St. Joseph Spouse of Mary - March 19th (the Lily)

 

Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, spouse of Mary. Have you ever wondered why Joseph is often pictured with a lily? The lily is associated with St. Joseph, spouse of Mary, through an ancient legend that he was chosen from among other men by the blossoming of his staff like a lily. It’s believed, the high priest had asked the men interested in taking Mary as their wife to come before the priest and as the men were standing before the priest, a lily suddenly blossomed from Joseph’s staff. And so, the biblical passage, "The just man shall blossom like the lily" is applied to St. Joseph in the liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church for his feast day.

It was a most difficult marriage preparation for Joseph. At that time, Jews were betrothed one year before they were married. When a couple was betrothed to each other one year before marriage-- they were legally united, but did not live together. A year later, the wedding ceremony took place and then the couple came to live together. During the year before marriage after they had been betrothed, Joseph learned Mary was pregnant. He would have been shocked and dumbfounded. He didn’t believe Mary could have sinned, yet he knew he wasn’t the father of the child. What a terrible dilemma. In order to prevent Mary from being stoned to death (which was the punishment at that time for women, who committed such sin.) he decided to divorce her quietly.

However, Joseph received a visit from the angel Gabriel asked him to agree to God’s plan for Mary and reassured him it was by the Holy Spirit, Mary had conceived. The Gospel states, “When Joseph woke up he did what he angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home.”

Marriage and virginity are two signs of the love of God for us-- and we see both of these united in the first couple of the New Testament, Mary and Joseph. Joseph is a model of chastity. And we know Mary chose to dedicate herself exclusively to God in virginity.

Although Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, he was as a true father to Jesus. Children, who were adopted by Jews had all the rights of a child naturally born of a father. Joseph was of the royal line of David. Because Jesus was the child of the Virgin Mary and foster child of Joseph, He would have the legal title son of David, which would fulfill prophecies.

When Jesus was found in the temple, Mary said to Jesus, “Your father and I have been looking for you.”. We can imagine the love and affection between Joseph and Jesus, and between Joseph and Mary. We can imagine Joseph’s pain at the poor circumstances of Jesus’ birth. We can imagine the pain he must have suffered when Simeon told Mary Jesus would be a sign that would be opposed and a sword would pierce Mary’s soul. We can imagine the pain Joseph suffered when he had to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt for safety to preserve their lives.

Joseph’s life of prayer gave him the strength to be obedient to God’s call to him. He was a just man, a man of honor as our Gospel today tells us. He had to have been a man of deep faith to fulfill his high calling.

It is believed, he died before Jesus died and that Jesus and Mary were present with him, as he died. That is the way all people of faith would like to die, in the company of Jesus and Mary. And this is why St. Joseph is the patron of a happy death.

And so we pray, “O Joseph, foster father of the Child Jesus, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, man of faith, watch over and protect us, keep us close to Jesus and intercede for us. Grant us perfect chastity, and especially the grace of a happy death. And when we draw our dying breath, may our last words be: “Jesus, Mary and Joseph, assist me in my last agony and take me to paradise.”