P. Vojtěch of St. Hedwig, OCD
Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for what is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
This text from the first chapter of the Gospel of Matthew (verses 20–21) is used daily in the Teresian Carmel as an antiphon during communal prayers, where we ask our Order's patrons for intercession. Saint Joseph stands here beside the Virgin Mary, the prophet Elijah, Saint Teresa, and Saint John of the Cross, thus ranking among the most significant and revered saints of our community. Where does this cult come from?
Veneration of St. Joseph before the Reformation
Unlike the veneration of the Mother of God, the cult of St. Joseph appears in the Church relatively late. In the Eastern Church, it was in the eighth century; in the West, it essentially emerged only in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. At that time, the betrothed of the Virgin Mary and the foster father was celebrated as an exemplary man caring for Christ and His Mother. It was primarily Jean Gerson who spread the veneration of him. We know of his speech at the Council of Constance, given on September 13, 1416, when he highlighted the significance of Saint Joseph alongside Mary's greatness in an unprecedented way.
However, the first religious community to begin liturgically honoring him was the Carmelite Order. By the second half of the fifteenth century, the feast of this saint was already being celebrated, and in 1580 we find the first office in honor of St. Joseph in the Brussels Breviary. But the veneration of him can be traced back earlier, practically almost immediately after the Order's transition to Europe – during the thirteenth century. However, at that time, it was linked to individual persons or places that spread this cult. What led the Carmelites to spread devotion to Saint Joseph? Was it their Palestinian origin, reflecting on the earthly journey of Jesus Christ, and primarily their hidden way of life, which directly invited reflection on family life in Nazareth? – These questions cannot be reliably answered; we must be content here with the observation that the Carmelites honored Joseph the Foster Father as fervently and with as much faith as hardly anyone before them.
Their motives are somewhat reflected in the content of the liturgical texts they used for the feast on March 19. In them, his purity is primarily celebrated. This virtue is key for Carmel; it is the virtue for which the brothers particularly honored and still honor the Virgin Mary. Indeed, "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God," and contemplation – the vision of God – is at the center of the Carmelite ideal.
He is also celebrated as the protector of Mary’s virginity – as the one who protects her from evil and possible unjust suspicion. And mainly: he is the foster father of Jesus – the person to whom God entrusts His only Beloved Son.
Joseph's faith is emphasized, which is (according to the office) even more unquestionable than Abraham's faith. For he was revealed the mystery of the Incarnation, which is so difficult to accept.
Teresa and St. Joseph
Although Carmel revered Saint Joseph so fervently even before the sixteenth century, we find the true development of the cult of Saint Joseph in the life of Saint Teresa of Jesus.
Without exaggeration, it can be said that the history of veneration of Jesus' foster father can be divided into two periods: before Saint Teresa and from Saint Teresa. The latter period is incomparably wider and deeper.
The development of the cult of Saint Joseph in the life of our matron founder is owed to her sociable nature. In her life, she was in lively contact with many people from all social, cultural, and religious backgrounds. And this way of acting and being she also transferred to the supernatural world, which is far from being as distant from the natural as we might sometimes believe. Therefore, she speaks with Christ as with her Friend; therefore, she turns to various saints in her needs. Her "list" of thirty-four saints whom she particularly revered has been preserved. At the top of the list is – St. Joseph. The reason? – "I do not know how it is possible to think of the queen of angels, how much she suffered with little Jesus, and not give thanks to St. Joseph, who was such a support to them." (Life 6,8)
Her devotion to Mary’s betrothed is attested by testimonies from the beatification process, as well as by her confessor, Father Jerome Gracian: "Among those I know who highly reverenced St. Joseph was also Mother Teresa of Jesus of Avila, who came from a noble family and founded convents of discalced Carmelites in the Promised Land (that is, in the Church) under the patronage of St. Joseph... Based on her veneration of this saint, she overcame many hardships and performed many miracles during her life and after her death." This devotion was presumably brought to the Convent of the Incarnation from home, but it developed here due to her efforts and especially due to the grace of miraculous healing through his intercession, which the saint writes about in chapters 5 and 6 of her Life.
This experience further intensified her trust in the holy patriarch, so she entrusted to him the most important work of her life: the reform of the Carmelite Order.
She began with the establishment of the reformed convent in Avila. The house bears the name of St. Joseph (cf. Life 32,11) and could only be established thanks to his assistance (Life 33,12). How Jesus' foster father will be venerated there, "is also attested by the Virgin Mary": "It seemed to me that our Lady took me by the hand and told me that her veneration of glorious St. Joseph greatly pleases her, that the convent will be founded, and that our Lord, she and St. Joseph will have faithful servants there..." (Life 33,14).
Thus, most of the reformed convents she founded are dedicated to him. Only six of the seventeen houses do not bear his name, and none lacks an image of this saint. The chapter itself features a statue of St. Joseph, which accompanied the saintess at all establishments and which she placed in the Convent of the Incarnation in a place of honor when, against the will of the majority of the sisters, she became the superior. "This" St. Joseph spoke to her about everything the sisters did, so he was later called Jose el Parlero – talkative Joseph, and his mouth remains eloquently ajar to this day.
It is understandable that Teresa was very attentive to making his feast as solemn as possible, full of music, singing, decoration, rich liturgy, but also quality preaching… Let us give the last word to Father Gracian: "Whenever she founded a new convent, she carried with her an image of this famous saint, whom she designated as the founder of the Order – this image is now kept in Avila. All who belong to the Order of the Discalced Carmelites recognize St. Joseph as the originator of the reform, with whose help Mother Teresa actually founded this Order; in the same way, the entire Carmelite Order recognizes the Blessed Virgin Mary as its foundress."
"The Magnificat of St. Joseph"
I would like to quote the substantial part of undoubtedly the most famous and celebrated text ever written in the history of the cult of St. Joseph, found precisely in St. Teresa's sixth chapter of her Life. In two pages, she summarizes the entire teaching about St. Joseph of that time, deepened by her own experience.
"I have seen clearly that his help has always been greater than I could hope for. I do not recall ever asking him for a grace without receiving it immediately. And it is remarkable to remember the great favors the Lord has bestowed upon me, and the dangers for my soul and body from which I have been rescued through the intercession of this blessed saint. To other saints, it seems that God has allowed them to assist us in this or that need, while I have experienced that the intercession of St. Joseph applies to all. In this, the Lord gives us to understand that just as he was subject to him on earth, where as a foster father he could command him, so now in heaven he will do everything we ask of him. This has also been experienced by various others who entrusted themselves to him upon my advice. Many others have recently become his devotees because they have experienced this truth...
To anyone who does not believe me, I ask only for the love of God to try it, and they will know from their own experience how beneficial it is to entrust oneself to this glorious patriarch and venerate him. Especially people devoted to prayer should have a close relationship with him, for I do not know how it is possible to think of the queen of angels and how much she suffered with little Jesus and not give thanks to St. Joseph, who was such a support to them. Whoever does not have a teacher to teach them how to pray should choose this glorious saint as their guide, and they will not be mistaken..." (Life 6,6.8).
In this text, the power of Saint Joseph is primarily highlighted, which he possesses based on being "the father of Jesus." He is the one who can be our helper in all our matters, but especially on the path of prayer.
The Legacy of St. Teresa
One French author states: "In the renowned reformer of Carmel, the popes found substantial assistance for the spread of the cult of St. Joseph. Much was done already by Gerson, but Teresa did a thousand times more, both personally and through the reformed Carmelites and Carmelite sisters. Above all, St. Joseph owes his earthly veneration to her."
The Teresian Carmel has indeed taken this legacy from its holy mother and spread it throughout the world. It would be tiring and never-ending to want to list individually everything that has contributed to this. It is enough to point to one fact: even the convent of our Discalced Carmelites in Prague is dedicated to St. Joseph, and above the entrance (and I believe not only there) stands his statue...
Perhaps, you are not like St. Teresa, able to venerate so many saints and like her, but you too can have such great trust in Saint Joseph that you will experience similar things as she did.
