St. Joseph is presented as a “just man” (Matthew 1:19), faithful to God’s law, ready to do His will. On account of this he enters into the mystery of the Incarnation after an angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and tells him: "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife with you. In fact the child that has been conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit; she will give birth to a son and you will call him Jesus: he in fact will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20-21). Forgetting the thought of repudiating Mary in secret, he takes her in because his eyes now see the work of God in her.
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus, 19 December 2010
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I would like to turn my gaze to the figure of St. Joseph. St. Luke presents the Virgin Mary as "a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David" (Lk 1: 27). The Evangelist Matthew, however, places a greater emphasis on the putative father of Jesus, stressing that through him the Child belonged legally to the lineage of David and thus fulfilled the Scriptural prophecy that the Messiah would be a "Son of David". But Joseph's role cannot be reduced to this legal aspect. He was the model of a "just" man (Mt 1: 19) who, in perfect harmony with his wife, welcomed the Son of God made man and watched over his human growth. It is therefore particularly appropriate to establish a sort of spiritual conversation with St. Joseph, so that he may help us live to the full this great mystery of faith.
Pope Benedict XVI
Angelus Message, 18 December 2005
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The Gospel, as we know, has not kept any word from Joseph, who carries out his activity in silence. It is the style that characterizes his whole existence, both before finding himself before the mystery of God's action in his spouse, as well as when - conscious of this mystery - he is with Mary in the Nativity. On that holy night, in Bethlehem, with Mary and the Child, is Joseph, to whom the Heavenly Father entrusted the daily care of his Son on earth, a care carried out with humility and in silence.
Pope Benedict XVI
Vatican Gardens, 5 July 2010
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Each
and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son
and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of
Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph,
that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or
hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to
set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived
by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and
thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph
as an example and model of love for Him.
Pope Benedict XVI
Yaoundé, Cameroon, 19 March 2009
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Apostolate of St Joseph
Prince of the Church
