- St. Joseph, pray for us!
The Joyful Mysteries through the eyes of St. Joseph
The Annunciation
Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child, of the Holy Ghost. Whereupon Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing publicly to expose her, was minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to him in his sleep, saying: Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her, is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son: and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:18-21
When Mary told me she was with child I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know what to think. I felt betrayed and angry yet I did not want her to receive the punishment called for by the Law. Later that evening I decided to divorce her quietly when an angel appeared and spoke to me. I was amazed and thought I was dreaming. The next day I told Mary about the dream. Only then did she tell me her side of the story. She told me how an angel had appeared to her also and told her things that were similar to what the angel had told me in my dream. I asked her why she didn’t tell me this before. She said that she knew the Lord would provide my answer in His own way and she didn’t want to interfere. That is just like her, always leaving everything to the Lord.
The Visitation
And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. He hath shewed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart. He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy: As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever. - Luke 1:46-55
When Mary told me she was going to visit her cousin in the hill country I was slightly worried. She told me not to worry and that I could visit when I had the time. Mary stayed with her cousin for about three months. I remember her coming home after that time and being so excited. She told me of how her cousin's child had leaped in the womb when she first arrived and at the sound of her greeting. She composed some poetry too while she was there and recited it for me while I worked on a table for our neighbor. I can’t remember all the words but it was uplifting. I remember looking up from my work as she was reading. It was as if she were glowing. Her eyes were closed and it seemed as if she were speaking to God and not to me. Maybe she was.
The Nativity
And there were in the same country shepherds watching, and keeping the night watches over their flock. And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.
And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger. -Luke 2:8-9, 12
It was the most difficult time in my life but also the most joyous. I was dealing with so many emotions I didn’t know where to turn. I felt like the smallest man on the earth that night and then later on, the greatest. We had to go back to the homeland for the census. When we arrived it was horrible. There were families everywhere and no room for more. Mary was expecting Jesus at any time and her riding on the mule wasn’t slowing the process any. I felt defeated when I couldn’t even find a comfortable room for her. We wandered most of the night until I found an old cave that was being used as a stable. It was dark and smelly but I managed to find some clean bedding and fixed a place for Mary to lay down. Of course, of all the times to have a child, this had to be the night. I did all I could to help with the birth. After He was born and Mary was nursing the baby I found a feeding trough and placed some clean bedding in it for a crib and placed it beside Mary and Jesus. I was exhausted by then and I had just sat down when the owners of the stable returned. They weren’t upset. Actually they said that they hadn’t planned on coming back for a few days but they had been told to come back. They said angels had appeared to them. I knew exactly how they felt. We watched as Mary and Jesus slept peacefully
The Presentation
And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Ghost was in him. And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Christ of the Lord. And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he also took him into his arms, and blessed God, and said: Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace; Because my eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples: A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel. - Luke 2:28-32
I accompanied Mary to the temple for the purification that day. We were just about to enter the temple when an older gentleman approached. He asked us if he could hold the baby. He looked like a respectable man, a priest maybe, so we allowed him to hold Jesus. His gray eyes glowed as he lifted the child from his mothers’ arms. He just held Jesus up at arms length and stared at Him for a very long time. I saw tears begin to form in his eyes as his beard broke open to reveal his smile. He began to speak about Jesus to us yet he never took his eyes off the child. He said some things that I thought might upset Mary but she just took it all in and smiled quietly.
The Finding in the Temple
And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? did you not know, that I must be about my father's business? And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart. And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and men. - Luke 2:48-52
We had been going to the Passover Feast every year but He had never done anything like this. We had been traveling home with all of our relatives when we discovered that Jesus was missing. We thought He was with the other children in the group but they said that they hadn’t seen Him since we left Jerusalem. No one else had seen Him either so we headed back to Jerusalem. I was upset and worried but Mary was just determined. She had no doubt that we would find Him. We did find Him yet it was a confusing situation. He was in the temple listening to the teachers of the Law and asking them questions. When Mary finally caught His attention and called Him over to question Him, He mentioned something about being in His Father’s house. I felt the eyes of the Temple on us, I felt like they all knew that Jesus wasn’t my child. I was confused but remained silent, in my heart He was always my child. I loved Him as if He were my own.
If you enjoyed these Rosary Meditations, you may also enjoy:
Rosary Meditations for Real Life with meditations on - Addiction, Death, Children, Mass, Work, Marriage, and more.
Rosary Meditations for the Family - this little booklet provides deeper insights into living an authentically Christian life through the mysteries of the rosary.
Both available in paperback or on Amazon Kindle
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The Last Dragon and Other Poems is available now.
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