By Joseph Tuttle, BA (Theology), Benedictine College, and current master’s student in Catholic Philosophical Studies at St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.

Introduction

It should be noted from the outset of our treatment that the Assumption of St. Joseph is not a defined doctrine or dogma. It is a pious belief. The Church has not solemnly defined it nor has it declared it necessary to believe for salvation. It is our purpose here to offer a brief defense of St. Joseph's Assumption based on the wisdom and writings of the Angelic Doctor.

St. Joseph's Assumption has been acknowledged and believed in by a number of saints. St. Francis de Sales in his book Treatise on the Love of God, says “Ah! Who then can doubt that this holy father being come to the end of his days, was reciprocally carried by his divine foster-child, in the passage from this to another life, into Abraham's bosom, to be translated thence to his own, into glory, on the day of his Ascension?” In more recent times, Pope St. John XXIII, in a homily given on the Solemnity of the Ascension in 1960 wrote:

It therefore belongs to the Old Testament dead, closest to Jesus - let us name two of the closest to his life, John the Baptist the Forerunner and Joseph of Nazareth, his nurse and keeper - it belongs to them - so piously we may believe – the honor and the privilege of opening this admirable accompaniment through the streets of heaven: and of giving the first notes to the interminable Te Deum of the human generations following in the footsteps of Jesus the Redeemer towards the glory promised to the faithful, to his grace.

The Assumption of St. Joseph is, in essence, the same as that of the Blessed Virgin: Joseph, like Mary, was assumed into Heaven body and soul. Now it is believed that St. Joseph died before the ministry of Jesus began since he is absent from Scripture after the finding of Jesus in the Temple. If St. Joseph died, then, it would be necessary for him to be resurrected in order to be assumed body and soul into Heaven.

To back up his claim, John XVIII cites St. Thomas Aquinas' commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew writing: “Among the Fathers and Doctors who variously interpret this passage from St. Matthew, Aquinas in his Commentary takes a decisive place among those who assert that corpora sanctorum qui dormierant surreoerunt—he adds—tamquam intraturi cum Christo in coelum.”

Timing of St. Joseph's Assumption

The Gospel of Matthew, 27:52–53 states: “The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” It is worth quoting St. Thomas's commentary on the Gospel of Matthew at length for this passage:

It says therefore, and many bodies of the saints who had slept arose.
There is usually a question about these people, whether they rose again and died again, or did not die. It is agreed that some have arisen and later died, like Lazarus. But one can say about these people that they rose and did not die again, because they rose for the manifestation of Christ’s resurrection, and it is certain that Christ rising again from the dead, dies now no more (Rom 6:9). Also, if they had risen only to die again, it would not have been a kindness shown them but rather an injury; therefore they rose to enter into heaven with Christ.
And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, came into the holy city. And one should note that although this was said in the description of Christ’s death, yet one should understand that it was said by way of anticipation, because it was done after the resurrection; for Christ is the first begotten of the dead (Rev 1:5).
And they came into the holy city, not because it was holy now, but because it had been before; how is the faithful city, that was full of judgment, become a harlot? (Isa 1:21). Or, it is called holy because holy things were done there. Or, following Jerome, into the holy city, namely the heavenly city, because they went with Christ into glory. And appeared to many. For just as Christ has the power of manifesting himself to whom he wishes, so it should be understood with glorified bodies.

Here a few points should be noted. Aquinas makes it clear that those who rose from the dead did so after Christ's Resurrection and not directly after His Death on the Cross. Logically, it would make no sense for the saints to rise from the dead since Christ is the firstfruits of the Resurrection as St. Paul tells us: “But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:20) Thus, St. Matthew is simply stating that after Christ's Death and Resurrection, the tombs were opened and the saints rose from the dead.

Aquinas notes that a possible interpretation of the “holy city” is not just the earthly physical Jerusalem but the Heavenly Jerusalem. If the holy city is in reference to the Heavenly Jerusalem, then the saints would have entered with glorified bodies like that of our Lord.

A number of Church Fathers also had this view of the saints rising from the dead. In his Catena Aurea, Aquinas cites St. Jerome, whom Pope Pius XII, in Divino Afflante Spiritu, called the “greatest Doctor of the Sacred Scriptures” on this passage:

As Lazarus rose from the dead, so also did many bodies of the Saints rise again to show forth the Lord’s resurrection; yet notwithstanding that the graves were opened, they did not rise again before the Lord rose, that He might be the first-born of the resurrection from the dead. “The holy city” in which they were seen after they had risen may be understood to mean either the heavenly Jerusalem, or this earthly, which once had been holy. For the city of Jerusalem was called Holy on account of the Temple and the Holy of Holies, and to distinguish it from other cities in which idols were worshipped. When it is said, “And appeared unto many,” it is signified that this was not a general resurrection which all should see, but special, seen only by such as were worthy to see it.

He also qoutes St. Remigius:

But some one will ask, what became of those who rose again when the Lord rose. We must believe that they rose again to be witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection. Some have said that they died again, and were turned to dust, as Lazarus and the rest whom the Lord raised. But we must by no means give credit to these men’s sayings, since if they were to die again, it would be greater torment to them, than if they had not risen again. We ought therefore to believe without hesitation that they who rose from the dead at the Lord’s resurrection, ascended also into heaven together with Him.

It seems then, that from the evidence put forth by John XVIII, the Fathers, and St. Thomas himself if St. Joseph was Assumed into Heaven, body and soul like his spouse the Virgin Mary, it would have taken place after Jesus' Resurrection as described in St. Matthew's Gospel. At the Ascension, St. Joseph and the “saints” would have accompanied Christ into Heaven.

The Fittingness of St. Joseph's Assumption

In the Summa Theologiae, St. Thomas Aquinas discusses the fittingness of Christ's Incarnation. On fittingness itself, he writes “I answer that, to each thing, that is befitting which belongs to it by reason of its very nature; thus, to reason befits man, since this belongs to him because he is of a rational nature.” (ST, III, q. 1 a. 1, co.) This argument from fittingness can be applied to St. Joseph's Assumption.

In the Catholic Church, we offer worship (latria) alone to God. We do, however, give honor, (dulia) the angels and saints. Since Mary is the greatest of saints she is given hyperdulia or the greatest of honors. St. Joseph, being considered the second greatest of saints is given protodulia, meaning he is the first honored after the Blessed Virgin. The rest of the angels and saints are given dulia.

It seems then that given St. Joseph's pre-eminent nature in the Church and among the angels and saints, second only to the Mother of God, God would bestow the honor of accompanying Him to Heaven as He did for His Blessed Mother. Of all the saints of the Church (except for Mary who already deserved such an honor by virtue of her Immaculate Conception) there would be none more deserving of entering body and soul into the Heavenly Jerusalem than the man who was chosen by God to be the guardian and earthly father of Jesus Christ.

Essays

A Thomistic Defense of St. Joseph's Assumption