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CHAPTER IX: On the Gifts of Blessings Given by Moses to the Sons of Israel After these matters, we must consider the blessings given by Moses to the sons of Israel, as recorded in the thirty-third chapter of Deuteronomy. Concerning Reuben, it says: “Let Reuben live and not die, even though his men are few.” The Gloss adds: “He is great in faith.” Four blessings are implied here: the first is the life through grace; the second is immunity from actual sin through innocence; the third is the excellence of dignity due to God's select few; the fourth is the majesty of faithfulness through the supreme understanding of the highest things. We do not doubt that these shone forth in the divine Joseph. Next follows the blessing of Judah: “Hear, O Lord, the voice of Judah, and bring him to his people; his hands shall contend for him, and be a help against his adversaries.” Four blessings are equally implied: the first is the hearing of prayers, designating blessed Joseph as a constant mediator between God and humans; the second is the introduction to the people, suggesting that he is a perpetual protector of the elect in this world until he introduces them to his people; the third is his defense against the devil, the flesh, and the allurements of the world through grace, and against tyrants through prudence; the fourth is the protection of others: indeed, of his people, so that they may receive fewer evils due to their blindness in the flesh, so that they may rise from their hardness and remove the veil from the law of Moses, finally recognizing Jesus as the true Messiah; for the entire Christian people, his protection is through aid against the wrath of the Son of God, intercession in obtaining good things, and as an example. Next, we discuss the blessing of Levi: 

“Your Thummim and your Urim belong to your holy one, whom you tested at Massah and with whom you contended at the waters of Meribah, who said of his father and mother, ‘I regard them not’; he disowned his brothers and ignored his children. For they have observed your word and kept your covenant. They shall teach Jacob your ordinances and Israel your law; they shall offer incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar. Bless, Lord, his strength and accept the work of his hands. Strike through the loins of those who rise against him, who hate him, that they rise not again.” In these words, there are nine blessings: the first is the perfection of life, mentioned with “Your Thummim and your Urim”; the second is the depth of doctrine; the third is the nurturing and preservation of Christ, “with whom you contended”; the fourth is the renunciation of all, stated with “who said of his father”; the fifth is the fulfillment of precepts and counsels, mentioned with “For they have observed your word”; the sixth is intercession for others, mentioned with “They shall offer incense”; the seventh is boasting in suffering, with “Bless, Lord, his strength”; the eighth is the reward for works, with “accept the work of his hands”; the ninth is the destruction of enemies, with “Strike through the loins.” All these shone most excellently in Saint Joseph. He was the most perfect in life, highest in doctrine, nurtured Christ, maintained true spiritual poverty, and despised everything that might illicitly delight the senses; he fulfilled all precepts and counsels, acted as an intercessor for others, as a nurturer of the Savior, endured passions with a stable mind, and remains glorious among the citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem. Through his intercession, a great path is opened for us to conquer the provocations of demons, the flesh, and the world. Following is the blessing of Benjamin: “Of Benjamin he said: The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him; the Lord shall cover him all the day long, and he shall dwell between his shoulders.” Without a doubt, this blessing belongs supremely to this one holy man, Joseph. Before all other men, he was most beloved of the Lord, so much so that He deigned to be born of his Virgin spouse and to call him father. In the chamber of Saint Joseph, the infant, child, adolescent, and youth resided. 

Undoubtedly, the same Lord Jesus, as a child, sat on his shoulders and rested in his arms. Next is the blessing of Joseph. “Blessed by the Lord is his land, with the precious gifts of heaven above, and of the depths that crouch beneath, with the precious fruits of the sun and the rich yield of the months, with the finest produce of the ancient mountains, and the abundance of the everlasting hills, with the best gifts of the earth and its fullness. And may the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush come upon the head of Joseph, upon the brow of the prince among his brethren.” Certainly, the blessing of Joseph shone more clearly in the most holy Joseph. It contains eight elements: the first is a foretaste of divine sweetness, “with the precious gifts of heaven above”; the second is delight in the humanity of Christ, “and of the depths that crouch beneath”; the third is refreshment in the works of Christ, “with the precious fruits of the sun”; the fourth is enjoyment from the graces of the Church, “and the rich yield of the months”; the fifth is rejoicing in the graces and virtues of the ancient fathers, “with the finest produce of the ancient mountains”; the sixth is the congratulation for the perfection of the present generation, “and the abundance of the everlasting hills”; the seventh is exultation for the glory of the triumphant Church, “with the best gifts of the earth”; the eighth is participation in the glory of Christ the man, “and may the favor of him who dwelt in the burning bush come upon the head of Joseph.” It is certain that the most blessed Joseph among men first tasted the sweetness of God made flesh. In which flesh he delighted, nurturing it, serving it, and defending it against persecutors. 

He is also believed to have dwelt with Christ until the end of his life; this being the reason he delighted in all His works, playing with Him in the world daily, as is said of Wisdom in Proverbs 8. He also rejoiced in the growth of the Church, for he had the greatest charity for it, nurturing it with the bread of Christ, its head and sacrifice, with a great, overwhelming love. He also rejoiced at the holiness of the fathers from whom he drew his lineage and attained perfection. He likewise held congratulations for the progress of the present generation so that he transmitted to them the teacher, leader, and example of all perfection, Christ, as a father to a son. He rejoiced, as well, in the glory of the triumphant Church in this life through hope; now he exults through fruition. As for the glory of Christ, he is believed to partake in it rationally, because He called him Father and never abandoned him while living. Indeed, that Christ loves those who love Him and is the remunerator of all goods. Therefore, Saint Joseph most fully acquired the blessings of the patriarch Joseph.

The blessing of Gad is expressed with these words: "Blessed is he who enlarges Gad. He rests like a lion, tears an arm or a scalp. He provided the first part for himself, because there, the lawgiver's portion was reserved; he came at the head of the people, he carried out the Lord’s justice and his judgments concerning Israel." The blessing of Gad principally contains four elements: the expansiveness of the Lord's dominion, strength, wisdom, and the understanding of justice. This knowledge shone singularly in Saint Joseph, with whom Christ was born, whose dominion lay upon his shoulders; about whom it was also known that it was written, "Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, for truth, for meekness, and righteousness; and your right hand will guide you wonderfully." More and more, these concepts become clear to one who meditates on them. Dan also speaks: "And Dan is a lion’s cub; he shall leap from Bashan." This blessing contains three elements: the virtues of the heart, humility of action, represented by "cub"; strength, represented by "lion"; and overflowing generosity. These three same gifts shone more brightly in the divine Joseph above all men of his age. For the first virtue, God gave him to be the spouse of that Virgin, whose humility the Lord regarded. Would God the Father have joined the humble Virgin to someone proud? For the second virtue, he nurtured the Lion of the tribe of Judah and, as if He were asleep in His humanity, protected Him from wild beasts and kept Him unharmed. For the third virtue, the whole world has an abundance of heavenly bread, spiritual food, and the pure gold of charity in great abundance. This abundance flowed, I say, to the whole world through Saint Joseph: from Bashan, that is, from the fat Jews because of divine laws, thirsting because of a lack of spirit in understanding them, and confused due to their ingratitude. "Bashan" is interpreted as fatness, dryness, or confusion. 

This is what is understood from the blessing of Dan. The blessing of Naphtali is: "Naphtali is abounding with the favor of the Lord and full of his blessing. He shall inherit the sea and the south." With these words, a fourfold blessing is signified: the first is the abundance of spiritual gifts, which Saint Joseph acknowledged in himself and endured, according to Blessed Dionysius, who said that his teacher Hierotheus was not only knowledgeable but also a patient partaker of divine things; the second is the abundance of the Lord’s blessings bestowed upon the ancient patriarchs, in whose blessings we now find ourselves dabbling and laboring to resonate feebly; the third is dominion over sinners, indicated by the sea; the last is dominion over the just. Joseph himself was indeed in the midst of sinners by nurturing the Savior, God, for them. He was also the leader of the just, leaving them all examples of virtue. Lastly, we discuss the blessing of Asher with these words: "Blessed above sons is Asher; let him be the favorite among his brothers, and let him dip his foot in oil. Your bars shall be iron and bronze, and as your days, so shall your strength be." This blessing contains the excellence of dignity, favor in interaction, fervor of inner affection, terror of exterior work, and the immutable manner of all his ages. All these were in Divine Joseph because of his paternal dignity over the Son of God, his diligent care for the mother of the same, his fervent guardianship of both, and his most holy way of life until the end of his life. It is evident, therefore, that the most blessed Joseph possessed all the blessings of the sons of Israel more excellently, as light surpasses shadow, as spiritual things precede corporeal things, as eternal things surpass temporary things in dignity. Their blessings were distant from their cause: these remained always united. Those blessings passed away: these endure forever. The memory of those is old; the glory of these is continuous. 

Therefore, the blessing found in Saint Joseph is superior, which was given to all the sons of Israel together with these words: "There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your help, through the skies in His majesty. The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He thrusts out the enemy before you and says, ‘Destroy.’ So Israel dwells in safety, alone. The eyes of Jacob are on a land of grain and wine, where the heavens drop dew. Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord, the shield of your help, and the sword of your triumph! Your enemies shall come fawning to you, and you shall tread upon their backs." This blessing contains many elements manifested in the preceding points. Namely, the strength, excellence, and wisdom of God excelled in Saint Joseph. The richness and abundance of spiritual gifts uniquely shone in him. But in the celestial homeland, the most blessed Joseph exists, and in the militant Church, he is revered so that no one like him is found. For the saints of the New Testament are called friends by Christ; Joseph himself was called father by the same. They revered the Queen of the world as a lady; Joseph as a spouse. Indeed, what we have most briefly pursued about the blessings of the fathers will rise higher in thought among those who meditate.