AGREDA, SPAIN – 17th Century

Witness: Venerable María de Jesús

 

Throughout the 17th century, Franciscan Abbess María de Jesús received revelations from the Blessed Virgin Mary, telling her life story, which included our Lord Jesus Christ and St. Joseph. She compiled these revelations in her monumental work Mystical City of God. Below are the words from Our Lady to María de Jesús concerning St. Joseph’s intercession:

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“My daughter, though you have described my spouse, St. Joseph, as the most noble among the princes and saints of the heavenly Jerusalem; you cannot properly manifest his eminent sanctity, nor can any of the mortals know it fully before they arrive at the vision of the Divinity. Then all of them will be filled with wonder and praise as the Lord will make them capable of understanding this sacrament. On the last day, when all men shall be judged, the damned will bitterly bewail their sins, which prevented them from appreciating this powerful means of their salvation, and availing themselves, as they easily could have, of St. Joseph the intercessor, to gain the friendship of the just Judge.

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The whole human race has much undervalued the privileges and prerogatives conceded to my Blessed Spouse Joseph and they do not know what his intercession with God can do. I assure you, my dearest, that he is one of the greatly favored personages in the divine presence and has immense power to stay the arms of divine vengeance.

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I desire that from now on, during the rest of your mortal life, you advance in devotion and in heartfelt love toward my Spouse, and that you bless the Lord for having favored him with such high privileges and for having rejoiced me so much in the knowledge of all his excellences. In all your necessities, you must avail yourself of his intercession. You should induce many to venerate him and see that your own religious sisters distinguish themselves in their devotion to him. That which my spouse asks of the Lord in Heaven is granted upon the earth and on his intercession depend many and extraordinary favors for men, if they do not make themselves unworthy of receiving them. All these privileges were to be a reward for the amiable perfection of this wonderful Saint and for his great virtues; for divine clemency is favorably drawn forth by them and looks upon Saint Joseph with generous liberality, ready to shower down its marvelous mercies upon all those who avail themselves of his intercession.”