The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-03-18
AhxloI!oMHe
)DOCTRINAE.. SSssgRz IITURGICAL.A
ST. JOSEPH, MODEL FOR ALL.

st. Joseph is called in the inspired
pages of Holy Writ "just man." and
so he 10 q model that is to be initiated.
What were his characteristics? They
were great humility, great purity, great
love of God, and these three qualities
are TO be nurtured in our hearts, II
we are to be found worthy of our
Christian heritage. Great humility!
how easy it seems, and yet how diff
cult! Satan, self-love, the world, every
thing prompts us to pride, and so hui
mility &Rds it difficult to hold place
in our hearts to any great degree or
for any considerable time. 1t ought
to be easy to be humble, since there
is so much reason to despise self, for
what have we but sin that we can
call Our own; all else in US belongs to
God; and so "since we have received
all we have" as the Scriptures say,
''why should we boast as if we had not
received it?" For the virtue of humil-
ity we must pray always, and we
should do all we can to keep humble
and Eowly before God. Such was st.
Joseph In his life; such all should be.
Great purity characterized st. Joseph
He was the worthy guardian of his
immaculate virgin spouse, for he was
conseerated to an angelic life. Purity
was the lily-like flower of his great
humility. 1t was the reward OF his
self-abasement, for reducing himself
to abject nothingness he drew his
spiritual life from God, who is purity
itself. How much he must have en-
joyed OF the continual presence of God,
since Our Lord Himself declared,
Blessed are the clean of heart, for
they shall see God" 1t is purity, spot
less purity, that should be the virtue
that should shine in the countenance
of every Christian man and woman. 1t
should be the mark that would dis
tinguish them from all the rest of man
kind. It comes easy to those who de-
sire it, for God and all His angels and
saints are on the side Of those who
resolve TO die rather than cease to be
pure. 1t is that virtue that makes one
especially loved of Our Lord, and He
bestows upon those possessing it spe
ciaI marks of His affection, as He die
to st. Joseph, honoring him with the
dignity of being His foster-father-
father and protector of His virgin
mother.
The third virtue in which st. Joseph
excelled was his great love OF God
This was the source and spring OF the
other two and of that perfection Of
life that merited for him the title Of
"iust man" His love of God was
founded upon the remembrance of his
own existence, viz: that God made
him, and, therefore, he should love
Him and serve Him always and in al
things with the fullness of his power
1t is love that always binds the true
man to his God and makes the full
filling of His commandments pleas
ant and easy task. 1t is love of Coo
that raises a man up above mere
earthly things and causes him to f1nt
joy and happiness in communing will
his Maker, to the forgetfulness of sci
and his corrupt nature. This is tht
love that eAchants both heart and mint
and Ais the soul with a joy tina
was such as David felt when he begget
God desist, SO overpowering His love
for he was almost beside himself will
joy with the ecstasies it was causing
him. Let as initiate st. Joseph in hi
love that we, too, may know for our
selves the fullness of it's joy. Goo'
St. Joseph, pray for us that we ma,
have the grace to initiate thy virtue
and DO like thee, ''just" before tn
Lord.-Fromt "BWds and Blossoms" b!
Bishop Cotton.