“My Lord, I beseech Thee, let Thy servant Joseph’s death be as precious in Thy sight as the uprightness of his life has been pleasing to Thee.”
And Jesus replied:
“My Mother, your request is granted, for the merits of Joseph are great. I will now assist him and will assign him so high a place among My people that he will be the admiration of angels and of men. With no other human being shall I do as with your husband.”
Then for nine days St. Joseph enjoyed the company of Mary or Jesus without interruption, and three times each day the angels comforted him with celestial music and invigorating fragrances.
On the eighth day he fell into an ecstasy that lasted twenty-four hours, during which he was shown clearly many divine mysteries which he had believed by faith concerning the Incarnation and the Redemption, and he was formally commissioned as the messenger of the Saviour to the patriarchs and prophets in Limbo.
When St. Joseph came out of this ecstasy, his face was shining with heavenly light, and he asked Mary to give him her blessing. But instead she indicated that Jesus should bless him, which He did. Then Mary fell on her knees and begged her dying husband to bless her, and after he had done so she kissed his hand tenderly and affectionately. St. Joseph also implored her pardon for all his deficiencies in serving her and requested her prayers in this hour of his death.
Then he spoke these last words to her:
“Blessed art thou among all women, Mary! May angels and men praise thee! And may the Name of the Lord be known, adored, and exalted in thee through all the coming ages. I hope to see thee in our heavenly home. . . .”
And turning toward Jesus with profound reverence, St. Joseph tried in vain to kneel, but the Saviour gently took him in His arms, while Joseph said:
“My Lord and my God, give Thy blessing to Thy servant, and pardon the faults I have committed in Thy service. I give Thee my heartfelt thanks for having chosen me to be the husband of Thy Mother! May Thy Glory be my thanksgiving for all eternity. . . .”
Jesus then lovingly blessed St. Joseph and said:
“My father, rest in peace and in the grace of My eternal Father, and bring to the saints in Limbo the joyful news of the approach of their redemption.”
At these words, in the arms of Jesus, with Mary kneeling and weeping at his feet, in a room brightly lighted by hosts of angels, St. Joseph died a happy and peaceful death.
After Jesus had closed His foster father’s eyes, Mary prepared his body for burial with the help of her angels, and as she did so, God enveloped it in a wonderful light, so that she could see only Joseph’s life-like face. The body was wrapped in a white shroud and placed in a narrow bier, which was then carried to a fine tomb given to St. Joseph by a rich man. Only Jesus and a few friends formed the funeral procession, together with a great number of resplendent angels.
The Blessed Virgin said to Venerable Mother Mary of Agreda:
“The whole human race has much undervalued the privilege and prerogatives conceded to my blessed husband, St. Joseph. I assure you that he is one of the greatly favored personages in the Divine Presence, and he has immense power to stay the arms of divine vengeance. That which my husband asks of the Lord in heaven is granted upon earth, and on his intercession depend many extraordinary favors for men.”
XXIV
Preparation for the Public Life
uring the four years between the death of St. Joseph and the beginning of Christ’s public ministry, the Blessed Virgin did not have to work so much and was able to spend more time in prayer. Jesus and Mary usually took only one meal a day, at about six o’clock in the evening. Frequently they ate nothing but bread, although sometimes Mary added fish or fruit or vegetables. She served her divine Son on her knees.
Often in the privacy of their home Mary would remain prostrate on the ground, adoring her Lord, until He told her to rise, and then with tears of reverence, love, and humility she would kiss His feet or hands. She did all the housework for Him with joy and eager zeal, and whenever her angels would begin her tasks before she did, she would order them to stop, so that she could do the work herself. At such times she would say to them: “My friends, permit me to do this work, since I can thereby gain merits which you do not need. I know the value of such work which the world despises, and the Lord has given me this knowledge in order that I may perform it myself and not let it be done by others.” At work or in prayer she composed and sang lovely hymns in honor of her Lord.
Once when Mary was almost overcome at the thought of the future ingratitude of men toward their Saviour, Jesus ordered the angels to console her by singing canticles of praise to God for her. Then Christ gave His Mother a still deeper understanding of the mystery of sin and redemption, and He encouraged her by revealing to her the great number of the predestined apostles and saints of the Church.
As the time for His public ministry approached, Jesus and Mary prayed more and more fervently together for the Apostles whom He was soon to call to His service. The Lord also showed His Mother how He was going to conduct His preaching and how she was to cooperate with Him and help Him to found His Church.
Some time after the death of St. Joseph, Jesus and Mary decided to move to an isolated cottage near Capernaum on the northern shore of the Lake of Galilee. When Jesus began to spend most of His time in prayer and traveling in preparation for His public ministry, some of the inhabitants of Nazareth criticized Him. He therefore accepted this cottage by the lakeside when a man named Levi who lived in Capernaum offered it to Him, for He would be able to meet there more conveniently with His future disciples. Jesus and Mary made several trips between Nazareth and Capernaum, transporting their modest belongings on a donkey. Finally they thoroughly cleaned and then closed up their house in Nazareth, although later they stayed there whenever the Saviour preached in Nazareth or its surroundings.
After reaching His twenty-seventh year, Jesus began to mingle more with men and to go away on trips that lasted several days. Often He spent the nights in prayer on the hills of Galilee. During His absences Mary missed Him keenly. When He returned after two or three days without rest or food, He gave His Mother His hand and greeted her with great affection, yet also with grave restraint. Then she lovingly prepared refreshing meals for Him, and He told her about the hidden blessings which had been communicated to many souls.
One day Jesus said to her:
“My dearest Mother, the time has come when, in accordance with the will of My eternal Father, I must begin to prepare the hearts of certain persons to receive the light of My teaching. In this work I want you to follow Me and assist Me.”
Henceforth Mary accompanied Him on many of the short trips which He took to the towns and villages of Galilee. Usually she humbly walked behind her Son along the country paths. And she stood silently praying beside Him during conversations with men and women, while He announced to them the imminent coming of the Messiah, assuring them that the Promised One was already in the world and in the Land of Israel. Thus He became acquainted with those whom He knew to be prepared and able to accept the Truth.
In His appearance Jesus showed so much beauty, grace, peace, kindness, and gentleness of manner, and His way of speaking was so vivid and strong, that with the help of divine grace many persons decided to give up their sinful ways of life and thus became capable of believing that the Messiah had already begun His reign.
In addition, usually accompanied by Mary, Jesus visited the sick and the grief-stricken, especially among the poor. He restored health of body to many, and assisted the dying, giving them true peace of mind. Mary did the same, particularly among the women.
During this preparatory ministry Jesus and His Mother worked alone together, accompanied only by angels. Some of the nights they passed in prayer in the open. Often they begged for their food, and sometimes the angels brought it to them.
Meanwhile in the desert, St. John, the son of Elizabeth and Zacharias, having reached the age of thirty, was commanded by the Lord to come fort
h and prepare the way for the Messiah as a forerunner. John the Baptist was intensely devoted to the Mother of God, for until he was nine years old she had regularly sent him food by her angels and since then she had often told them to give him news of his Lord whom he fervently loved and worshiped from afar.
Now St. John left the desert and appeared among the People of Israel, preaching penance and baptizing on the banks of the river Jordan. He was clothed in a camel skin, with a leather belt. His feet were bare, and his features thin and ascetical. Yet in manner he was graceful, modest, and kind, though he could be terrifying to the proud, the hardhearted, and the greedy.
One day, when Jesus was thirty years old, Mary heard a Voice of marvelous power say to her:
“Mary, My Daughter and My Spouse, offer your Son to Me as a sacrifice.”
Realizing that the time had at last come for the redemption of mankind through the Public Life and Death of Christ, she replied generously:
“Eternal King and Almighty God, Lord of all, He is Thine and so am I. What then can I offer Thee that is not more Thine than mine? Yet because He is the life of my soul and the soul of my life, to yield Him into the hands of His enemies at the cost of His life is a great sacrifice. However, let not my will but Thine be done. I offer up my Son in order that He may pay the debt contracted by the children of Adam.”
The Blessed Trinity immediately rewarded and consoled her by a vision in which she was shown the glory and the good that would result from Jesus’ sacrifice and hers. When she came out of this rapture, Mary was prepared to endure the pain of being separated from her beloved Son and Lord.
Jesus therefore called her and said:
“My Mother, give Me your consent to accomplish the will of My eternal Father, for the time has come when I must begin My work for men. Although I must now leave you alone for a while, My blessing and powerful protection will remain with you. Later I will return and claim your help and company in My task.”
Both Jesus and Mary were so deeply moved in this moment of parting that they were weeping quietly, and the Lord tenderly placed His arms around His Mother’s shoulders. Among other things He told her that He would still go to Jerusalem three times for the Passover and that the third time her heart would suffer cruelly. Then Mary fell at His feet and said with intense sorrow and reverence:
“My Lord, I offer Thee my own will as a sacrifice. And as Thy Mother I ask only that I may be allowed to share Thy labors and Thy Cross.”
They went to the door together, and Mary kissed her Son’s feet as He gave her His blessing. Then Jesus set out on His journey to the river Jordan, where John was baptizing.
During the absence of Christ, Mary spent nearly all her time in prayer, shut up in her house. Many times each day, in order to practice penance and reverence for God, she genuflected and prostrated herself on the floor, interceding for sinners by her prayers and mortifications. The rest of the time she conversed with her holy angels, whom the Lord had commanded to attend her in visible form. They kept her informed of all her Son’s actions and prayers, so that she was able to pray with Him whenever He prayed, in the same posture and with the same words. Meanwhile she continued to visit the sick and the poor in her neighborhood.
In addition to the detailed reports of Jesus’ doings which she received from the angels, the Blessed Virgin was also able to witness in visions all the most important incidents of the public life of Christ, no matter where He was at the time. Thus she saw Him being baptized by John and then go up into the mountainous desert and begin His forty days’ fast. Mary then locked the door of her house, and entering her little oratory she began to pray and fast with her Son, imitating and co-operating with Him in His work for mankind. After forty days of uninterrupted prayer and fasting, she witnessed the threefold temptation of Christ by Satan, and from her retreat she likewise entered into conflict with the Tempter. When she saw the devil carrying Jesus from place to place she wept, but soon she rejoiced over the victory of the Lord. Then her angels brought her some of the heavenly food which they administered to Jesus at the same time, and with them came a number of birds that had kept Him company during His fast, and they gathered around her and sang sweetly while she ate the miraculous food which quickly restored her strength, for Jesus had sent it to her with His blessing.
The Saviour now spent several months preaching and preparing some of the men and women who were to become His disciples. In order to imitate Him, Mary left her solitude and devoted nearly all her time to visiting on foot some sick and poor women and children, instructing and healing and consoling them.
When she saw Jesus call to His service His first Apostles, Andrew, John, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael, Mary accepted them as her spiritual children in the Lord and prayed fervently for them. The Saviour taught them to revere and admire His Mother even before they met her, and He impressed upon them her extraordinary sanctity and virtue. At the very first words of the Master concerning Mary, St. John conceived a holy love and esteem for her. The five Apostles begged Jesus to let them meet and honor His Mother, and He therefore led them northward to the Lake of Galilee.
As soon as Mary was aware that they were approaching, she set the cottage in order and prepared food for them. When Jesus came near, she waited for Him at the door, and when He entered she prostrated herself on the floor and kissed His feet, while she asked for His blessing. The profound humility and reverence with which the Blessed Virgin received her Son filled the disciples with new devotion and awe for their Master. Feeling a mystical attraction toward the holy Mother of God, they immediately knelt before her and begged her to accept them as her sons and servants. St. John was the first to do this, and Mary welcomed him with special love, because of his extraordinary purity and humility. Then she personally served the meal which she had prepared for them.
That night after the disciples had retired, Jesus prayed with His Mother in her oratory, as formerly, and He spoke to her about the Mystery of Baptism. Because He had already promised her that she would be baptized, she now asked Him whether He would administer the Sacrament to her Himself.
Then, in the presence of a multitude of visible angels, Jesus baptized His Immaculate Mother, and immediately the Voice of the eternal Father was heard saying:
“This is My beloved Daughter in whom I take delight.”
Next the Incarnate Word declared:
“This is My beloved Mother whom I have selected and who will assist Me in all My works.”
And lastly the Holy Spirit added:
“This is My Spouse, chosen among thousands.”
The Blessed Virgin said to St. Bridget of Sweden:
“You are not able to see my Son as He is in heaven, but let me describe to you His physical appearance as He was in the world. His features were so beautiful that no one looked at His Face without feeling filled with joy and consolation, even when depressed. Yes, even the wicked were free from worldly gloom while looking at Him. Consequently persons suffering from sorrow used to say: ‘Let us go and see Mary’s Son, and we shall be without our grief at least that long.’
“When He was twenty years old, He reached His full growth in manly stature and strength. He had no superfluous flesh. His muscles were well developed. And He was powerfully built. His hair, eyebrows, and beard were light brown. His beard measured the width of a hand. His forehead was neither prominent nor retreating but straight and erect. His nose was well proportioned, neither large nor small. His eyes were so clear and pure that even His enemies enjoyed looking at Him. His lips were not thick but light red. His chin did not jut out and was not overlong, but pleasing and finely proportioned. His cheeks were moderately full, and His complexion was a clear white mixed with fresh red. He held Himself straight and erect, and there was not a spot on His whole body.”
Jesus Walking with His Disciples
XXV
The Wedding at Cana
fter His return to Galilee with His first disciples, Jesus and His Mother were invited to Cana near Nazare
th to attend the wedding of a young couple whom they knew. The bride came from Bethlehem and was related to St. Joseph’s family. Her father, who now lived in Cana, was a wealthy man who had charge of the transportation of mail and owned a number of inns and warehouses with large stables. His wife was quite lame. The groom was a prosperous young man from Capernaum whose parents were dead and who was related to St. Ann.
The Blessed Virgin urged Jesus to accept the invitation, and He not only promised to attend the wedding, but also undertook to be responsible for some of the arrangements and for the supply of wine. Our Lord considered this wedding of great importance for several reasons. He wished to begin His public ministry by sanctifying and blessing the institution of marriage. He wanted to strengthen and to unite His new disciples by performing His first public miracle among them. And He wished to refute the unjust criticism which had arisen against Him during His prolonged absence from home, to the effect that He was neglecting His work, His Mother, and His relatives.
The numerous guests who had been invited to the wedding traveled to Cana in several parties. The Blessed Virgin went the shortest way along the narrow paths across the hills, accompanied by some women friends, for they preferred to avoid the caravan road in order to be alone. Jesus took a longer route with about twenty-five of His followers, as He wanted to stop and instruct them on the way and also to speak to the people in certain villages. Thus Mary reached Cana first, after a walk of several hours, and she helped in the preparations for the wedding. When Jesus arrived, she went out to meet Him with the bride and her parents, who greeted Him with marked respect. The bridegroom’s aunt invited Jesus and Mary to stay in her large house.
The Life of Mary as Seen by the Mystics Page 17