Saint Joseph
Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
19 March 2018
‘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; if he does evil, I will punish him with the rod such as men use, with strokes such as mankind gives. Yet I will not withdraw my favour from him, as I withdrew it from your predecessor. Your House and your sovereignty will always stand secure before me and your throne be established for ever.”’
| Second reading Romans 4:13,16-18,22 |
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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.’
Every year the parents of Jesus used to go to Jerusalem for the feast of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up for the feast as usual. When they were on their way home after the feast, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem without his parents knowing it. They assumed he was with the caravan, and it was only after a day’s journey that they went to look for him among their relations and acquaintances. When they failed to find him they went back to Jerusalem looking for him everywhere.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.
Three days later, they found him in the Temple, sitting among the doctors, listening to them, and asking them questions; and all those who heard him were astounded at his intelligence and his replies. They were overcome when they saw him, and his mother said to him, ‘My child, why have, you done this to us? See how worried your father and I have been, looking for you.’
‘Why were you looking for me?’ he replied. ‘Did you not know that I must be busy with my Father’s affairs?’ But they did not understand what he meant.
He then went down with them and came to Nazareth and lived under their authority.
Reflection
By Pietro S. Albano
Opposition does not only happen outside the home. I note how the young Thomas Aquinas' decision to become a Dominican was met with strong opposition by his family. They were pining for him to be a Benedictine because his uncle Sinibald was abbot of the local Benedictine abbey at that time. While drinking from a spring on his way to Rome, his brothers captured and imprisoned him for a year in their parents' castle. Such 'house arrest', the family hoped, would dissuade Thomas from joining the mendicant order. So much was their desperation that two brothers even hired a prostitute. Story has it that Thomas drove the woman away holding a fiery iron. Eventually, they yielded to Thomas' plan.
In today's Gospel, Joseph and Mary were making sense of the young Jesus' decision to stay behind to be up and about in His Father's affairs. Although they know their son and His future mission, His action at a tender age came as a shock. I guess this has been a common experience among parents. My mother was totally supportive of my active involvement in church during my teenage years. However, she started to notice how frequently I have been coming home very late at night (or very early in the morning). One time she had had enough. She warned me that if I do it again, she will tell me to my father. While I got a verbal warning, some of my confreres were either subjected to curfew or grounded by their parents. We all learned our lesson and became conscious of their concern, of striking a balance between study, apostolate, and home. Eventually, our parents understood our involvement in church.
Like St Joseph let us strive to remain grounded in God's grace so that we may become more supportive and understanding of our youth who, like the young Jesus, are slowly discovering the purpose of their life. Let us also entrust the youth to St Joseph's care that they too may imitate Jesus whose obedience made Him truly grounded, i.e. sensible, realistic, unpretentious.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, You call each of us to a particular vocation. Through the intercession of St Joseph, open our hearts to respond to You and to be an inspiration to others, especially our young people. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Opposition does not only happen outside the home. I note how the young Thomas Aquinas' decision to become a Dominican was met with strong opposition by his family. They were pining for him to be a Benedictine because his uncle Sinibald was abbot of the local Benedictine abbey at that time. While drinking from a spring on his way to Rome, his brothers captured and imprisoned him for a year in their parents' castle. Such 'house arrest', the family hoped, would dissuade Thomas from joining the mendicant order. So much was their desperation that two brothers even hired a prostitute. Story has it that Thomas drove the woman away holding a fiery iron. Eventually, they yielded to Thomas' plan.
In today's Gospel, Joseph and Mary were making sense of the young Jesus' decision to stay behind to be up and about in His Father's affairs. Although they know their son and His future mission, His action at a tender age came as a shock. I guess this has been a common experience among parents. My mother was totally supportive of my active involvement in church during my teenage years. However, she started to notice how frequently I have been coming home very late at night (or very early in the morning). One time she had had enough. She warned me that if I do it again, she will tell me to my father. While I got a verbal warning, some of my confreres were either subjected to curfew or grounded by their parents. We all learned our lesson and became conscious of their concern, of striking a balance between study, apostolate, and home. Eventually, our parents understood our involvement in church.
Like St Joseph let us strive to remain grounded in God's grace so that we may become more supportive and understanding of our youth who, like the young Jesus, are slowly discovering the purpose of their life. Let us also entrust the youth to St Joseph's care that they too may imitate Jesus whose obedience made Him truly grounded, i.e. sensible, realistic, unpretentious.
Heavenly Father, You call each of us to a particular vocation. Through the intercession of St Joseph, open our hearts to respond to You and to be an inspiration to others, especially our young people. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
First reading Isaiah 35:1-6,10 