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Joseph
by John A. Hammes
In a forthcoming work on Marian meditation, this writer discusses the
preliminary role of St. Joseph in our coming to appreciate Mary more, and Her
part in bringing us to a deeper understanding of Her Divine Son. It was also
mentioned that Joseph, after Mary, was the greatest martyr. In the present
article, the writer will attempt to ground the conviction that Joseph's great
sufferings were tantamount to martyrdom.
The word "martyr", taken from the Greek, means "witness". It is understood to
denote the willingness to give one's life for one's convictions. Usually, a person
is not termed a martyr unless physical death ensues. However, it would seem
that actual death is not essential, for Our Blessed Lady in Her litany is called the
"Queen of Martyrs", though She did not die a martyr's physical death. Her
martyrdom was spiritual, involving far greater torment than physical pain.
In his classic work, The Glories of Mary, St. Alphonsus de Liguori treats at
length the sorrows and martyrdom of Our Blessed Lady. Citing various Saints
and Fathers of the Church, Alphonsus points out that Mary's sufferings were the
longest in duration, and the greatest in intensity, of any other merely human
being. He quotes St. Thomas Aquinas as saying, "to have the glory of
martyrdom, it is sufficient to exercise obedience in its highest degree, that is to
say, to be obedient unto death". For example, even though the story of John the
Evangelist's submersion in boiling oil may be questioned today, he was referred
to as a martyr because of it. Alphonsus cites other writers on Mary's
martyrdom. St. Bernard: "Mary was a martyr, not by the sword of the
executioner, but by bitter sorrow of heart." St. Bridget: "the Blessed Virgin,
even before She became His Mother, knowing how much the Incarnate Word
was to suffer for the salvation of men, and compassionating this innocent
Savior, who was to be so cruelly put to death for crimes not His own, even then
began Her great martyrdom." St. Anselm: "had God not by a special miracle
preserved the life of Mary in each moment of Her life, Her grief was such that it
would have caused Her death." Finally, St. Bernardine of Siena: "the grief of
Mary was so great that, were it divided amongst all men, it would suffice to
cause their immediate death."
Jesus, as St. Laurence Justinian declared, "so much so that the heart of Mary
became, as it were, a mirror of the Passion of the Son, in which might be seen,
faithfully reflected, the spitting, the blows and wounds, and all that Jesus
suffered". St. Alphonsus adds that the martyrs were comforted in their
sufferings by the thought of Jesus crucified. For Mary, however, the sight of Her
Divine Son on the Cross increased Her anguish.
St. Alphonsus then develops a principle of suffering, quoting St. Albert the Great
... "where there is the greatest love, there is the greatest grief". Suffering is
proportional to love. And who can measure the immensity of the love that Mary
had for Her Son? She loved Jesus not only as Her Son but also as Her God.
Enlightened by Her Spouse the Holy Spirit, Mary grew evermore in grace and in
love of Her Divine Child. Let the Saints speak here. Richard of St. Laurence:
"since there never has been in the world a love like unto Mary's love, how can
any sorrow be found like unto Mary's sorrow?" St. Anselm: "the most cruel
tortures inflicted on the holy martyrs were trifling, or as nothing in comparison
with the martyrdom of Mary." St. Bonaventure addresses Our Lady, "And why
didst Thou also go to sacrifice Thyself on Calvary? Was not a crucified God
sufficient to redeem us, that Thou, His Mother, wouldst also go to be crucified
with Him?" And that eminent doctor and saint, Augustine, observes, "The Cross
and the nails were also those of His Mother; with Christ crucified the Mother was
also crucified." It is indeed proper that the Church regards Mary the "Queen of
Martyrs".
In our discussion of Mary's martyrdom we have introduced the principle that
suffering is proportional to love, that is, the greater the love, the greater the
suffering. Two other principles are related to martyrdom. One is that those who
love God most and who respond wholly to His Love are invited to share deeply
in the mystery of the Cross. Profound love of God draws one deeply into the
redemptive plan, and to participation in Jesus' Passion and Death. A third
principle is that God gives graces proportional or suitable to the role to which
one is called, and the most precious grace is the capacity to love Him. This
principle gives depth to the first principle, the depth of suffering as related to
the degree of that love. Mary, as Theotokos, God bearer, the Mother of God, was
raised to an eminent degree of dignity and greatness, and as such was given an
immeasurable grace to love God deeply and intimately. She responded fully to
this grace, at every moment of Her life, especially to the concomitant invitation
to share in Her Son's redemptive suffering. Her suffering, proportional to Her
love, exceeded that of all the martyrs in their pain.
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enabling him to execute most faithfully the duties of so sublime a state." Earlier,
this saintly pontiff had proclaimed Joseph the Patron of the Universal Church.
It has been sometimes pointed out that Jesus called John the Baptist the
greatest of those born of women - Mt. 11:11. However, as Filas and Thompson
have observed, this passage should be taken in conjunction with that of Luke Lk. 7:28, which has Jesus proclaiming the Baptist as the greatest of prophets.
Moreover, both passages are qualified by Jesus' addition that the least born into
the kingdom of God is still greater. Thompson and Filas go further to
demonstrate that Joseph's dignity is superior not only to that of John the Baptist
but to that of the Apostles as well. And we can surmise that as he responded to
his role, Joseph received an immeasurable capacity of divine grace to love God.
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