternum in Deo Iesu meo exultem. Amen.

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.