…And in fact Mother Maria Matilde Bucchi passed to the other life, on the first Wednesday of the month dedicated to St. Joseph.

Devotion to St. Joseph was always present in the life of Sister Maria Bucchi, ever since the episode of her adolescence in which she herself said she was protected and saved. So we read in the small biography:

“There was a period of time in which an elderly man, unknown to the young woman, but of evident evil intentions; he had set out to follow her in the most isolated stretch of the journey, waiting for the opportune moment to carry out her iniquitous plan. The pious virgin noticed this and feared a great deal for her virtue, and since there was no other way to go, she fervently recommended herself to God. it appeared without being able to understand which way it came from and, having reached the inhabited area, disappeared, without even seeing it turning either to the right or to the left. This happened for several consecutive days, until the danger ceased ”.

This episode has the fresh flavor of the florets of the ancient desert fathers and deserves faith for the humility with which Maria Matilde told it and for the gratitude and devotion that from that day she always had for St. Joseph, to whom she had recommended at that juncture.

St. Joseph was also present in that prophetic dream that Sister Maria Bucchi had before even entering the Canossian Institute as a Tertiary.

“S. Joseph – the Virgin of Sorrows had told her – will be not only the Spiritual Director, but also the Superintendent and Administrator of the Institute that you will have to direct “.

The Tertiaries asked St. Joseph for seven consecutive years, without counting the previous novenas, the grace of being officially recognized by the Church. It is also very significant that the first name chosen by the small Institute was that of “Passionist Sisters of St. Joseph”. The particular protection of St. Joseph was indicated in the title of the Institute, since the nuns declared themselves “dedicated to the Precious Blood under the protection of the Virgin Mary of Sorrows and St. Joseph”.

“Sister Maria Bucchi – says the first biographer – elected St. Joseph, after Maria SS. but, as a special patron of his community and from him he obtained resounding graces, common and individual, spiritual and temporal.

Pope Francis writes at the end of his Apostolic Letter “Patris corde”:

“The purpose of this Apostolic Letter is to increase love for this great saint, to be pushed to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and enthusiasm. In fact, the specific mission of the Saints is not only to grant miracles and graces, but to intercede for us before God, as Abraham and Moses did, as does Jesus, “the only mediator” (1 Tm 2,5), who at God the Father is our “advocate” (1 Jn 2: 1), “always alive to intercede on [our] behalf” (Heb 7:25; cf. Rom 8:34) “.

We would like, very simply, after having retraced the loving presence of St. Joseph in the life of our Foundress, to underline those virtues and / or characteristics that unite them and which can also become a spiritual itinerary for us.

Silence

“His is a silence permeated with contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to divine wishes. In other words, Saint Joseph’s silence does not manifest an interior emptiness, but, on the contrary, the fullness of faith that he carries in his heart, and that guides his every thought and every action. A silence thanks to which Joseph, in unison with Mary, guards the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, constantly comparing it with the events of Jesus’ life; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, prayer of blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of unreserved entrustment to his providence. Let us allow ourselves to be “infected” by the silence of Saint Joseph! ” (see Benedict XVI at the Angelus of 18.12.2005).

Silence – Mother Bucchi used to repeat – is the guardian of all virtues, leads to union with God, to contemplation and avoids many shortcomings (cf. Bgr. P. 97).

Obedience

“In the first dream his response was immediate:” When he awoke from sleep, he did as the angel had ordered him “. With obedience he overcame his drama and saved Mary. In the second dream Joseph did not hesitate to obey, without asking himself about the difficulties he would face: “He got up in the night, took the child and his mother and took refuge in Egypt, where he remained until Herod’s death”. As soon as the divine messenger, in a third dream, after informing him that those who were trying to kill the child were dead, orders him to get up, take the child and his mother with him and return to the land of Israel 20), he still once he obeys without hesitation: “He got up, took the child and his mother and entered the land of Israel” (cf. Patris Corde of Pope Francis).

“God’s will was the center of her peace, the end of her desires, the goal of her actions … Often she said:” I am religious in the end … I will therefore work for the sole purpose of pleasing Jesus, I will abandon myself to his holy dispositions and out of love I will place myself like a child in the hands of my superiors, obeying simply, cheerfully, and without replying” (cf. Bgr. p. 19.21).

Humility

“Her greatness, like that of Mary, stands out even more because her mission was carried out in humility and in the hiding of the house of Nazareth. Moreover, God himself, in the person of his incarnate Son, chose this path and this style – humility and concealment – in his earthly existence “

(see Benedict XVI at the Angelus of 19.03.2006).

“Oh, yes, humble, very humble was our Mother and we will always have a mirror in her to imitate: humble her bearing, humble her speech: in short, humility shone in her in a rare way, always accompanied by a sweetness and special meekness. She lived by the spirit of Jesus Christ whom she studied tirelessly and faithfully copied in herself ” (cf. Bgr. P. 77).

The industriousness

“One aspect that characterizes St. Joseph is his relationship with work. Saint Joseph was a carpenter who worked honestly to secure his family’s livelihood. From him Jesus learned the value, dignity and joy of what it means to eat the bread, fruit of one’s work ” (cf. Patris Corde of Pope Francis).

Maria Matilde had to start working early. The family, quite large, did not know comfort. Thus says the Little Biography: “from morning to evening he was getting tired and working in the countryside, now in the workshops, also happy to lighten the burden of misery on his dear parents” (cf. Bgr. P. 6).

And welcoming again the words of Pope Francis:

“The Saints help all the faithful to pursue the holiness and perfection of their state. Their life is concrete proof that it is possible to live the Gospel “,

let us resonate in the heart what the Constitutions of 1981, in art. 109 indicated:

“We love to work with ardor, but with tranquility and without fuss, because the message of Christ’s love and immolation is communicated above all, through the witness of the holiness of our life”.