soul with Christ, as His holy spouse, the Blessed Virgin, was ere long to be; and also that the Holy Family, composed of Christ, the Blessed Virgin, and St. Joseph, who lived in the same toils and same union of charity on earth, might live body and soul in glory in heaven."

The above opinion is confirmed from the fact that no relic of the body of St. Joseph has ever been found in any part of the world. It is easy to believe, that Divine Providence would not have hidden from the veneration of the faithful, so precious a treasure as the relics of St. Joseph, did they exist.

In heaven then, as in the Holy House at Nazareth, is the Holy Family, with their glorified bodies, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.

PIOUS REFLECTIONS.

My soul! what a multitude of holy and edifying thoughts the life of St. Joseph suggests to the Christian mind. We see St. Joseph, though of the royal house and family of David, occupied at the humble business of an artisan. St. Joseph was sanctified and chosen by the Almighty to be the spouse and guardian of the Immaculate Mother of God. After Mary, St. Joseph first knew, adored, and loved the Incarnate Son of God.

St. Joseph is the reputed father of Jesus, and saved His life from the cruelty of Herod. St. Joseph is in constant and intimate communication with Heaven, through the medium of Angels. On all occasions prompt and docile was the obedience of St. Joseph to the calls of God. Countless times lovingly and reverentially did St. Joseph carry in his arms the Infant Jesus over the hills of Judea, and through the deserts, and over the sands of Egypt. With a cheerful, joyous heart, for about thirty years, did St. Joseph toil and labour to supply the wants and comforts of Jesus and Mary. And finally, having fulfilled his mission, sweetly and calmly did St. Joseph breathe forth his holy soul to God in the arms of Jesus and Mary.

RESOLUTIONS.

In imitation of St. Joseph, I resolve, by the aid of Divine grace, first, to obey promptly all the calls and secret inspirations of Almighty God. Secondly, in order to sanctify my daily occupations, I resolve to offer to God's greater glory each and every act of the day, in union with the life and death of Jesus; in union with all the Masses daily offered up to Heaven throughout Christen

dom; and in union with Jesus in all the tabernacles in the Catholic Church. Thirdly, I resolve every day to beg of God the grace of a happy death; like St. Joseph, to die in the peace and love of Jesus and Mary. O merciful God, through the name, love, and merits of Jesus, grant me the grace to keep these resolutions. St. Joseph, obtain for me the grace to lead a holy life and die a happy death.

PRAYERS.

A Prayer to obtain the grace of a Happy

Death.

"O Lord Jesus Christ, by the bitterness Thou wast pleased to suffer on the Cross for love of me, especially when Thy sacred soul departed from Thy body, have mercy upon my poor soul, now and at the hour of my death, that I may be admitted to the immediate vision and possession of Thee for all eternity. Amen."

A Prayer to St. Joseph to obtain the grace of a Holy Life and Happy Death.

O great St. Joseph, obtain for me from Jesus the grace to keep all God's commandments, and to promptly obey the secret calls and inspirations of Heaven. St. Joseph,

obtain for me the grace to do all my actions to please God alone. O St. Joseph, ask of Jesus, for me, the grace never to commit a mortal sin. O my dear St. Joseph, watch over me during life, be with me at death, and obtain for me Paradise. St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, beg of the Blessed Virgin to obtain for me, from Jesus her Son, the grace to lead a holy life and die a happy death. Amen.

A Prayer to St. Joseph for the grace of a Happy Death.

O glorious St. Joseph, the model, the patron, and the comforter of the dying, I now beg thy protection at the last moment of my life; obtain, I beseech thee, that I may die the death of the just.