March 19, 2004 - Friday

SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, Patron of the Church

Readings:
2 S 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22;
Lk 2:41-51 (Listen to MP3 - The boy Jesus at the temple)

Introduction

Today’s gospel calls Joseph “a just man.” It is a title that the scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments give to people who try to live according to God’s plans. Indeed, he played an important role in God’s plan of salvation; God entrusted our Savior, Jesus, to his care. He experienced that his important role brought him many difficulties, but he stood the test and served God well, as a man of faith, generous, and indeed “just.”

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
you entrusted your Son Jesus
to the dedicated care of St. Joseph.
Give us the faith of this just man,
the patron of your Church,
that we may always listen to you,
and serve you in everything you ask of us
also when we do not understand
where you are leading us.

Make us live close to your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: 2 S 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.'"

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 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.

Second Reading: Rom 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.

Gospel Reading: Lk 2:41-51 (Listen to MP3 - The boy Jesus at the temple)

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, he went up with them according to the custom for this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem and his parents did not know it.

They thought he was in the company and after walking the whole day they looked for him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for him, and on the third day they found him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at his understanding and his answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw him and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for you." Then he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Do you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" But they did not understand this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and he continued to be subject to them. As for his mother, she kept all these things in her heart.

Commentary

A friend who was having a lot of trouble with his family said to me once, "St. Joseph must have been the greatest man who ever lived!" I asked why. "Because he never said a word! When Mary told him she was expecting a baby: not a word! When the child got lost in the Temple: not a word!" Silence comes hard to my friend-but he knows it, and there lies his hope.

It may be a bit of a cliché to say that fathers are great when they can be strong silent types. It would have to be the silence of wisdom, though-not a sullen or a disengaged kind of silence. "Your father and I," said Mary. To many children those words mean that they are being ganged-up on. But in the right atmosphere those same words can convey a sense that the world is not all rupture and discord and violence as on TV. To speak with one voice to their children, parents have to be at one with each other. Someone said that the best thing parents can do for their children is to love each other. Human life has to be 'modeled' rightly for children, because there are so many who model it wrong for them.

The quiet wisdom of Joseph, and his harmony with Mary, must have contributed immensely to the family life of the most obscure and the most famous family in history.

General Intercessions

As we celebrate St. Joseph today, let us bring our intentions before the Lord.

–   Lord, we pray you for your Church. Let it honor St Joseph, its patron, through a responsible and dedicated leadership, we pray:

–   Lord, we pray you for those in public office, that they may lead their people with wisdom and justice, we pray:

–   Lord, we pray you for heads of families, including single parents, that they may be dedicated to their children, we pray:

–   Lord, we pray you for laborers who live by the work of their hands; may they do their work conscientiously and take pride in it, we pray:

–   Lord, we pray you for ourselves. May we be people who know how to serve and to live in our presence, we pray:

Lord, may the help of St Joseph help us all to serve you with love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayer over the Gifts

Lord,
we bring before you bread and wine.
Let these gifts express
that we want to carry out
the task you entrust to us in life.
Dispose us to cooperate wholeheartedly with your plans
to bring your love and freedom
to this entire world,
that it may accept and serve
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
you have given us the food
that brings us the strength and the perseverance
to do the work you entrust to us.
Like St Joseph, may we serve you well
and put all our trust in you.
Make us responsible and just persons
who reflect your goodness and love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

May the Lord make us his good and faithful servants, trustworthy and just. Let his blessing come down on us and accompany us on the road of life: the blessing of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

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