But our saintly Lady, who was the humblest
of the humble, and whose humility was not to
be overcome, prayed St. Joseph not to pay her
such honors as to bow the knee to her. This
veneration, she said, was doubtless due to the
Lord, whom she bore in her bosom; but while
He remained there, the person of Christ could
not be distinguished from her own. The saint,
yielding to her humble desires, rendered this
worship to the Lord, who was in the bosom of
Mary, and to her as His mother, only when un-
perceived by her.
They had also humble disputes respecting!
their servile employments. St. Joseph could
LIFE OF ST. JOSEPH. 103
not consent to allow our amiable Mistress to
perform them, and strove to prevent it On her
part, she did what she could, but waile she was
retired in her oratory the saint found time to do
many things, and thus our sweet Lady was frus-
trated in her desires to be the servant. At these
times she addressed her meek complaints to the
Lord, and prayed him to oblige her spouse not
to hinder her in the exercise of humility.
This virtue is so agreeable at the tribunal of
God, that we ask for no common grace whea
we pray for it; for humility imparts a cer
tain greatness to all things, and inclines God to
clemency. The Divine Majesty hearkened to
the request of our blessed Lady, and his guar-
dian angel said, interiorly, to the blessed St
Joseph, “ Do not frustrate the humble desires of ©
her who is above all creatures in heaven or on
earth. Permit her to serve you in external
things, and preserve for her in your interior the
greatest reverence. Render to the Word made
man, in all times and in all places, the homage
that is due to Him. You can, meanwhile, assist
his Mother, and honor ee the Lord of the
universe who is within her.”
Having received these orders from ‘the Most
High, St. Joseph no longer refused her humble
exercises to our sweet Lady. Thus both offered
104 LIFE OF ST. JOSEPH.
to God the sacrifice of their will. The most
pure Mary, in practising her profound humility,
and faithful obedience to her spouse; and St.
Joseph, by obedience to the Most High, with a
holy confusion to see himself served by her
whom he recognized as mistress of the universe
and mother of the Creator,
Thus our saint was compensated for the hu-
mility which he could not exervise; for to see
himself served as he was humiliated him far
more, and obliged him to abase himself still
more profoundly in contempt of himself. In
these dispositions St. Joseph meditated upon the
Lord, whom the august Mary bore in her chaste
bosom, adoring and rendering to Him honor and
glory. Then, in recompense for his sanctity
. and his respect, mingled with fear, the Infant
God, made man, sometimes manifested himself -
in an admirable manner. He saw Him in the
bosom of His most pure Mother, as through a
luminous crystal. Afterwards, our incomparable
Lady conversed more familiarly with her blessed
spouse upon the mysteries of the incarnation,
for she knew that he was now informed of the
secrets of the hypostatic union of the two natures,
divine and human, within her virginal bosom.
No tongue can relate the celestial discourses
that were held between the blessed Virgin and
LIFE OF ST. JOSEPH. 105
St. Joseph.- And who can describe the effects
produced on the gentle and pious heart of this
holy man, on finding himself the spouse of her
who was the veritable motber of his Creator,
and to see her performing for him the duties
of a simple servant ?
Comments