“…He was a righteous man”
In this Sunday’s Gospel, St. Joseph is the central figure and a virtuous example for all of us. As the husband of Mary and soon to be stepfather of our Lord, he took on all the responsibilities of the head of a family. More importantly, he had the privilege of being the earthly head of the holiest family ever. We honor Saint Joseph for his responsibility, humility, and devotion to God.
Who was St. Joseph? Everything we know of St. Joseph comes from Scripture. The Gospel’s of both Matthew and Luke trace Joseph’s lineage back to King David. Why is that important? This is important because it fulfills God’s promise to David that He would establish His kingdom with his own flesh and blood. [1]
Joseph was a simple carpenter who worked hard and earned a modest wage. We see in the Gospel that he was betrothed to Mary but planned on breaking off their marriage due to her pregnancy. However, Joseph believes the angel of the Lord who appears to him, choosing to take Mary as his wife and raise the Son of God. We are unsure when Joseph died, but the Church teaches that he had passed before the Crucifixion. Joseph is not mentioned in any of the Gospels as being present at the Crucifixion. While on the Cross, Jesus tells John “Behold your mother” and we are told “from that hour the disciple took her into his own.” [2] If Joseph were still living, Jesus would not have given Mary’s care over to St. John. The Church sees this act of giving Mary to St. John as his mother and giving John to Mary as her son as the giving of Mary as mother to all disciples. Thus we dare to call the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church.
Why would St. Joseph divorce Mary? Joseph is described in the Gospel as a righteous man, a devout observer of the Mosaic Law. [3] According to the Law, he and Mary’s betrothal was the first binding step in their marriage. Once Mary was found to be with child, Joseph made the compassionate decision to divorce her quietly and save her from a shameful exposition. He knew if he were to expose Mary in public that she could be held to a trial and possibly stoned to death. This was his intention until the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
Why did St. Joseph choose to believe his dream? St. Joseph believes his dream because the angel echoes Isaiah “She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. [4] Mary is the fulfillment of a prophecy that Joseph would have known, being a devout Jew. However, even Satan can quote scripture. It is ultimately St. Joseph’s humility and faith in God that gives him the wisdom to accept and follow the angel’s orders. Joseph was a “son of David,” and would have been familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy that the Messiah would come from the “house of David.” Joseph had confidence that God had a plan for his life. He participated with God’s plan in two important ways: by lifting his mind to God in prayer and by constant hope and trust in God’s plan no matter how strange it might seem.
How do we know for sure God has a plan for us? We know with confidence that God has a plan for our lives because He tells us that he does. “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” [5] Psalm 16 reads, “O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup; it is you yourself who are my prize. The lot marked out for me is my delight: welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!” [6] God’s plan for each of us is to attain heaven and eternal union with Him. We reach that goal by the unique heritage and path that God has set out for each of us. We can take Saint Joseph as an example of living a life through obedience and trust in the plan God has marked out.
How did St. Joseph follow through with the dream? Saint Joseph followed through with immediate obedience to the commands of his dream. We live in a society today that preaches the value of individuality, freedom, and independence in our actions. On the contrary, the more obedient we are to God means the more freedom we have, the more we truly know ourselves, and the holier we can be. This is because He is our designer who knows best how we are to achieve the purpose he made us for. When a commander of an army gives an order to his troops, they will follow it blindly. Why? Because those troops know and trust their superior to do what is best for them. We understand that God’s plans for us do not only affect us, but those God has placed in our care. In the case of Saint Joseph, God’s plans for his life also affected the lives of our Blessed Mother and of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
We can learn a great deal from St. Joseph just by seeing his actions. Saint Matthew tells us, “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him...” [7] St. Joseph did not wake up and begin to question it for days on end wondering if this was to be done or not. He got up and immediately acted.
How did St. Joseph respond to God’s call for his life? St. Joseph responded by immediately doing what was asked of him, St. Joseph fulfilled his life’s mission, his vocation. We are all born into this world with a specific purpose, a vocation from God that only we can do to the fullest. “Joseph fully accepted his vocation, to which he was remain faithful until death. His worldly mission was to be the head of the Holy Family.” [8] In 1870, Pope Pius IX decreed that we should honor St. Joseph with the prestigious title, patron of the Catholic Church. [9] St. Joseph is also recognized as the patron of fathers, expecting mothers, travelers, against doubt and hesitation, workers (in particular carpenters), and of the dying. In May of 2013 Saint Joseph, spouse of Mary, was added to Eucharistic Prayers II, III, and IV. “The faithful in the Catholic Church have shown continuous devotion to Saint Joseph and have solemnly and constantly honored his memory as the most chaste spouse of the Mother of God and as the heavenly Patron of the universal Church. For this reason Blessed Pope John XXIII, in the days of the Most Holy Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, decreed that Saint Joseph’s name be added to the ancient Roman Canon. In response to petitions received from places throughout the world, the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI deemed them worthy of implementation and graciously approved them. The Supreme Pontiff Francis likewise has recently confirmed them. In this the Pontiffs had before their eyes the full communion of the Saints who, once pilgrims in this world, now lead us to Christ and unite us with him.” [10]
STORY – Saint Placid [11]
Once while Saint Benedict was in his room, one of his monks, the boy Placid, went down to get some water. In letting the bucket fill too rapidly, he lost his balance and was pulled into the lake, where the current quickly seized him and carried him about a stone's throw from the shore.
Though inside the monastery at the time, the man of God [Benedict] was instantly aware of what had happened and called out to Maurus: "Hurry, Brother Maurus! The boy who just went down for water has fallen into the lake, and the current is carrying him away."
Maurus asked for the blessing and on receiving it hurried out to fulfill his abbot's command. He kept on running even over the water till he reached the place where Placid was drifting along helplessly. Pulling him up by the hair, Maurus rushed back to shore, still under the impression that he was on dry land. It was only when he set foot on the ground that he came to himself and looking back, realized that he had been running on the surface of the water. Overcome with fear and amazement at a deed he would never have thought possible, he returned to his abbot and told him what had taken place.
The holy man would not take any personal credit for the deed but attributed it to the obedience of his disciple. Maurus, on the contrary, claimed that it was due entirely to his abbot's command. In this story God performed a miracle because of a holy command (Saint Benedict) and holy obedience (Saint Maurus). The actions of both Saint Benedict (abbot) and Saint Maurus (monk) reflect the fruits of following a rule of life. Saint Benedict’s rule states, “To obey in all things the commands of the abbot, even though he himself should act otherwise.” [12] To live this rule means that each monk must have trust and obedience and each abbot must be prayerful to know God’s will and courageous to command God’s will. In our life we will be put in charge of others as well as be in the charge of others, in both cases the virtue of obedience is necessary.
How can I be more obedient to God? How can I be more obedient to my parents and other authority figures in my life? When have I, like Saint Maurus, been obedient without hesitation, without questions, what was the result?
Search: Obedience
Why would St. Joseph be the patron of the dying? Since St. Joseph died before Jesus’ ministry, we believe that St. Joseph died with Jesus and Mary by his side. This is the way we all would like to leave this earth, in the grace and presence of our Lord and our Mother. Those who are blessed to receive the Last Rites of the Church have both our Lady and our Lord with them as they breathe their last. We know from the Gospel that St. Joseph lead a righteous life, so he must have been at peace when he died. There is a prayer in the Church called, Prayer for a Happy Death. It seems to be a strange thing to pray for until you understand that the focus of this prayer is really not on death but on life. “O God, Who hast doomed all men to die, but hast concealed from all the hour of their death, grant that I may pass my days in the practice of holiness and justice, and that I may deserve to quit this world in peace of a good conscience, and in the embraces of Thy love. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
What does this prayer for a happy death tell us about how we should live life? In this prayer, we ask that God allow us to live our lives in the practice of holiness and justice. We should want to have the peace of good conscience. Saint Paul tells us, “The sun must not go down on your wrath; do not give the devil a chance to work on you.” [13] In other words, we should be at peace with our conscience and not want to go to bed, let alone die, without examining our conscience and working out the problems, anxieties, and sins that are in us.
[1] 2 Samuel 7:12-17
[2] John 19:27
[3] NAB pg. 12 Matthew’s Gospel
[4] Isaiah 7:12
[5] Jeremiah 29:11
[6] Psalm 16; Thursday Night Prayer; The Liturgy of the Hours
[7] Matthew 1:24
[8] In Conversation with God pg. 162
[9] http://www.frtommylane.com/homilies/year_a/advent4.htm
[10] Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 1 May 2013
[11] Life of Saint Benedict from the Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great
[12] Rule of Saint Benedict
[13] Ephesians 4:26-27