MARCH 31ST. THIRTY-FIRST MEDITATION. The Happy Death of the Devout Clients of St. Joseph. Invocation of the Holy Ghost, as at page 278, "Come, O Holy Ghost," &c. "He made him master of his house and ruler of all his possessions" (Ps. civ. 21). "Go to Joseph, and do all that he shall say to you. . . . Thou shalt be over my house, and at the commandment of thy mouth all the people shall obey, only in the kingly throne will I be above thee. And he took his ring from his own hand and gave it into his hand, and he put upon him a robe of silk, and he put a chain of gold about his neck. And the king said to Joseph, I am Pharao, without thy commandment no man shall move hand or foot in all the land of Egypt" (Gen. xli. 40-44). "Precious" and holy must be the death of the devout Client of St. Joseph, when we reflect that our great Saint has the power and the will to make it so. The providence of God made use of the first Joseph to save from starvation the people of Egypt and other nations; to reward him, King Pharao made him Viceroy of Egypt, loaded him with all honours and power, and ordered all his subjects to honour and obey him. "He made him master of his house and ruler of all his possessions." Pharao said to his subjects: "Go to Joseph and do all things he shall say to you." The power which the first Joseph exercised over the land of Egypt is a figure of the power and influence of the second Joseph, our great Saint, in the kingdom of heaven for his devout Clients. If the first Joseph supplied bread to starving nations, the second Joseph, by the labour of his hands, procured the necessaries of life for Jesus and Mary; and saved, not only from want, but even from death, Jesus Christ, the Author of Life. To reward St. Joseph for all his pains, all his labours, and all his love, Jesus Christ has made our Saint Viceroy of the kingdom of heaven; and hence every request of St. Joseph partakes of the nature of a command, and is sure to be heard and granted by Jesus Christ our Blessed Lord. St. Bernardine of Sienna writes: "Jesus, wishing to give St. Joseph in heaven a constant proof of his respect and obedience, grants all his requests and fulfils all his desires." It is clear, therefore, that St. Joseph has the power to obtain a holy and happy death for his devout Clients. St. Joseph has the will, as well as the power, to obtain a happy death for his devout Clients. St. Joseph ardently desires what is most pleasing to Jesus, his Blessed Lord and Saviour. Now there is nothing more pleasing to Jesus than the happy death of the departing soul. The salvation of the departing soul cost the Life and Death, and the Precious Blood of Jesus. A happy death secures the prize, bought at so dear a rate. It is clear, therefore, that to please Jesus, and for Jesus' sake, St. Joseph most ardently desires the happy death of his devout Clients. The cup of cold water given for God will have its reward. St. Joseph, like his Divine Master Jesus Christ, is grateful, and remembers his friends. Hence, if during life we have been devout to St. Joseph, and tried to imitate his virtues, if during life we have constantly prayed to him for a happy death, if during life we have been his devout Clients, as sure as the sun shines in the heavens St. Joseph will hear our prayers, and obtain for us a holy, precious, and happy death. As a matter of fact it is attested by experience, that souls, whether in the cloister or the world, who during life had a constant and tender devotion to our great Saint, depart this life fortified by all the consolations of religion, depart in peace and joy; and even sometimes St. Joseph obtains from Jesus, for his devout Clients on their death-bed a foretaste of the joys of paradise. PRACTICAL RESOLUTION. Infinite thanks be to Jesus for all eternity, for having conferred upon St. Joseph the special privilege to obtain for his devout Clients the great grace of a happy death. St. Joseph saved the life of Jesus, and to reward him, Jesus has given to St. Joseph the great favour to obtain eternal life, by means of a happy death, for his devoted friends. Jesus has made St. Joseph "master of his house," the kingdom of heaven; "ruler of all his possessions," that is, the thrones of paradise; and Viceroy of Egypt, that is, the heavenly Jerusalem. Hence our great Saint can distribute at his will and choice, thrones of glory to his devout Clients. I resolve, therefore, to practise every day of my life, some little secret devotion of my own in honour of St. Joseph; also to be specially devout to my great Saint during the month of March, and on every Wednesday of the year; and, lastly, by every means in my power, to make my dear Patriarch known and loved by others, thereby to become his devoted Client, and hence to be sure of the grace of a happy death. PRAYERS. Litany of St. Joseph. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, have mercy on us. Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, graciously hear us. God the Father of heaven, have mercy on us. God the Son, Redeemer of the world, have mercy on us. God the Holy Ghost, have mercy on us. Holy Trinity, one God, have mercy on us. Holy Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Nursing-father of Jesus, Man according to God's own heart, Guardian of the Virginity of Mary, Pray for us. |