Some persons derive most benefit from reading the Lives of the
Saints in which the supernatural and the extraordinary abound. They
delight to see the wonderful display of the power of Divine grace
in so frail a creature as man. These biographies, that are written
more for our admiration than for our imitation, strengthen our
faith in the supernatural, and inspire us with a great confidence
in the goodness and power of God. And certainly in these days we
need to stimulate and strengthen the life of faith and trust in
Providence. The rapturous flights of St Joseph of Copertino have
hardly a parallel as to frequency and duration in the lives of the
saints. What is related of Christina Mirabilis, who lived
1150-1224, has been suspected of exaggeration, but our saint,
having lived in more recent times, this his miraculous
characteristic could easily be established in an authentic manner.
Father Pastrovicchi wrote his life of St. Joseph on the occasion of
the beatification of the saint, 1753. Pope Benedict XIV, to whom
the work is dedicated, wished that for each fact related the
episcopal and apostolic processes should be cited. This was done.
Father Suyskens remarks that the caution of citing the official
documents was well employed. "Since the words of the Psahnist, '
God is wonderful in His saints' (Ps. 67, 36), were verified in a
singular manner in the life of St. Joseph, it was fitting that the
extraordinary facts of his life should be attested in such a manner
that credence could not be denied them." Father Gattari regards
these miracles as wrought in support of the doctrine of the Real
Presence, the authority of the Pope, sacramental Confession and the
veneration due to saints, truths which in the time of the saint
were impugned by the followers of Luther and other heretics. The
fame of the fltights of St. Joseph spread throughout Europe and led
to conversions as in the case of the Duke of Brunswick.' Another
explanation offered is, that these miracles counteracted the
diabolical arts (witchcraft and necromancy, especially in the
kingdom of Naples) and superstition then prevalent To a degree our
biography is a .. panegyric," with its drawbacks of
"generalization" and "superlatives," but it is by no means "a
dreary inventory of virtues and miracles." Some of the narratives,
as in Chapter VI and IX, are very charming, "invested with all that
tender simplicity and charm which voiced itself in the poetic
narratives of the Fioretti." This first extensive biography of St.
Joseph of Copertino in English was made from Sintzel's German
translation of Fr. Pastrovicchi's Life of the saint. Only after
years was it possible to procure the Italian original and verify
the rendering. In the editions of Pastrovicchi of 1753 and 1767 the
text is not divided into chapters; these (thirty in all) are
indicated by Roman numerals at the beginning of paragraphs; the
chapter titles and the references to the Acts are printed in the
margin. The division of the text and the chapter titles in the
present work are new. The original marginal titles are preserved in
part as sub-titles in the Table of Contents. The numerous
references to the Acts in the original have been omitted; likewise,
in the interest of delicacy or conciseness. several passages in the
body of the work. Details of the canonization, sanctuary, etc.,
have been added. Other small additions have been made throughout
the work, dates and names have been inserted, and obscure passages
made clear. The editions used for these changes are marked in the
bibliographical list. Saint Joseph is also known as Saint Joseph of
Cupertino.
General
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