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“Joseph's Dream”
by Gaetano Gandolfi, 1790 |
Readings for the Solemnity of Saint Joseph [2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [3]
Readings and Commentary: [4]
Reading 1: 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
The Lord spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
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Commentary on 2 Sm 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Within the historical books of the Old Testament (1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, 1 and 2 Maccabees), this passage is considered to have the most theological significance. Nathan’s oracle, the establishment of the dynasty of king David, marks the beginning of the understanding of royal messianism, our first hint of the Messiah to come.
In this passage, Nathan is told by God to tell David that, while he would not build the temple, his son (Solomon) would, and that his (David’s) line would continue: “Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.”
CCC: 2 Sm 7 709; 2 Sm 7:14 238, 441
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
R. (37) The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the Lord I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever";
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
"He shall say of me, 'You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.'
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm."
R. The son of David will live for ever.
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Commentary on Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
Though Psalm 89 is a lament, this first section is prophetic and reiterates the establishment of the Davidic dynasty. The intended support for 2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-12, 14a, 16 is clear. It is likely this hymn was sung entreating God and reminding the people of the covenant between God and David to “establish your throne for all generations.”
CCC: Ps 89 709
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Reading II: Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
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Commentary on Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
St. Paul continues his discourse on justification through faith. He reconciles Jewish history as it applies to Gentiles. He reasserts that Abraham was given the promise, not because of adherence to the law, but because of God’s love. By defining God’s people as the descendants of Abraham, he includes all peoples in the inheritance of Christ. This reconciliation is through faith, not the Law of Moses, and not simply heritage. In an intense theological statement, St. Paul states that the law has the negative function of bringing deep-seated rebellion against God to the surface in specific sins.
CCC: Rom 4:16-21 706, 2572; Rom 4:17 298; Rom 4:18-21 723; Rom 4:18 146, 165, 1819
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Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
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Commentary on Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a
This section of the nativity narrative from St. Matthew’s Gospel tells the story of Joseph’s dilemma. He is required by Mosaic Law to file a petition of divorce in front of witnesses. He had resigned himself to this course of action, when he had a dream in which an angel came to him and told him of the origins of the child Mary bore. For his part, Joseph accepted the message and did as the Lord commanded. (See also commentary on Matthew 1: 18-25 below.)
“Joseph, the tsaddiq or pious Jew, finds himself before a God who seems to contradict himself, just as he did when he asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the only son of the promise. We are always compelled to read anew the deeds of God in our lives. His justice and righteousness are inseparable from a hidden inventiveness whose logic cannot be codified once and for all. ‘To make an example of by punishing publicly’ is the full connotation of the verb δειματίσαι in the legal context in which it appears here, and it is the verb that describes the procedure prescribed by Jewish law for one convicted of adultery. But what Joseph did not want to do with Mary in literal obedience to the Jewish law, God, in a sense, did with her, only in an unexpected way. The Gospel here proposes Mary as the example of how the God-fearing person ought to behave when approached by a God who always has unfathomable reasons for acting as he does. The depth of Mary’s obedience, thus ‘exposed’ by God, ought to convert our disobedience by the sheer force of its radiance! What Joseph did decide to do was λάθϱᾳ ἀπολῦσαι, to ‘dismiss’ or ‘divorce her secretly’.” [5]
CCC: Mt 1:16 437; Mt 1:18-25 497; Mt 1:20 333, 437, 486, 497; Mt 1:21 430, 437, 452, 1507, 1846, 2666, 2812
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Or: Luke 2:41-51a
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
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Commentary on Lk 2:41-51a
From the Gospel of St. Luke, we have the story of Jesus in the temple. It is significant from a number of perspectives. First, the story breaks scriptural silence regarding the “lost years” of Jesus’ growth from infancy to adulthood. This story says Jesus is twelve; that would be the time when he would have celebrated his bar miswah. He would have been considered a man.
This story is at odds with the apocryphal gospels (such as the Gospel of St. Thomas) that attributed many miracles to Jesus during his early years. This story paints his childhood as fairly normal. The implication, based on Joseph and Mary’s reaction to Jesus' actions in the temple, is that they do not completely understand their son’s mission at this point in his life.
With reference to St. Joseph, this passage is the first time God, not St. Joseph, is identified as the father of Jesus. It is also the last time in Scripture he is mentioned. He does, however receive a great tribute as the Lord Jesus returns home with him and is obedient to him (“He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them”).
CCC: Lk 2:41-52 534; Lk 2:41 583; Lk 2:46-49 583; Lk 2:48-49 503; Lk 2:49 2599; Lk 2:51-52 531; Lk 2:51 517, 2196, 2599
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Reflection:
In 2020, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, Pope Francis proclaimed a special “Year of St. Joseph.” We took the opportunity during this focused time to pray for his intercession as the devoted earthly guardian of our beloved Savior.
The options for the gospel readings give us both ends of Joseph’s involvement in the life of Christ and two different images to ponder. The dots are all connected in terms of salvation history tumbling down from Abraham to David to Joseph. We are all part of the drama that unfolds as the Messiah is born and raised by earthly parents as true man, born of woman.
Of all the roles played by God’s instruction in Christ’s life, St. Joseph is least mentioned, but, like the cotter pin that holds together two great weights, his understated presence is critical to fulfilling the prophecy. He is, as we hear in Matthew, of the line of David and he continues, through his foster son Jesus, the messianic promise.
His role for us is one of the persons who, despite social pressure, does the right thing without fanfare. In all humility, he does what God asks. He is the faithful father who works in obscurity to provide for his family. His contribution to the whole may only be seen by inference. The son he helped to raise fulfilled his destiny, as bittersweet as that was.
One of the things that sets Catholics apart from our Protestant brethren is our strong affinity to the saints. They have a difficult time understanding. If you are ever asked: “Why do you pray to Mary (or Joseph, or Cyril, etc.)?” Your first answer should be: “We don’t. We ask them to intercede for us, but we pray only to God through Christ.”
We look to the saints for a couple of reasons. The first of these is for the reason mentioned above, intercession. We believe that people recognized by the Church as having a special place in the communion of saints, have a special place in heaven (this is supported by Scripture). And because of their unique status, having places of honor in the kingdom of heaven, they are in a position to petition God the Father on our behalf. We believe this to be so because one of the attributes of the saints is that they were some of the best examples of how a person might live a life of faith. And a big part of that faith is compassion and love for all humankind.
The second reason we have such reverence for the saints is that they provide us with examples of faith that are real to us. We can understand a St. Joseph whose principal merit was to provide a human father figure for Jesus as he grew up. That sacrifice and love earned him a special place in the heart of the Church and a special significance for all fathers who adopt children or provide that role for them without a biological connection.
We love what Pope John Paul the Great said of St. Joseph in his daily meditations: “What emanates from the figure of Saint Joseph is faith. Joseph of Nazareth is a ‘just man’ because he totally ‘lives by faith.’ He is holy because his faith is truly heroic.” And we, whose faith is often challenged, need heroes.
Today we end with the prayer of St. Joseph:
Almighty God, you entrusted to the faithful care of Joseph the beginnings of the mysteries of man's salvation. Through his intercession may your Church and her pontiff always be faithful in her service so that your designs will be fulfilled. Amen
Pax
Stations of the Cross
In other years on this date: Tuesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
[1] Catechism links are taken from the
Homiletic Directory, Published by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 29 June 2014.
[2] The picture used is “Joseph's Dream” by Gaetano Gandolfi, 1790.
[3] S.S. Commemoratio[4] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.
[5] Fire of Mercy Heart of the Word Volume I, Erasmo Leiva-Merikakis, Ignatius Press, San Francisco, CA, © 1996 p. 65.
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