Texts taken from the Missal “On Your Word” March-April 2025
Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (s)
Proper
FIRST READING
From the Second Book of Samuel (2 Sam 7:4-5a,12-14a,16)
In those days, this word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and say to my servant David: Thus says the Lord: ‘When your days are fulfilled and you sleep with your ancestors, I will raise up a descendant of yours after you, who will come from your own body, and I will make his kingdom firm. He will build a house for my name, and I will make the throne of his kingdom firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he will be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall be firm forever before me; your throne shall be established forever.’” - The word of God.
Commentary on the first reading
Before introducing ourselves to today's text, I believe it is worth mentioning two earlier episodes. The choosing of David, selected from among the sons of Jesse (cf. 1 Sam 16:1), and the passage preceding ours, in which Nathan initially approved King David's intention to build a “house” for God in the city of Jerusalem. In today's passage, God tells Nathan to convey the following words to David: “I will raise up a descendant of yours after you, who will come from your own body... He will build a house for my name.” The promise is fulfilled in Joseph: it is the humble carpenter who passes on to David's descendants the new king, who will reign forever. In these few lines we grasp that God is faithful to his promises and that his thoughts do not correspond to human thoughts; indeed, he chooses “what is weak in the world to confound the strong” (1 Cor 1:27). With hearts filled with wonder at God's faithfulness, the experience becomes song in the prayer of the psalm: “I will sing forever of the love of the Lord... for I said: ‘It is a love established forever.’” I have made a covenant... I have sworn to David... I will establish your descendants forever.”
SECOND READING
From the Letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Romans (Rom 4:13,16-18,22)
Brothers and sisters, it was not through the Law that Abraham or his descendants received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. Therefore, heirs are made through faith, so that it may be according to grace and thus the promise may be assured for all his descendants: not only those who derive from the Law, but also those who derive from the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all - as it is written: “I have appointed you
to be the father of many peoples” - in the presence of the God in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into existence the things that do not exist. He believed, firm in hope against all hope, and thus became the father of many peoples, as he had been told: “So shall your descendants be.” That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. - The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
Paul invites us to look to Abraham, the father of faith, and shows that he became righteous precisely through faith: «One becomes an heir by virtue of faith… Abraham believed, firm in hope against all hope, and so became the father of many peoples». The many works that a person performs, Paul explains, do not qualify one for a relationship with God; rather, God asks for sincere faith. It is within this framework that the figure of Joseph must be understood: above all, he is heir to the promise made to Abraham: «“Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them…So shall your offspring be”. He believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness» (Gen 15:5-6). This promise was later realized in the dynasty of David and fulfilled in Jesus, Son of Mary and Joseph. Throughout all this, God’s providence emerges; before him nothing is impossible for those who have faith, for those who believe (cf. Mk 9:23).
GOSPEL
From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 1:16,18-21,24a)
Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. This is how Jesus Christ was born: his mother Mary, being betrothed to Joseph, before they lived together was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man and did not want to expose her publicly, decided to divorce her quietly. But while he was considering these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: «Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For the child conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins». When he awoke from sleep, Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. – The Word of the Lord.
Or
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:41-51a)
Jesus’ parents went every year to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up according to the custom of the feast. But when the days were over, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, without his parents realizing it. Thinking that he was in the group, they traveled for a day, and then began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances; when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When they saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him: «Son, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in anguish». And he replied to them: «Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be concerned with my Father’s affairs?». But they did not understand what he had said to them. Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. – The Word of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel
The Gospel text begins by citing the final verse of Jesus’ genealogy, which I recall here in essential form to grasp the overall design: “Abraham fathered Isaac... Jesse fathered King David... Jacob fathered Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born.” Joseph thus emerges as the link between the promise God made to Abraham and Jesus, a descendant of David. We do not know much about Joseph, and the Gospel contains none of his words. Yet there are details that allow us to grasp the depth of his character. Joseph “was a righteous man,” that is, loyal and honest. He does not understand what is happening, but he knows Mary, his wife, well. At the same time, Joseph is a free man, not imprisoned by his own thoughts, but always open to the breath of the Spirit: “As he was considering these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” Finally, he was an obedient man: “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” May Joseph, guardian of the family of Nazareth and of the whole Church, help us cultivate the virtues of loyalty, freedom, and obedience, learning to faithfully carry out the task that providence entrusts to us.
Or
The Gospel text reveals the authentic and profound vocation of the family: to educate in the faith and accompany their children in discovering God: “Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of Passover.” On their way home, they realize that Jesus is not in the caravan - the family clan - and find him only after three days, in the temple. Astonishment and anguish characterize the search and the finding: “They were astonished... Your father and I, in anguish, were looking for you.” This shows that even in this dramatic moment Joseph and Mary do not lose their sense of wonder, demonstrating that they take nothing for granted, but that everything becomes a sign. Indeed, wonder disarms you, opens you to others, and helps you approach the reasons of the other person. Secondly, anguish: Jesus’ parents too experienced bewilderment and anguish, just as many parents experience them when faced with their children’s “choices.” Today, Jesus’ parents remind us that children have their own path and a task to fulfill: “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” They did not understand, but kept it in their hearts. A praying and adoring heart.
