The Agony in the Garden
St. Joseph, as dear Jesus saw all the sins, hatred, betrayal, and selfishness of men in the Garden of Gethsemane, He did not see you. When His Sacred Heart was weighed down by the thought of souls spending themselves for the sake of temporary pleasures, you were a consolation in this agony. What more could the angel have done to comfort the suffering Savior than to present to Him the love of His faithful ones, most especially the sweet memories of time spent with you and His Mother? Thank you for loving the good God so much. Help me to know and hate my sins.
The Scourging at the Pillar
In this mystery the Lamb of God submits to injustice, allowing Himself to be attacked physically, letting His Sacred Body feel the pains which the sins of others deserve as punishment. But this was not the first time Jesus let His Flesh be hurt, was it, Joseph? What did you see when He was learning to walk at eleven months? When He played with the other boys at age ten? When He was working with you in the shop at 23? What penances, hardships, and physical pains did He quietly endure, accept, embrace? What was in your own heart, dear Joseph, when you shed the Precious Blood of the Divine Infant for the first time at His Circumcision? Grant me the grace, St. Joseph, to understand the great good that can be accomplished through the sting of physical pain.
The Crowning with Thorns
Our Lord has made it perfectly clear that if I mock, insult, or hate anyone, I do these things to Him. So then why do I treat my neighbor so badly so often? Did you ever have to work at loving your neighbor, St. Joseph? And on the flip side, was there anyone who hated you? When you would go to the synagogue or to the Temple, did you have any detractors? Were there people who spoke ill of your Spouse or your Son while you were yet alive and tasked with being Their protector? If it was possible for people to be enemies of the sweet Savior, surely you must have had them as well. Mirror of Patience, teach me how to love my enemies — how to pray for those who persecute me.
The Carrying of the Cross
I cannot imagine, St. Joseph, that Jesus never spoke to you about the cross. As the two of you worked in the carpenter shop side by side, what did you learn about His predilection for wood? Perhaps when little Jesus was learning to use the knife, He whittled some crosses for you and His Mother. You must have known. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me” (Luke 9:23). Did Our Lord teach you this truth using words, or was it by an unspoken enlightenment of grace? Oh, St. Joseph, I regularly fail to recognize the truths God opens to me, especially concerning my daily crosses. Please heal my spiritual blindness so that I can align my intellect and will to Truth Incarnate.
The Crucifixion
I would say, “Poor Joseph! To have known of the Divine Son’s resolution to offer His Life for sinners and to have been helpless to protect Him!” but, then again, there is really nothing poor about you, dear Joseph. Instead I will say, “Oh, rich Joseph! Rich in charity to have been so perfectly united to Jesus’ future Sacrifice!” Not only did you not resist it with your will, you positively embraced it, and offered yourself wholeheartedly with Him. Teach me, dear friend, to see in every suffering the opportunity to express my love. Teach me what sacrificial love is.
