In 1522 Isidoro Isolano, a Milanese
Dominican Father, who had a very great devotion to the Saint, published his Summary
of the Gifts of St. Joseph, dedicating it to the Sovereign Pontiff, Adrian
VI. In the 9th chapter of this work he demonstrates that the opinion that St.
Joseph was sanctified in his mother’s womb may be held and piously believed.
Every sanctification of this nature, he says, either is accorded on account of
the future exalted dignity of the sanctified, or is ordained with a special
reference to the Saint of Saints. Now, both causes eminently existed in St.
Joseph, who was to be perfectly just, and was ordained, above all men, to be
nearest to the Saint of Saints, Jesus. If Jeremias was sanctified before his
birth because he was to prophesy expressly of Jesus, and the Baptist also because
he was to point Him out present among men, who can suppose that Joseph, on
account of the close knowledge he had of Jesus above all others, Mary alone
except, and his paternal education of Him, was not also similarly privileged?
If God was pleased thus to sanctify His servants, how much more His putative father,
in order that he might be so reputed, and be worthy of the name! Isolano adds
that, if all the world believes that the Mother of Jesus was raised to the
highest degree of sanctify in the womb on account of the dignity of her Divine
Son (and it is now an article of faith that she was preserved from the stain of
original sin from the very first moment of her conception), why may we not
believe that Joseph was likewise raised to a certain degree of sanctity in his
mother’s womb, since he was chosen by God to be called His father? This, he adds,
was also befitting the parity of the marriage between the Blessed Virgin and
St. Joseph.
Cornelius à Lapide treats of the same
question, and after having noticed that several of the Fathers were of opinion that
this privilege was accorded, not only to our saint, but to others whom he names,
he comes to this conclusion—that God might concede this privilege to more than
one, if He were so pleased, but, if to any of those specified, He did in fact
grant it, then, assuredly, it would seem that He would not have denied it to
St. Joseph, the spouse of His Blessed Mother. (Comment. in Mattaeum, i.
16) (Edward Healy Thompson, The Life and Glories of St. Joseph [London:
Burns and Oates, 1888; repr., Rockford Ill.: TAN Books and Publishing, Inc.,
1980], 46-47)
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