Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (S)
proper
Texts taken from the missal “On Your Word” March-April 2021
We celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church. In the first chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew, he is defined by three titles that provide us with an essential portrait of him: “the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ,” “son of David,” that is, a descendant of the messianic line and called in turn to link Jesus to this lineage, and “a righteous man,” insofar as he accepts and does the will of God. We ask Saint Joseph to help us listen to the Gospel and put it into practice, so that each day we may do the will of our Father who is in heaven.
FIRST READING
From the second book of Samuel (2 Sam 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16)
In those days, the word of the Lord came to Nathan: “Go and tell my servant David: Thus says the Lord: ‘When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring after you, sprung from your body, and I will make his kingdom firm. He shall 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 shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.’” – The word of the Lord.
Commentary on the first reading
“Your throne shall stand firm forever.” We are so accustomed to changes of political regimes, majorities that are only apparently democratic, and ethnic and religious tragedies carried out in the name of power that the opening sentence may seem rather worthless, or at least ironic and mocking. How is it possible for a king’s throne to last forever? Moreover, it speaks precisely of David, a man who on the one hand was chosen by God and became the anointed one, the consecrated of the Most High, but on the other hand proved to be a great sinner. Furthermore, why should his kingdom alone become stable forever? Do the other kings not deserve the same? Here it is absolutely essential that we move from a purely human perspective – as has been discussed so far – to a perspective of faith. Now David becomes only a limited and sinful foreshadowing of the One who will be without sin: Jesus Christ. The throne that stands firm forever belongs to the long-awaited Messiah, to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Jesus is inserted into David’s genealogy through Saint Joseph, who will give the name Jesus, “God saves,” to the Son entrusted to his care by the Lord.
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 the promise was made to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift of grace and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not only to those who adhere to the law but also to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, as it is written: “I have made you father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, and thus became the father of many nations, as he had been told: “So will your descendants be.” That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. – The word of God.
Commentary on the second reading
“I have made you father of many nations.” As stated in the Letter to the Romans, Abraham is the father of all peoples because God himself made him so. Before Abraham, after the creation of the cosmos and, finally, of humanity, according to the biblical account, a situation of increasing violence and injustice had developed among humankind. This proliferation of evil is described through a series of steps rising toward murder, rejection of the bond with God, and abomination in the various cities… all the way to the Tower of Babel. God tried absolutely everything to bring his people to repentance. But while human beings remain in sin, God “invents” Abraham, a father for all peoples. What does it mean to be a father? First of all, to share in the fatherhood and fruitfulness of God himself. An authentic father takes risks, suffers, endures, and rejoices together with his children. Abraham as the father of “many nations” has been interpreted in different ways. Some understand it to mean only the people of Israel, while others seek to extend this expression from the Catholic Church to the presence of Christ, even unconscious, in all peoples. Saint Joseph’s faith is like Abraham’s, and ours must be like his. We must look to him as a shining example.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY
From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a)
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, 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 it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him. – The Gospel of the Lord.
Or:
From the Gospel according to Luke (Lk 2:41-51a)
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. – The Gospel of the Lord.
Commentary on the Gospel of the Day
“He was a righteous man”: what a beautiful title given to Saint Joseph. It is not an empty word, but proves full of meaning, both in his intention to divorce Mary quietly and in his acceptance of the angel’s message. None of the Gospels records a single sentence spoken by Joseph, and this tells us, and continually reminds us, that deeds are much more important than words. In a world like ours, flooded with messages consisting of proposals, advertising, news, and fake news that are later denied, Saint Joseph calls us back to an essential simplicity of language. Moreover, we must not diminish his figure simply because there is no testimony about his words. I will mention only two aspects, carved into the Gospels and tradition: he was Jesus’ teacher in his work, as Jesus is recognized in the Gospel as the son of the carpenter. In addition, tradition passes on to us the moment of Joseph’s passing into heaven, accompanied by Jesus and Mary. Imagination is not necessary; faith is enough to grasp the full value of this journey made together.
Or:
A father and a mother living in anguish, in ardent and intense concern for their child: how human this image is that the Gospel offers us today. Even today, parents worry about their children, but it can happen that this concern is accompanied at the same time by inattention toward them, a lack of communication, and a lack of mutual listening. In a world marked not only by the gift of fertility and education but also by sin, all this becomes possible and frequent. But the biblical passage tells us something more: the adolescent Jesus had already developed an awareness of a uniquely special sonship, of a vocation and mission that far surpass the normal expectations of earthly parents. Jesus discovered that first and foremost he was the Son of God; inwardly and publicly, he became aware that only in this title could he fully see himself reflected. How many fathers and mothers today are willing to accept the proclamation that their son or daughter is, first and foremost, a child of God by creation, and that all this is fully affirmed through Baptism? This transition also took place for Mary and Joseph, not without difficulty: “They did not understand.” Then there is Jesus Christ, Son of the Most High and Almighty God, who reveals himself as “obedient” to the upbringing of Joseph and Mary.
