ST JOSEPH & THE MESSENGER

j. rodrigues:  Many writings on St. Joseph make reference to his silence, as not a single spoken word by him is recorded in the Scriptures. Many of us would have liked some sort of Fiat or Canticle from St. Joseph, since even Zechariah, who at first doubted the angel’s words (Lk. 1:11-19,) has a song of praise after the birth of his son (Lk. 1:68-79.) However, until the birth, Zechariah was made mute for his disbelief, whereas when the angel appeared to St. Joseph, his silence was not a chastisement but his own choice. 

If we read carefully, St. Joseph actually has a lot to say to us – not in his words but in his deeds. Each time the angel instructed him, revealing God’s Will through his dreams, immediately upon waking he responded in action. He did not waste time in questions and wondering, but obeyed and acted as God wanted. St. Francis of Assisi once said, “Proclaim the Gospel always, if necessary use words.” Joseph did this long before St. Francis' observation. He may have had a verbal Fiat (“Let it be done unto me”) or Magnificat (“My soul magnifies the Lord,") but his words were not recorded for us. 

The Lord did not include St. Joseph’s actual words in the Scriptures, choosing instead to give us his example of quiet contemplation and perfect obedience – a total submission to God’s Will. His actions are his “Fiat” and his “Magnificat," and for many of us who are “all talk," the Lord gives us the silent but active example of St. Joseph – who wasn’t “all talk," but a man of action, ready and willing to serve his Lord.

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: 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.

St. Alphonsus Liguori: Consider the ready obedience of St. Joseph, who raised no doubts about the time of the journey, nor about the manner of travelling, nor about the place in Egypt in which they were to stay, but immediately prepared to set out. He instantly makes known to Mary the command of the angel, and on the same night sets out without guide on a journey of 400 miles through mountains, across rugged roads and deserts. … How much St. Joseph must have suffered on the journey into Egypt in seeing the sufferings of Jesus and Mary! … Joseph was indeed conformed in all things to the will of the Eternal Father, but his tender and loving heart could not but feel pain in seeing the Son of God trembling and weeping from cold and the other hardships which He experienced on that hard journey.

Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, and take the child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” So he arose and took the child and his mother, and went into the land of Israel. - St. Matthew 2:19-22

Blessed Pope John Paul II:  And so Jesus' way back to Nazareth from Bethlehem passed through Egypt. Just as Israel had followed the path of the exodus "from the condition of slavery" in order to begin the Old Covenant, so Joseph, guardian and cooperator in the providential mystery of God, even in exile watched over the one who brings about the New Covenant.

But hearing that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, Joseph was afraid to go there; and being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee.  And he went to a town called Nazareth. - St. Matthew 2:22-23

j. rodrigues:  This passage from Matthew (2:22-23) is often passed over quickly without a word or thought, but I believe that even this scene merits mention. In it we find that Joseph is afraid to return to Judea with his family, fearing that Herod’s successor would seek to destroy his Son. Though St. Joseph has faith he still has a temporal fear which is a part of the human condition and the Heavenly Father understands this. So once again He sends His messenger to instruct Joseph on what he is to do. This mention of Joseph’s fear speaks volumes not only about our human frailties but also of God’s compassion. The Heavenly Father allows Joseph to have, to a certain extent, self reliance even if it allows for him to fear. But the Lord is merciful, and so He sends his messenger to advise Joseph on the course he should take, to bring his family safely out of exile. -

 

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI: Select Words on St Joseph

26 March 2011:  On the day of my election, I presented myself with conviction as “a humble worker in the Lord’s vineyard”, and today, together with you, I want to remember all workers and entrust them to the protection of St Joseph the worker.

19 March 2011:  St. Joseph, my personal patron and the patron of the Holy Church is a humble saint, a humble worker, who was made worthy to be the guardian of the Redeemer. St. Matthew characterizes St. Joseph with one word: "He was a just man," … and in the Old Testament, as we find it for example in Psalm 1, "just" is the man who is immersed in the Word of God, who lives in the Word of God, who lives the Law … as a "joy", who lives - we could say - the Law as "Gospel." St. Joseph was just, he was immersed in the Word of God, written, transmitted in the wisdom of his people, and precisely in this way was prepared and called to know the Incarnate Word - the Word who came among us as a man - and predestined to care for, to protect this Incarnate Word; this remains his mission forever: to care for the Holy Church and Our Lord. We entrust ourselves in this moment to his care, we pray that he help us in our humble service. We go forward in courage under this protection.

19 December 2010:  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.

5 July 2010:  The espousals between Joseph and Mary are an episode of great importance. Joseph was of the royal line of David and, in virtue of his marriage to Mary, would confer on the Son of the Virgin - on God's Son - the legal tile of "Son of David," thus fulfilling the prophecies. The espousals of Joseph and Mary are, because of this, a human event, but determinant in the history of humanity's salvation, in the realization of the promises of God; because of this, it also has a supernatural connotation, which the two protagonists accept with humility and trust.

5 July 2010:  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.

19 March 2009:  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.

18 March 2009:  Joseph teaches us that it is possible to love without possessing. In contemplating Joseph, all men and women can, by God’s grace, come to experience healing from their emotional wounds, if only they embrace the plan that God has begun to bring about in those close to him, just as Joseph entered into the work of redemption through Mary and as a result of what God had already done in her.

18 March 2009:  There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world, “of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24).

19 March 2006:  The Gospel of Matthew highlights in a special way the messianic prophecies which found their fulfillment through St. Joseph’s role: the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (2:13-15); the byname "Nazarene" (2:22-23). In all this he showed himself, as his spouse Mary, authentic heir of Abraham’s faith: faith in God who guides the events of history according to His mysterious salvific plan. Joseph’s greatness, like Mary’s, stands out even more because his mission was developed in humility and in the hiddenness of the house of Nazareth. Moreover, God himself, in the person of His incarnate Son, chose this way and style of life in His earthly existence. From the example of St. Joseph we all receive a strong invitation to develop with fidelity, simplicity and modesty, the task that providence has assigned to us. I am thinking above all of fathers and mothers of families, and I pray that they will always be able to appreciate the beauty of a simple and industrious life, cultivating the conjugal relationship with care and fulfilling with enthusiasm the great and not easy educational mission.

18 December 2005:  I would like to turn my gaze to the figure of St. Joseph. In today's Gospel 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. 

Click HERE to read the Entrustments to St Joseph
made during the pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI

HAPPY FATHERS DAY ST JOSEPH

I wish to extend a particular word of encouragement to fathers so that they may take Saint Joseph as their model. He who kept watch over the Son of Man is able to teach them the deepest meaning of their own fatherhood. In the same way, each father receives his children from God, and they are created in God’s own image and likeness. Saint Joseph was the spouse of Mary. In the same way, each father sees himself entrusted with the mystery of womanhood through his own wife. Dear fathers, like Saint Joseph, respect and love your spouse; and by your love and your wise presence, lead your children to God where they must be (Lk 2:49.)

- Pope Benedict XVI,
  19 March 2009

There is but one fatherhood, that of God the Father, the one Creator of the world,“of all that is seen and unseen”. Yet man, created in the image of God, has been granted a share in this one paternity of God (cf. Eph 3:15). Saint Joseph is a striking case of this, since he is a father, without fatherhood according to the flesh. He is not the biological father of Jesus, whose Father is God alone, and yet he lives his fatherhood fully and completely. To be a father means above all to be at the service of life and growth. Saint Joseph, in this sense, gave proof of great devotion. For the sake of Christ he experienced persecution, exile and the poverty which this entails. He had to settle far from his native town. His only reward was to be with Christ. His readiness to do all these things illustrates the words of Saint Paul: “It is Christ the Lord whom you serve” (Col 3:24). 

- Pope Benedict XVI