20220319 THE JUSTIFYING FAITH OF JOSEPH
19 March, 2022, Saturday, St Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
First reading |
2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16 © |
The Lord will give him the throne of his ancestor David
The word of the Lord came to Nathan:
‘Go and tell my servant David, Thus the Lord speaks: “When your days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure for ever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’
Responsorial Psalm |
Psalm 88(89):2-5,27,29 © |
His dynasty shall last for ever.
I will sing for ever of your love, O Lord;
through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth.
Of this I am sure, that your love lasts for ever,
that your truth is firmly established as the heavens.
His dynasty shall last for ever.
‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to David my servant:
I will establish your dynasty for ever
and set up your throne through all ages.
His dynasty shall last for ever.
‘He will say to me: “You are my father,
my God, the rock who saves me.”
I will keep my love for him always;
with him my covenant shall last.’
His dynasty shall last for ever.
Second reading |
Romans 4:13,16-18,22 © |
Abraham hoped, and he believed
The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the father of all of us. As scripture says: I have made you the ancestor of many nations – Abraham is our father in the eyes of God, in whom he put his faith, and who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.
Though it seemed Abraham’s hope could not be fulfilled, he hoped and he believed, and through doing so he did become the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars. This is the faith that was ‘considered as justifying him.’
Gospel Acclamation | Ps83:5 |
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
They are happy who dwell in your house, O Lord,
for ever singing your praise.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
Gospel |
Matthew 1:16,18-21,24 © |
How Jesus Christ came to be born
Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus who is called Christ.
This is how Jesus Christ came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.
THE JUSTIFYING FAITH OF JOSEPH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 7:4-5,12-14,16; ROM 4:13,16-18,22; MT 1:16,18-21,24 OR LK 2:41-51]
The gospel describes Joseph as a just man. “His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.” How was he just in this instance? He was just in not publicly embarrassing Mary in her pregnancy. He could not verify Mary’s claim of the Angel Gabriel appearing to her and announcing God’s choice of her to be the mother of the Saviour. The justice of Joseph goes beyond human justice where proofs are required before one can believe.
The justice of Joseph was rooted in faith. He trusted in the testimony of Mary and accepted in faith that God had chosen her. He did not doubt the words of Mary even when the story appeared to be far-fetched. Joseph had confidence in Mary and the miraculous intervention of God did not cause him to have doubts about Mary. If Joseph chose to divorce her informally, it was done not so much because Mary’s potential adulterous affair might be discovered. Rather, it was again done in faith, believing Mary’s words that the child was from the Holy Spirit. He felt he would not be worthy to be associated with Mary, or be the adopted father of the Messiah. Hence, he humbly excluded himself from God’s choice of Mary.
It was only when the angel appeared to him in a dream that he changed his plan. The angel said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.” Again, we note the faith of Joseph. It was on account of the angel’s assurance through a dream that he carried out immediately “what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.”
Clearly, Joseph was a just man not only because he acted justly, that is, in accordance with the laws of God, but his justice was rooted in his faith in God. It was not only legal justice or human justice. There are many just people in the world but their concern is to fulfil the laws. In the case of Joseph, he acted justly because he believed in God and that the laws given by God through Moses were good and therefore must be respected and obeyed. Without faith in God, even when we are just, our justice would not be perfect. The scribes and religious leaders during the time of our Lord were supposed to be meticulous in the observance of the laws so that they could be just before God.
Indeed, the context of today’s second reading from St Paul’s letter to the Romans underscores that faith is the key to justification or righteousness, not obedience to the laws. St Paul wrote, “The promise of inheriting the world was not made to Abraham and his descendants on account of any law but on account of the righteousness which consists in faith. That is why what fulfils the promise depends on faith, so that it may be a free gift and be available to all of Abraham’s descendants, not only those who belong to the Law but also those who belong to the faith of Abraham who is the Father of all of us.” St Paul illustrates this truth by pointing to Abraham, the father of faith. It was his faith in God’s promise that God considered him righteous. Abraham trusted God and went to Canaan in faith, not knowing how God’s promise of land, posterity and kingdom would be fulfilled.
However, faith is also expressed in obedience. This was the case of Abraham and that of Joseph and Mary. Faith is a “doing” faith, not merely an emotional or verbal faith. It is expressed in good works and in obedience to His divine will. When we trust God, we will do what He asks of us. This is the kind of faith that is truly justifying. Joseph did not simply trust God but carried out what the Lord asked of him.
Upon confirmation that Mary’s pregnancy was part of God’s plan and how Jesus was to be the Messiah, without hesitation, he took Mary as his wife. This was necessary for Jesus to fulfil the prophecies of the Old Testament as we read in the first reading when God promised David, “when the days are ended and you are laid to rest with your ancestors, I will preserve the offspring of your body after you and make his sovereignty secure. (It is he who shall build a house for my name, and I will make his royal throne secure forever.) I will be a father to him and he a son to me. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established forever.” This prophecy was finally fulfilled in Christ, a descendant of King David through Joseph. For in naming Jesus, Joseph assumed the role of father and Jesus became his adopted son.
Indeed, God who is faithful to us requires us to be just by trusting in Him. The Lord said, “I have made a covenant with my chosen one; I have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your dynasty forever and set up your throne through all ages.” Joseph shows us what faith entails. Like Abraham, it was to believe in the impossible. Faith is beyond reason. Logic and proofs alone cannot justify us. It requires us to take the leap of faith and entrust our lives into His hands. This kind of faith was present throughout the life of Joseph because his act of trust in God did not end just by saying “yes” to being Mary’s spouse and the adopted father of Jesus.
Joseph in faith travelled to Bethlehem to register for the census as required by the Romans. “So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David.” (Lk 2:4) True to God’s plan, Jesus was born at Bethlehem, the town of David. Hence, he was considered a descendant of David and the Messiah. Even at the Lord’s birth, Joseph in faith witnessed the wondrous stories told by the shepherds and the Magi who came to render worship to the infant baby. Soon after, Jesus was presented in the temple in accordance to the laws. He heard the prophecies of Simeon and the prophetess Anna as well, on the destiny of the child. Both confirmed that Jesus would be the one who would bring about the deliverance and redemption of Israel.
Finally, in faith, when the life of Jesus was threatened by King Herod, he obeyed the angel and took the child with his mother, Mary to Egypt and stayed there till Herod died. It must have been very difficult for him and his family in a foreign land. Most of us when faced with difficulties, especially when doing God’s work, would give up because we feel that God is not fair to us. How could God abandon us when we are doing His will? For Joseph, he took it as part of God’s plan. We never heard him complain or lament. He did what he could according to the situation. And God must have taken care of him and provided for him in a foreign land with a foreign culture. Still, he was able to make ends meet as a carpenter, unknown to many, and took care of Mary and Jesus.
Today, when we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph, we are called to imitate his justifying faith. We are called to cooperate with God’s plan even when it is difficult or seemingly impossible to do. We must trust in God as Joseph did, relying on His grace and obediently carrying out His will to the best of our ability. We can only do this when we cultivate a deep faith in God through a life of prayer and contemplation. Joseph never spoke in the gospel, for he listened more than he speaks. But he was a man very much attentive to the voice of God, discerning and finding the courage to do the right thing when a decision had to be made.
St Joseph was not fickle-minded. He was focused and clear on what must be done, once he heard the Lord’s will for him. Let us imitate him by being exemplary in faith and as a father to Jesus. We can be certain that Jesus would have learnt much from Joseph in his discerning and courageous faith in God. He would have been inspired by Joseph’s dedication to the family and to his trade. Joseph lived more by example, showing the face of the heavenly Father by the way he carried out his role as the father of Joseph.
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
No comments:
Post a Comment