This is part of the Consecration to St. Joseph Set

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DAY 12: Chastity is a very important virtue. St. Joseph is the first Christian gentleman. Next to Jesus, he is the greatest example of masculine chastity.

DAY 12: Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, Pray for Us

It was necessary that divine Providence should commit her [Mary] to the charge and guardianship of a man absolutely pure.— St. Francis de Sales

Chastity is a virtue. A very important virtue.

To be chaste is to have self-mastery, to be in control of your passions and sexuality. Contrary to what many people think, a person who exercises chastity is not repressing or rejecting the beauty of human sexuality. On the contrary, chastity preserves the human heart and body for authentic self-giving. All people, no matter their voca-tion in life, are called to chastity. Chastity is the virtue that prevents us from being slaves to our passions and acting like irrational animals.

Celibacy, on the other hand, is a special form of chastity. God calls some men and women to celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven. Saint Joseph was both chaste and celibate. He was called by God to espouse a virgin consecrated to God in her mind, body, and soul. Saint Joseph was the Chaste Guardian of the Virgin.

Saint Joseph and Mary lived in what is often called a “Josephite marriage.” They were truly husband and wife, but they never engaged in sexual relations. Their vocation was to be united in heart, mind, and soul, but never in body. They were both consecrated to God and sacrificed a natural good for a greater good: the salvation of souls.

Saint Joseph is pure of heart. To be chaste is to be pure of heart. If a person’s heart is not pure, they are incapable of seeing God. Saint Joseph’s heart is exceptionally pure. Saint Joseph gazed on the coun-tenance of God in the Person of his Son for decades. Poets have often stated that the eyes are the window to the soul. If this is true, St. Joseph must have had the most chaste and pure eyes of any husband who ever lived. His eyes and heart were pure-intentioned, chaste, and afire with love for Jesus and Mary.

Modern man has become blinded by impurity. The world encourages premarital relations, cohabitation, contraception, and many other immoral practices. Chastity is a forgotten virtue today. Even married couples live with the idea that they are free to do whatever they desire with the body of their spouse. However, this is not true. Chastity is required in marriage as well, in order for couples to truly love one another, to retain their dignity and respect for each other.

Your spiritual father is a gentleman. Saint Joseph is the first Christian gentleman; next to Jesus, he is the greatest example of masculine chastity. He was married to the most beautiful woman in the world, and he treated her with respect, dignity, and reverence. If men today were more like St. Joseph — protectors and defenders of beauty, instead of users and abusers of the feminine mystery — what a different world this would be.

God wants all men to be like St. Joseph. He is the first Chaste Guardian of the Virgin. Most men will be called to marriage, while some are called to consecrated celibacy. Both vocations are necessary. Without marriage, there are no children. Without priests, there are no Sacraments. Married men need to be chaste in marriage; priests and bishops need to be like St. Joseph in their chaste love for the virginal Church — guardians, defenders, and protectors of the beauty entrusted to them, not users and abusers of the sacred mysteries.

Joseph, the just man, is appointed to be the steward of the mys-teries of God, the paterfamilias and guardian of the sanctuary, which is Mary the bride and the Logos in her. He [Joseph] thus becomes the icon of the bishop, to whom the bride is betrothed; she is not at his disposal but under his protection. — Pope Benedict XVI

Feast of the Holy Spouses

No husband and wife ever loved one another so much as Joseph and Mary. — Venerable Fulton J. Sheen

Did you know there is a liturgical feast that celebrates the marriage of Mary and Joseph? It’s called the “Feast of the Holy Spouses” (sometimes also referred to as the “Feast of the Espousals of Mary and Joseph”).

The Feast of the Holy Spouses has a long history going all the way back to the 15th century. The day traditionally designated for the feast is January 23. In a few countries, the feast is celebrated on January 22 or November 26, but those dates tend to be exceptions. Nobody is exactly sure why January 23 was chosen as the day for the feast, but we are given a fascinating insight into the date in the mystical visions of Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824). In the accounts we have of her visions, Blessed Anne Catherine claims to have been transported to the marriage of Mary and Joseph and witnessed the ceremony. Blessed Anne Catherine offers details about the wedding and explicitly mentions the date of the marriage. She writes:

The espousals took place, I think, upon our 23rd of January. They were celebrated in Jerusalem, on Mount Zion, in a house used for such feasts.

Another mystic, Venerable Mary of Ágreda (1602-1665), also claims to have had visions about the lives of Mary and Joseph. She wrote extensively about her mystical experiences and claims to also have been present at the wedding of Mary and St. Joseph. Her account of the wedding provides detailed descriptions of such things as the dress Our Lady wore, the stateliness and attractiveness of St. Joseph, and the joy experienced by everyone in attendance. Venerable Mary of Ágreda wrote the following about what she witnessed at the wedding of Mary and St. Joseph:

By divine operation the two most holy and chaste spouses felt an incomparable joy and consolation [on their wedding day]. The heavenly princess, as one who is the Mistress of all virtues, lovingly corresponded to the desires of St. Joseph. The Most High also gave to St. Joseph new purity and complete command over his natural inclinations so that he might serve his spouse Mary.

Why don’t more people know about the liturgical feast of the Holy Spouses? Well, unfortunately, the feast is not on the universal liturgical calendar of the Church. The Feast of the Holy Spouses is only celebrated in a few shrines dedicated to St. Joseph (for example, the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal, Canada); a few dioceses where the local bishop has approved it; and in several religious communities dedicated to St. Joseph. One notable religious community that celebrates the Feast of the Holy Spouses is the Oblates of St. Joseph. Founded in Asti, Italy, by St. Joseph Marello in 1878, the Oblates of St. Joseph are a wonderful religious community of men serving the Church, and they celebrate the feast annually on January 23. Their founder, St. Joseph Marello, was a very holy bishop who had a tremendous love of and devotion to St. Joseph. He was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2001.

Interestingly, in 2002, St. John Paul II also offered the world the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary. The Luminous Mysteries were actually founded in 1957 by St. George Preca of Malta, but St. John Paul II offered them to the universal Church to help us call to mind important truths of Christianity that are under attack today. The Second Luminous Mystery is the Wedding Feast at Cana. In meditating on this mystery, we are reminded that marriage is between a man and a woman

Since this perennial truth is so hotly contested today, the Church needs a universal liturgical feast that celebrates marriage. It would be truly wonderful if the Church placed the Feast of the Holy Spouses on the universal liturgical calendar. Such a feast would serve as a reminder to all men and women of the sanctity of Holy Matrimony. What a delight it would be to liturgically celebrate the holiest couplewho ever lived! Let us pray that more places request permission to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Spouses, and that someday it may be placed on the universal liturgical calendar.

Everything that refers to that marriage [of Mary and Joseph] happened by an intimate disposition of the Holy Spirit. — St. Bonaventure

Pray the Litany of St. Joseph:

Lord, have mercy.  Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.  Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Christ, hear 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 Spirit, have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, One God, have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Noble Offspring of David,  pray for us.
Light of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Spouse of the Mother of God, pray for us.
Guardian of the Redeemer, pray for us.
Chaste Guardian of the Virgin, pray for us.
Foster-Father of the Son of God, pray for us.
Zealous Defender of Christ, pray for us.
Servant of Christ, pray for us.
Minister of Salvation, pray for us.
Head of the Holy Family, pray for us.

Joseph Most Just, pray for us.
Joseph Most Chaste,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Prudent,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Courageous,  pray for us.
Joseph Most Obedient, pray for us.
Joseph Most Faithful, pray for us.

Mirror of Patience, pray for us.
Lover of Poverty, pray for us.
Model of Workmen, pray for us.
Glory of Domestic Life, pray for us.
Guardian of Virgins, pray for us.
Pillar of Families, pray for us.
Support in Difficulties, pray for us.
Comfort of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Hope of the Sick, pray for us.
Patron of Exiles,  pray for us.
Patron of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Patron of the Poor, pray for us.
Patron of the Dying, pray for us.
Terror of Demons,  pray for us.
Protector of the Holy Church, pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world,
Have mercy on us.

V. He has made him lord of his household,
R. And prince over all his possessions.

Let us pray. O God, who, in your loving providence, chose Blessed Joseph to be the spouse of your most Holy Mother, grant us the favor of having him for our intercessor in heaven whom on earth we venerate as our protector. You, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

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