‘Admirable Life Of Patriarch Saint Joseph’ by Venerable Mary of Agreda; Chapter I; ESPOUSALS OF THE CHASTE ST. JOSEPH WITH THE BLEESED VIRGIN; pages 63-68
[Venerable Mary of Agreda – XVII Century AD; Agreda, Spain; Mystic; Writer; ‘Blue Nun’]“The blessed Virgin thanked her prudent spouse for the affection which he manifested for her, and they decided to set out immediately for the house of Elizabeth. St. Joseph prepared provisions for the journey,—some fruit, bread, and a few small fishes, which he purchased. He had also a little beast of burden, which was lent him to carry his provisions, and his spouse, the Queen of all that is created. With this equipage they set out for Judea. They had scarcely left their house, when our Queen, kneeling before St. Joseph, asked his blessing, in order to begin the day in the name of the Lord. The saint hesitated, for, by long experience, he knew the excellence of his spouse, but the holy and sweet importunities of the august Mary conquered, and he blessed her in the name of the Most High.» “At that time,” saith the sacred text, “ Mary, rising up, went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judea.” Now the chaste spouses, Mary and Joseph, having left their father’s house, and forgotten their people, took their way towards the house of Zachariah, among the hills of Judea, distant twenty-seven leagues from Nazareth. The roads were rough, and they possessed no means of transport except such as were afforded by their little animal; nevertheless the most humble and modest of creatures, Mary, prayed St. Joseph to use it for himself. . The discreet spouse would not, by any means, consent to this; but in complaisance, he allowed her from time to time to go on foot with him, requesting her with great respect not to refuse him this gratification; and the Queen of heaven obeyed.
They continued their journey in these humble debates, and thus they so well employed their time, that there was not a moment which was not filled by some act of virtue. They walked alone, but the angels assisted them in all things; yet they were visible only to the august Mary. Occasionally she conversed with these angels, and the most pure heart of our sweet Lady was kindled anew with divine love. St. Joseph contributed to all this by his discreet silence, concentrating his thoughts within, and yielding himself to sublime contemplations.. At other times the spouses conversed together upon many things regarding the salvation of their souls, the coming of the Messiah, the prophecies which the ancient fathers had received on this point, and other mysteries and secrets of the Most High.
During this journey there happened to St. Joseph something which excited his wonder. Inspired by a special grace, he bore to his spouse a most tender and holy love, and the saint, being of a noble nature, amiable, agreeable and obliging, was inclined to an ever watchful care for her. Now, as the Queen of heaven carried in her virginal bosom the Incarnate Word, the saint was sensible that, through the words and conversation of his spouse, new impressions were made upon his soul, but of the cause he was ignorant. He found himself more and more inflamed by divine love, and in a higher knowledge of those mysteries which formed the subjects of their conversation; and the further they advanced on their way and in their discussions, the more these favors were augmented. He felt also that the words of his spouse served as the organ, by means of which these favors were communicated to him. It was not possible that the discreet St. Joseph should not reflect upon this new and wonderful influence. But although it would have afforded him, filled as he was with wonder, the greatest gratification, without curiosity, to have been informed of the cause of it, his modesty was such that he could not venture to ask to be enlightened.
Our blessed Lady penetrated the thought of her spouse, but, ignorant of the way by which God would conduct this mystery, her great prudence and her own discretion taught her, although she had no command from the Lord to conceal it, how good it was to guard the secret of the most sublime of all mysteries. She therefore concealed it, without making it known to her spouse either on this occasion, or after- wards, during the interior pains which St, Joseph suffered on this account. What admirable prudence! Our sweet Lady prayed to God for the saint, imploring the divine assistance, of which she foresaw he would have need, and of which we shall treat in the following chapter. This was the first journey which the Incarnate Word made in this world, four days after his entrance into it. Our blessed Lady thus served as a car for the true Solomon (Cant. iii. 9). This journey lasted four days, during which our holy travellers, besides those interior virtues which have God for their object, performed many acts of charity towards their neighbors, The blessed Virgin cured, among others, a poor sick girl, in a village through which she passed, on the first day of her departure.
At length the august Mary and her spouse Joseph arrived at the city of Judea, which was then inhabited by Elizabeth and Zachariah. This city was distant, as I have said, twenty seven leagues from Nazareth, and about two leagues from Jerusalem, near the spot where the torrent of Sorec has its source. It was after. wards entirely ruined, but the Lord does not permit the memory of places so venerable to be altogether lost. The Visitation was made at the same place where these divine mysteries are now honored by the faithful who dwell in Palestine, and by pilgrims who go there to offer their devotions.
St. Joseph went on before to give notice to the inmates of the house, and, having knocked _at the door, he saluted them, saying: ‘“ May the Lord be with you, and fill your souls with His divine grace.” St. Elizabeth had been already warned of their coming, for the same Lord had . revealed to her that her cousin Mary of Nazareth was on her way to visit her. Now, having heard of her arrival, she came forth quickly, with others of her family, to receive the holy Virgin, who saluted her first, saying: “ The Lord be with you, my dear cousin.” ‘“ And may the same Lord,” replied Elizabeth, “reward you for having taken the trouble to give me this consolation.”
The two cousins having retired together, it was then that the great mystery of the sanctification of John Baptist was operated ; but those facts do not belong to this history. Coming out of their retreat, ‘in the dusk of the evening, St. Elizabeth, who was informed of the happiness of the chaste St. Joseph, of which he was himself ignorant, bestowed upon him every mark — of esteem and veneration.”
Image: Jacopo_Pontormo ~ The Visitation, c. 1530, (fresco)
Music: Charpentier ~ Messe de minuit pour noël, H. 9: III. ‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ · Les Arts Florissants · William Christie
‘Quoniam tu solus sanctus’ = ‘Because you alone are holy’
>>> youtube.com/watch?v=mlwMi8iGIbk