20240319 ST JOSEPH A MAN WHO JOURNEYS WITH HIS FAMILY IN FAITH AND LOVE
19 March 2024, Tuesday, 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.
ST JOSEPH A MAN WHO JOURNEYS WITH HIS FAMILY IN FAITH AND LOVE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [2 SM 7:4-5,12-14,16; ROM 4:13,16-18,22; LK 2:41-51]
King David was feeling guilty because he was staying in the luxurious cedar house that he built for himself. “Now when the king was settled in his house, and the Lord had given him rest from all his enemies around him, the king said to the prophet Nathan, ‘See now, I am living in a house of cedar, but the ark of God stays in a tent.'” (2 Sm 7:1f) He thought therefore that he should build a house for the Lord as well. But the God of Israel had always been a trek-God. He lived in the midst of His people. He did not want to be isolated or placed in a box away from the lives of His people. God wanted to journey with His people. In fact, beginning from Abraham, God had shown Himself to be a Trek-God, the God who journeyed with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He journeyed with the Hebrews in the desert after freeing them from the Egyptians. Hence, the Lord instructed the prophet Nathan to tell David, “Are you the one to build me a house to live in? I have not lived in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent and a tabernacle. Wherever I have moved about among all the people of Israel, did I ever speak a word with any of the tribal leaders of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?'” (2 Sm 7:5-7)
Instead, God told Nathan to tell David of His plan for him and his offspring. “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.” The house that God wanted to build for David was not just a material house, but a fulfilment of His promises made to Abraham that he would be “the ancestor of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you.” (Gn 17:5-7)
St Paul in the second reading underscores this Trek-God by exhorting us to respond in faith to His love and fidelity for us. He 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.” We are called to trust in this God who walks with us and journeys with us in our daily life and in our history. The God of Israel is reliable and faithful to His promises. The way for us to find security is not through our efforts, the observance of the laws, but simply because of our faith in His love and promises. We are called to learn from Abraham, our Father in faith. “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 what he did became the father of many nations exactly as he had been promised: Your descendants will be as many as the stars.”
As we celebrate the Solemnity of St Joseph, we see how the faith of Mary and Joseph had made it possible for God to fulfil His divine plan for humanity. In saying “Yes” to God in faith, both had allowed God to complete His divine plans for our salvation by sending us His Son, a descendant of David, since Joseph was chosen to be the foster-father of Jesus. Joseph, who came from the house of David, fulfilled the prophecy of scriptures by agreeing to be Jesus’ foster-father. By naming Mary’s son, Jesus, he assumed the duties of being the father of Jesus. Joseph must have been a man of deep faith in God for him to say, “yes.”
Truly, if we were in the shoes of Joseph, we might find ourselves unable to accept the pregnancy of Mary. How to believe that Mary was impregnated by the power of the Holy Spirit? Who would believe such an incredible story? On all counts, Joseph should uphold his reputation by not tainting himself with the pregnancy of Mary. Hence, it was right for Joseph to think of divorcing her. By divorcing her, he would have been faithful to the Law of Moses and at the same time protected his reputation of being a chaste man. At the same time, Joseph, we read, was a just man. Whilst not understanding how Mary could be pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit, he was non-judgmental. He did not accuse her of committing adultery. Hence, putting her away quietly was, in his judgment, the most compassionate and just way to protect each other. Furthermore, if she were truly carrying the Messiah, he might have felt that he would not be worthy to be the spouse of Mary, much less the father of the Messiah.
What was the secret of Joseph? Being so close to God, especially in contemplation and prayer, he knew that one should not be rash in judgment. Faith is a journey. God takes time to unfold His divine plan for us. We must take one step at a time. As St Paul would say, we walk by faith not by sight. (2 Cor 5:7) That was what Joseph did. He was receptive to God’s word. He did not react out of fear or lack of courage. He sought to do the right thing. And so we read, “when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ When Joseph woke up he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him.” (Mt 1:20-24)
Truly, this was the secret of Joseph in being a good spouse and a good father. Although he was a just man and faithful to the Law of Moses, he never allowed his obedience to the law to restrict him from acting in a compassionate and just manner. He knew that the secret is to allow God to accompany us in our daily life and struggles. We must turn to God in prayer and contemplation, and not act until we hear from Him. Prayer and quiet reflection is the way to allow God to journey with us and to reveal to us His holy will. Once we are clear that this is what God wills for us, then we must, like Joseph, carry out His will obediently. This was seen in the way, he accepted God’s call to be the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus.
For the rest of his life, Joseph, we are told, continued to act as God would have acted by journeying with his wife and his son. When it was time to give birth, Joseph journeyed with Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David to register themselves. In spite of the unexpected visit of the shepherds and the Magi, they continued to ponder on God’s grace in their lives. When threatened by the persecution of King Herod, Joseph accompanied Mary and Jesus to Egypt to take refuge. There was never any complaint on their lips or resentment in their heart for the inconvenience and the struggles they had to go through. They must have supported each other along the way, knowing that somehow God would protect and guide them from their enemies.
Finally, in today’s gospel, we read how Joseph and Mary journeyed together to Jerusalem to fulfil their annual pilgrimage with the boy Jesus. Upon their discovery that he was not with them three days into their return journey, they searched for Him and found Him in the Temple. When they found Him, Jesus told them ”’Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be busy with my father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.” (Lk 2:49-51) The parents did not reprimand Jesus, only expressed their anxiety. Even though they did not understand what their Son said to them, they accepted His explanation. That was how both Mary and Joseph journeyed with each other in marriage and in raising the Lord Jesus. When the child grew up, Joseph would have journeyed with Him closely by teaching him the art of the carpenter trade. Throughout the life of Joseph as portrayed in the scriptures, he was totally silent. He was a man of very few words, but his life stood out as a model of what true spousal relationship and fatherhood should be. We must not be judgmental, rash and lacking prayerful discernment. This is what we are also called to do as parents and spouse in family life.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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