20250319 JOSEPH’S FAITH WORKS THROUGH LOVE
19 March 2025, Wednesday, 2nd Week of Lent
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.
JOSEPH’S FAITH WORKS THROUGH LOVE
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]
Today we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph, the husband of Mary and the foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is instrumental in the history of salvation because of the critical role he played as the loving, supportive and understanding husband of Mary and as a role model of sonship and work for Jesus. This is only possible because of his faith in God and in Mary. Faith is critical in coming to find salvation. The second reading from the letter to the Romans focuses on the faith of Abraham. 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.” Joseph was a man of faith and he shared the faith of Abraham. How was this faith expressed?
Firstly, Joseph never gave up on Mary when he heard about her pregnancy. We can be sure that it was his faith in Mary’s integrity that kept him calm when he heard that she was “with child through the Holy Spirit.” Who would believe in such an incredible story? But he believed, although he did not know how to deal with the situation. He must have had deep trust in Mary’s innocence and hence did not react with disbelief, anger or resentment. Instead, recognizing that the child was not his, he “being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.” Joseph in his humility and faith in Mary, sought to protect Mary’s claim and also since the child was from the Holy Spirit, he could not continue the spousal relationship.
But Joseph did not only have faith in Mary; he had faith in God. It was this faith in God that gave him the impetus to love Mary and to have faith in her. He, too, like Mary was a devoted servant of God. And so, whilst trying to resolve this unique and miraculous intervention of God in the life of Mary, he was assured by the angel of the Lord who appeared to him in a dream and advised him, “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.”
It was his faith and receptivity to God’s plan that enabled him to understand his role in the salvific plan of God. Instead of divorcing Mary, God intended Joseph to fulfil the plan of God for the salvation of humanity by adopting Jesus as his son, thereby making him a descendant of King David since Joseph belonged to the house of David. His acceptance of Jesus as his son therefore fulfilled the prophecy of Nathan when the Lord told him to tell 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 explains why Joseph was given the honour to name Jesus, for it is the role of the father to give a name to the baby, not the wife.
Consequently, his faith in God and in Mary made it possible for salvation history to be fulfilled according to the scriptures. But it was a living faith that worked through love. How can we have this faith of Joseph to believe in the impossible, especially God and our fellowmen? To have this faith, we need love. Indeed, we must remember what St Paul said in his letter to the Galatians, “the only thing that counts is faith working through love.” (Gal 5:6) Love was the driving force for his faith in God and in Mary. One can have faith only when one is loved unconditionally and deeply. The reason why many are unable to find people who love them unconditionally is because they are afraid to love or be loved. Trust takes time to build.
Trust is confirmed by love. The more we are loved, the more we trust. In human relationship we grow to trust a person by the love that is shown to us over time. Trust becomes stronger when we know that someone will stand by us in good or bad times. So it is through repeated trials and reassurance of love that we become great friends. So, too, in our faith in God. We can trust God only when we are loved by Him. This is why St John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
However, love is not simply the driving force behind faith, it is also the expression of faith. In other words, God’s love for us brings out faith in us; and in turn our faith brings out love. When someone loves us, we not only have faith in him but we love him even more. So the power of faith is love and love is the fruit of faith. A faith without love would not be faith. This is what St James warned us. “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,’ and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.” (Jms 2:14-18)
It is this living faith that we celebrate in Joseph. It was his faith in God that empowered him to love Mary unconditionally and to care for her and the child. Joseph ditched his own plans for a family with Mary to serve God’s plan. We can imagine how we would react if God were to change our well-prepared plans so suddenly. But Joseph was ready to dance with God. When the angel revealed to him the pregnancy of Mary, he was quick to adapt himself to the plan of God. This faith was expressed not just in love but in obedience. He did not know what was ahead of him and Mary, but he walked in faith knowing that God would be faithful to them.
This faith is a courageous faith expressed in taking risks and facing the trials of life confidently. We know that when Mary was in her late stage of pregnancy they had to travel to Bethlehem on a donkey to register the child. When there was no place in the inn for Mary to give birth to the child, they made do with a manger. And when Herod was about to kill those infants below the age of two, Joseph brought Mary and the child Jesus to Egypt. Joseph was true to Mary and Jesus, faithful to them in his role as the protector. It is for this reason that Joseph has been given the title of Protector of the Church. Joseph was a loving and exemplary father, faithful to his work as a carpenter. Through his example, faith and charity, Jesus worked and learnt from him before His public ministry.
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of St Joseph, let us seek to imitate his faith, in believing the impossible by allowing God to love us. With the psalmist, we recall those times when we encountered God’s merciful love and care for us. “I will sing forever of your love, O Lord; through all ages my mouth will proclaim your truth. Of this I am sure, that your love lasts forever, that your truth is firmly established as the heavens. 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.” In faith, then, we want to show our gratitude to God for the gift His love for us. We seek to do His will and respond to His invitation to serve Him according to His love. Let us also in turn seek to be model workers and parents, like St Joseph. If our faith is real, it must be expressed in the way we love our spouse, children, elderly and our colleagues. May we be shining models of love, of faith, and of trust in God, especially in times of trials, difficulties and suffering.
Written by His Eminence, Cardinal William SC Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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