Focus on the church - Sunday, 18 March 2012

The Feast of St Joseph Sunday, 18 March 2012
In our Focus Programme we bring you the feast of St Joseph, Husband of Mary and Foster Father of Jesus and patron of the universal Church. At present there are two major feasts in his honour. On March 19 our veneration is directed to him personally and to his part in the work of redemption, while on May first we honour him as the patron of workmen throughout the world and as our guide in the difficult matter of establishing equitable norms regarding obligations and rights in the social order. The month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph. Everything we know about St Joseph comes from Scripture and that has seemed too little for those who made up legends about him. Not a single word spoken by him is recorded in the Bible. We know he was a carpenter by profession for the sceptical Nazarenes speak about Jesus that after all he was the carpenter's son. He wasn't rich for when he took Jesus to the Temple to be circumcised and Mary to be purified he offered the sacrifice of two turtledoves or a pair of pigeons, allowed only for those who could not afford a lamb. Despite his humble work and means, Joseph came from a royal lineage. The angel who first tells Joseph about Jesus greets him as "son of David," a royal title used also for Jesus.
In the infancy narratives of Jesus, Joseph is presented as a protector, care taker and guide. He takes care of Mary and Jesus, protects them in times of danger and is ready to risk his life for the safety of his family. St. Joseph, the spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was probably born in Bethlehem and according to the tradition died in Nazareth. His important mission in God's plan of salvation was to legally insert Jesus Christ into the line of David. Most of our information about St. Joseph comes from the opening two chapters of St. Matthew's Gospel. Luke and Matthew disagree some about the details of Joseph's genealogy but they both mark his descent from David. The darkest hours of his life may well have been those when he first learned of Mary's pregnancy; but precisely during this time of trial Joseph showed his nobility. His suffering, which likewise formed a part of the work of the redemption, was not without great providential import: Joseph was to be, for all times, the trustworthy witness of the Messiah's virgin birth. After this, he modestly retires into the background of Holy Scripture.
While contemplating on the life of St Joseph, we are able to see some of his outstanding virtues that have become an example to imitate. We know Joseph was a compassionate, caring man. When he discovered Mary was pregnant after they had been betrothed, he knew the child was not his but was as yet unaware that she was carrying the Son of God. He planned to divorce Mary according to the law but he was concerned for her suffering and safety. He knew that women accused to adultery could be stoned to death, so he decided to divorce her quietly and not expose her to shame or cruelty. He cared for the Son of God, despite Jesus not being his own biological Son. His devotion to Mary, despite his early difficulty in accepting her and his willingness to listen to the angel of God, demonstrates his humility. We know Joseph was man of faith, obedient to whatever God asked of him without knowing the outcome. When the angel came to Joseph in a dream and told him the truth about the child Mary was carrying, Joseph immediately and without question or concern for gossip, took Mary as his wife. When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back.
The extreme discretion with which Joseph carried out the role entrusted to him by God highlights his faith even more, which consisted in always listening to the Lord, seeking to understand his will and to obey it with his whole heart and strength. Holy Scripture proclaims him as a "just man," and the Church has turned to Joseph for his patronage and protection. In the words of Pope John Paul II "Saint Joseph was a just man, a tireless worker, the upright guardian of those entrusted to his care. May he always guard, protect and enlighten families." Reflecting on this theme, St Joseph the Just man, the Pope says that in the Gospel of Luke we are told that the Virgin Mary as "engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David". However it is the evangelist Matthew who gives the greatest prominence to the foster father of Jesus, pointing out that, through him, the Child was legally inserted in David's line and thus he realized the Scriptures, in which the Messiah was prophesied as the "son of David". "But Joseph's role certainly cannot be reduced to this aspect. As Matthew tells us that he is the model of the "just" man, who in perfect sympathy with his spouse, welcomes the Son of God made man and guards over his human growth. Thus every time we honour this great person it helps us to establish a deep level of spiritual conversation with St Joseph, because he helps us to live to the full this great mystery of faith.
Pope Benedict tells us that Blessed Pope John Paul II, who was very devoted to St Joseph, left us an awesome meditation dedicated to him in the Apostolic Exhortation "Guardian of the Redeemer". Among the many aspects it highlights, particular emphasis is placed on the silence of St Joseph. His is a silence permeated by contemplation of the mystery of God, in an attitude of total availability to his divine wishes. In other words, the silence of St Joseph was not the sign of an inner void, but on the contrary, of the fullness of faith he carried in his heart, and which guided each and every one of his thoughts and actions. A silence thanks to which Joseph, along with Mary, could be the guardian of the Word of God, known through the Sacred Scriptures, coming face to face with it continuously in the events of the life of Jesus; a silence interwoven with constant prayer, prayer of the blessing of the Lord, of adoration of his holy will and of unreserved trust in his providence. It is no exaggeration to say that it was from his 'father' Joseph that Jesus acquired – on the human level – that robust interiority which presupposes authentic justice, the "superior justice" which He would one day teach to his disciples. We have much need of this silence in a world which is often too noisy, which does not encourage reflection and listening to the voice of God.
We know Joseph loved Jesus. His one concern was for the safety of this child entrusted to him. Not only did he leave his home to protect Jesus, but upon his return settled in the obscure town of Nazareth out of fear for his life. When Jesus stayed in the Temple we are told that Joseph along with Mary searched with great anxiety for three days for him. We also know that Joseph treated Jesus as his own son for over and over the people of Nazareth say of Jesus, "Is this not the son of Joseph?" People would have been aware of the closeness of Jesus to his father, Joseph. At the same time we know how much Joseph respected God. He followed God's commands in handling the situation with Mary and going to Jerusalem to have Jesus circumcised and Mary purified after Jesus' birth. We are told that he took his family to Jerusalem every year for Passover, something that could not have been easy for a working man.
About St. Joseph's death too the Bible is totally silent. There are indications, however, that he died before Jesus began his Public Ministry. His was the most beautiful death that one could have, in the arms of Jesus and Mary. The Church has made St Joseph the patron of the dying because, assuming he died before Jesus' public life, he died with Jesus and Mary close to him, the way we all would like to leave this earth. Humbly and unknown, he passed his years at Nazareth, silent and almost forgotten he remained in the background through centuries of Church history. We find no devotion to St. Joseph in the early Church. It was the will of God that the Virgin Birth of Our Lord be first firmly impressed upon the minds of the faithful. He was later venerated by the great saints of the middle Ages. Only in more recent times has he been accorded greater honour. He reveals to us the perfect model of Christianity through his purity of heart, patience, and fortitude. Poor in worldly possessions, he was rich in grace.
St Joseph is essentially remembered as the head of the Holy Family. The Church specially observes this feast soon after the Nativity of Jesus to indicate its primacy in the Church. The Church responds with great dignity and affection to the Christian family and calls it a miniature church. It is the origin and source of one’s faith and belief in the triune God. Our Christian families draw the example from the Holy Family of Nazareth. We have the three prominent figures here: Joseph, Mary and Jesus. The recollection of Joseph, Mary and Jesus' on this day makes us aware of our Christian mission of solidarity and love. This feast day also affords an opportunity for the renewal of our trust in the patronage of the Holy Family of Nazareth. The observance of the custom of blessing the children as provided in the ritual and where opportune, for the renewal of marriage vows taken by the spouses on their wedding day are strength to our Christian families.
Devotion to St. Joseph developed slowly, more slowly than devotion to Mary. The devotion seems to have begun in the East, with the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter between the 4^th and 7th century playing a major role in fostering the devotion. The Copts likely kept his feast as early as the 4th century. In one of the oldest Coptic calendars we possess, St. Joseph was commemorated on July 20. In later Greek calendars, he is remembered on either December 25 or December 26. In the West, devotion to Joseph developed more slowly, with its earliest promoters being St. Bernardino of Siena and John Gerson. The theological foundations they set paved the way for the establishment of the Feast of St. Joseph.
Liturgical veneration of St. Joseph began in the fifteenth century. This was fostered by Sts. Brigit of Sweden and Bernadine of Siena, St. Teresa of Avila and St. Francis De Sales who were known for their strong devotion to St. Joseph. However the feast of St. Joseph did not enter the Western calendar until 1479. In 1714 Pope Clement XI composed a special office for the feast, and in 1729 Pope Benedict XIII inserted his name into the litany of the saints. Pope Pius IX declared him patron of the universal Church in 1870 and declared him patron and protector of the universal family of the Church. In 1955 the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker was promulgated by Pope Pius XII, observed to be on May first. This feast celebrated on the May first was to counter the Communist May Day celebration, by offering a Christian view of labour, and presenting the prime example in Joseph the Carpenter and worker. In 1962 his name was added to the list of saints in the Roman Canon in the First Eucharistic Prayer by Pope John XXIII.
The Catholic Church honours him as its Patron and as the Patron of all workers. There are many stories about the miraculous intervention of Saint Joseph. One is a medieval account of how a famine in Sicily was ended after a Novena to Saint Joseph. A more recent story is of the mysterious "itinerant carpenter" who volunteered to build an architecturally unique spiral staircase in a convent chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, which is as sound today as when it was first built, and has never needed repair. The Carpenter never collected his due nor was he seen again. According to ancient tradition, Saint Joseph watches over and protects the Church. He is considered the model of perfect Christian life and his patronage extends over the Mystical Body of Christ, over the Christian family and schools, carpenters, fathers, labourers, and all individuals who appeal to his charity and intercession, especially at the hour of death.
Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical On the Devotion to St. Joseph in 1889 explains why we place so much trust in this saint: "Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honour, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men. Hence it came about that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him, and that He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their parents. From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ."
One hundred years later Pope John Paul II echoes the same thoughts in his 1989 Apostolic Exhortation, Guardian of the Redeemer, hoping "that all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in love for the Saviour whom he served in such an exemplary manner ... In this way the whole Christian people not only will turn to St. Joseph with greater fervour and invoke his patronage with trust, but also will always keep before their eyes his humble, mature way of serving and of "taking part" in the plan of salvation." St. Joseph is invoked as patron for many causes. He is the patron of the Universal Church. He is the patron of the dying because Jesus and Mary were at his death-bed. He is also the patron of fathers, of carpenters, and of social justice. Many religious orders and communities are placed under his patronage.
Despite the attention given to him today, Saint Joseph is very much a minor figure in the New Testament. Relatively little is known about the life of St. Joseph except for what is written in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. Though St. Joseph was descended from royalty, it was not a title to rank or riches. The home of Nazareth is the school where we begin to understand the life of Jesus - the school of the Gospel. First we have the lesson of silence. Their silence is prayer. Mary kept all things in her heart and contemplated over them. Joseph would also have kept all the working of God n his life and in his silence contemplated over them. Secondly, it teaches us the lesson on family life namely, the communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character.
The Church encourages us to be devoted to Joseph because he was a model in the heroic practice of all the virtues. The example of virtuous living that he gave in the exact fulfilment of the duties of his state of life is worthy of our reflection. He was prudent in caring for his wife and the child; he showed great leadership in protecting them and assisting them. He was religious in every sense, with that delicacy and sincerity of conscience that is proper to the saints of God. He was just in his dealings with God and man. He was conspicuous for his fortitude and courage. He was truly outstanding in the practice of virginal chastity. More: he protected and defended Mary's virtue in the time of courtship and all during their life together. Time and again the Church has made it clear that Joseph is not a saint for only a certain number of souls, but that he can help all men.
Fr Eugene Lobo S.J.