Holy mantle of Saint Joseph

THE UNKNOWN HISTORY OF THE HOLY MANTLE OF SAINT JOSEPH

Saint Joseph had to go to the mountains of Hebron, where he had a supply of wood, and he had been delaying it day after day until he saw if he could raise all the money; But it was in vain. The things of the poor, they do their calculations and almost never turn out as they thought, José had not collected more than half of the money and the fact is that he could not wait any longer; It was necessary to serve the parishioners and therefore go for the wood.

"If it seems good to you," the Blessed Virgin Mary told him, "I will ask the relatives."

"I'll go," José answered.

"No, my husband," Maria pleaded; You have to make a long journey and you must not get tired - and covering his head according to custom, he left the house. When he returned he told him:

-There is no money. I have asked for it in several houses, and they have all apologized; It is undoubtedly that they do not have it, because if they had, how would they refuse to give it? But I thought about one thing, -María continued, trying to hide behind a sweet smile the feeling that her heart felt-;... I thought that you leave the cloak as a pledge and with that the owner of the wood will be satisfied.

"You haven't thought wrong," said Saint Joseph, lowering his eyes so that his wife wouldn't see them filled with tears.

"Goodbye, my husband," said María as she bid him farewell. May the God of Abraham accompany you and his angel guide you.

—Goodbye my wife; I will try to return soon.

And the saint left with half of the money and the new cloak that Mary had given him on his wedding day.

"God preserve you, Ismael," said the Holy Father of Jesus courteously upon arriving in the presence of the owner of the contracted logs.

—Are you coming for the wood now? -was the response to José's greeting-; you could well have come earlier; It's been a while since you were left without any.

Ismael had a bad temper, he was a gutless miser, he had never seen peace in his house, his passion was money and José knew all of this since he was treating him, which is why we can presume the lack of trust and fear that he had to declare the state of his pocket. He chose the pieces of wood, setting them aside, and when he was about to leave for Nazareth, when the supreme moment had arrived, he called Ishmael aside and spoke to him in this way:

—Forgive me, I only bring half the money; You know that I have always paid you in cash. Wait for me and be patient and I will pay you to the last quadrant; keep this cape as a garment.

Ismael wanted him to take half of the logs, he protested and protested again, in such a way that the contract was on the verge of breaking up, but in the end he gave in, although not very willingly, keeping the wedding cloak of Saint Joseph. .

The miser Ismael had had ulcers in his eyes for a long time, and despite investing in doctors and medicines he had not achieved health; I had almost lost hope of healing; Therefore he was filled with surprise the next morning when he found that his eyes were healthy as if he had never suffered.

-What is this? -it was said-. Yesterday sick with incurable ulcers, according to the doctors' opinion, and today healthy without any medicine!

Ismael did not find the cause and when he arrived home he told his wife about the miracle. Eva, that was her name, was a true basilisk, she had a fierce temper, and since she had married Ismael she had never had peace, happiness, tranquility, or pleasure in marriage; but that night she was a lamb. How sweet in your words! How meek! What joy on his face that was once somber and wrinkled with anger: “What is this? What variation is this? Who will have brought this change? the husband asked himself.

"Take this cloak and keep it there," he said to Eva. It belongs to Joseph, the carpenter of Nazareth, and he must come and take it; "This cloak must be the one that has brought peace and tranquility to this house," the husband said almost without thinking. Since I put it on my shoulders to bring it, I feel such a change in me, such affections and such desires, that the cause cannot be anything else. They then heard a noise in the stable and, cutting off the conversation, Ismael jumped out of bed and went to see what it was.

A cow, the best, the thickest, writhed on the ground in horrible pain. Poor animal! Despite the remedies that both husbands gave her, she did not get better; On the contrary, it seemed that he was going to expire. Ismael remembered Joseph's Mantle and communicated his thoughts to Eve; they lost nothing. But if the cow healed, they would know that the Mantle was the cause of their happiness and the well-being they enjoyed.

It was as soon as I put the cape on it and the animal rose from the ground where it had previously writhed due to the force of pain. The cow began to eat as if nothing had happened.

-You see it? -said Ismael-, this mantle is a treasure. Since he is in our company, we are happy. Let us preserve this garment of the heavens; Let's not part with it even if they gave us all the gold in the world.

"Won't we even return it to the owner?" Eva said uneasily.

"Not even the owner himself," Ismael answered resolutely.

"Then," Eva said, "we'll buy him another one better than this one, in the market in Jerusalem, and if it's okay with you, we'll both go and take it to him."

"Yes," answered the husband. I forgive him the debt and I am also willing to give him all the wood he needs from now on.

—Didn't you say that he has a son named Jesus? -Eva asked-. I will bring her as a gift a pair of white lambs and a pair of snow-like doves, and to Mary oil and honey. Is that okay with you, my husband?

"Everything seems fine to me," he replied. Tomorrow we will go to Jerusalem and from there to Nazareth.

When the camels were ready for the trip, Ishmael's younger brother arrived panting, saying that his father's house was burning and he had to wear the Carpenter's Mantle, in order to put out the fire. There was no time to lose. The two brothers hurriedly ran to their father's house and when they arrived, they cut off a piece of the miraculous cloak and threw it into the fire. There was no need to spill a single drop of water; That was enough to stop the fire and put it out. The people were amazed when they saw the wonder and blessed the Lord.

"What was it," Eva asked when she saw them arrive. "Has the fire gone out?"

"Yes," answered the husband, full of satisfaction; A piece of the cloak was enough to perform the miracle.

Days later they got off their camels at the door of the Carpenter of Nazareth. Ishmael, the former usurer, and Eva his wife, came full of humility to prostrate themselves at the feet of Joseph and Mary and give them various gifts. When Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary saw them, they believed that they would come to claim the debt and they were filled with sadness because they still did not have the money collected. But upon entering the house where Joseph, Mary and the Child Jesus were, they both knelt down, and Ishmael took the floor and said:

—My wife and I come to thank you for the immense goods we have received from heaven since you left me the mantle as a pledge; and we will not leave here without obtaining your consent to stay with him so that he continues to protect my house, my marriage, my interests and my children.

"Get up," said Joseph, holding out his hands to help them.

—Oh, holy Prophet! -Ismael responded in a spiritual rapture-; Allow your servant to speak on his knees and listen to these words: I was sick in my eyes and through your cloak they have been cured; I was a usurer, haughty, resentful and a man without guts and I have converted to God; my wife was dominated by anger and now she is an angel of peace; They owed me large amounts and I have collected them all without costing me any work; The best of my cows was sick and has suddenly recovered; Finally, my father's house caught fire and the fire was put out instantly by throwing a piece of your cloak into the middle of the flames.

—Praise God for everything! -said the holy Carpenter, lowering his eyes. Get up, it is not right for you to be on your knees in front of a man as miserable as me.

"I haven't finished yet," Ismael replied. You are not a man like others, but a Saint, a Prophet, an angel on earth. I bring you a new cloak, one of the best woven in Sidon; To Mary your wife, we bring her oil and honey, and to Jesus, your son, my wife gives her a pair of white lambs and a pair of doves whiter than the snow of Lebanon. Accept these poor gifts, have my house, my livestock, my forests, my riches, everything we own, and... do not ask me for your cloak!

—Stay with him, in good time! -said the Holy Carpenter-; and thank you, thank you very much for your offers and gifts.

And as they rose from the ground and brought the presents closer, Mary said to them:

—Know, good spouses, that God has determined to bless all those families that place themselves under the protective Mantle of my holy husband. Do not be surprised, then, by the prodigies that have been wrought; others older you will see; Love Joseph, serve him, keep the Mantle, divide it among your children, and let this be the best inheritance you leave them in the world.

…And it is known that the spouses faithfully kept the advice of the Blessed Virgin Mary and were always happy, as were their children and their children's children.