St. Joseph is known as “Patron of the dying,” one of his titles in the Litany of St. Joseph, because he died with the assistance of Jesus and Mary.
Venerable Mary of Agreda received private revelations regarding the holy death of St. Joseph.
She wrote, “The most humble Joseph, sealing his life with an act of self-abasement, asked pardon of his heavenly Spouse for all his deficiencies in her service and love and begged Her to grant him her assistance and intercession in this hour of his passing away. The holy man also rendered humblest thanks to her Son for all the blessings of his life and especially for those received during this sickness … The Redeemer of the world gave him his benediction, saying: ‘My father, rest in peace and in the grace of my eternal Father and mine; and to the Prophets and Saints, who await thee in limbo, bring the joyful news of the approach of their redemption.’ At these words of Jesus, and reclining in his arms, the most fortunate saint Joseph expired and the Lord himself closed his eyes.”
Our Lady told Mary of Agreda to exhort people to lead a careful life in order to secure a happy death. Our Lady said, “The general rule is: a good life gives hope of a good end; all other reliance is doubtful, and salvation resting upon it is very rare and merely accidental.”
A Canadian mystic, Blessed Catherine of St. Augustine, recorded her vision of St. Joseph: “I saw a very august procession of blessed souls ... John the Baptist was at the head and carried a white banner, white as snow, on which was written in large red characters these words: Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. This procession seemed to rise in the air … St. Joseph was the closest at the entrance of the eternal gates, and it was he, it seemed to me, who spoke first to the Most August Trinity; and addressing himself to the person of God the Father, after the holy souls were put into their appointed place, said to Him in a language of the blessed: ‘This talent has profited so much that not only do I return it to You doubled, but You see this multitude that it has acquired; I return all to You and offer it to You.’ The Eternal Father then not only set him over a great many people, but even said to him: ‘Faithful servant! Since you were the steward of My house on earth, I want you to command here and to have power.’”
Saint Louis Guanella (1842–1915) was deeply devoted to St. Joseph. He founded the Pious Union of St. Joseph for the Salvation of the Dying. Members of the Pius Union committed to recite the following prayer to St. Joseph every day for the benefit of the suffering and dying: “O St Joseph, Foster Father of Jesus Christ and true spouse of the Virgin Mary; Pray for us, and for the suffering and dying of this day/night.”
Father Guanella felt deeply, “there is a need to live well, but there is even a greater need to die well. A peaceful death is everything, especially today when people value only material things and earthly enjoyments, rejecting eternal values.”
One of the favourite invocations of Sister Mary Martha Chambon was the following: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart, my mind, and my life ...” St. Joseph told her: “When you make this invocation, we take your hearts and we give them to Jesus.” He said, “This prayer gives me great glory and great joy, it renews all the happiness that I had in being the Foster Father of Jesus and the Head of the Holy Family.”
Please consider praying this prayer at the end of each day: “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, assist me in my last agony. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, may I breathe forth my soul in peace with you. Amen.”
聖若瑟為臨終者祈禱
聖若瑟是『臨終主保』因為耶穌和聖母瑪利亞在他死亡的時候幫助了他。
阿格雷拉 的可敬者瑪利亞得獲有關聖若瑟聖死的啟示。她寫道：『這位最謙遜的若瑟，蓋括一生自我謙卑，請求她天上的淨配寬恕他對她的服務和關愛不足之處，請求她在他臨終時可以得到她的幫助和代禱。這位聖人將他一生所有得獲的恩賜，特別是在他患病時蒙受的，最謙遜地感激她的兒子…世界的救主給了他祂的祝福，說「我爸，休息於平安中，在我天上永恆父親和我的寵愛中，各先知，聖人，他們都在古聖所中等待，把救恩臨近的喜訊帶給他們。」在耶穌這些話中，倚靠在他手臂中，這最幸福的聖若瑟去世了，我主自己閉上他雙眼。』
聖母告訴阿格雷拉的瑪利亞去規勸世人，活一認真的生命去確保一個愉快的死亡。聖母說：『一般規則是：一個好的生命帶來好收場的希望；依靠其他所有都是渺茫的，把救恩依附於它是罕有且僅是意外。』
一位加拿大的神視者聖奧思定的真福加大肋納記錄了聖約瑟的神視：『我看見聖靈魂威嚴的巡遊…若翰洗者為首並攜帶了一白的橫額，如雪般白的橫額，上面寫著紅色大字：請看天主的羔羊，除免世罪的羔半。這巡遊看似升到天上…聖若瑟是在最接近永恆之門的入口處，這就是他，看似他是第一位向最威嚴聖三說話的；他在所有的聖靈魂安置於指定位置後，以真福的語言，向天主聖父說：「這塔冷通收益甚多，我不單雙倍歸還，但祢見我得獲這眾多的收益；我把這一切歸還，奉獻給祢。」這永恆的父親由是把他放於很多人之上，甚至對他說：「忠信的僕人！因為你是我在世家中的管家，我要你在這裡出命並賦予權能。」』
聖類斯.冠樂（1842-1915）是虔敬聖若瑟的聖人。他為亡者的救恩建立了虔敬聖若瑟會(Pious Union of St. Joseph)。會員承諾為受苦和垂死的人每天誦念以下向聖若瑟祈禱的經文：『噢，聖若瑟，耶穌基督之鞠養與童貞瑪利亞之淨配，請為我們，並為今日/夜的受苦者及臨終者祈求。』
冠樂神父深深感到：『活得好是有需要的，但死得好更為必定的需要。一個平安的死亡是一切，尤其是現今世人重視物質和現世享樂，拒絕永恆價值。』
瑪利亞.瑪爾大修女的一個她喜愛的祈禱是：『耶穌，瑪利亞和若瑟，我將我的心，我的思想和我的生命…交給你』聖若瑟告訴她：『當你們作這祈禱，我們把你們的心交給耶穌。』『這祈禱給我很大的光榮和喜樂，它更新我作為耶穌父親和聖家之首的一切喜樂。』
請考慮每天終結時誦念這禱文：
『耶穌、瑪利亞、若瑟，我心，我靈，我生命，皆獻於爾等。
耶穌、瑪利亞、若瑟，扶助我於臨終時。
耶穌、瑪利亞、若瑟，俾我在爾等中得安死之恩。』