HOMILY EASTER SEASON WEEK 04 06 – Year I
This Is Exciting! Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker
(Acts 13:44-52; Ps 98; Jn 14.7-14)
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When was that last time that you really got excited?
The readings today us to pray for faith that will excite us – faith in Jesus arisen from the dead, and help us be steadfast in humble service like St. Joseph.
It seems that the whole city of Antioch was stirred up with excitement by Paul’s presence in the synagogue that Sabbath as they gathered to hear the word of the Lord. Is there not a hint here that we also should be open to some greater excitement as we gather to worship on a given Sunday?
What was the cause of that excitement? In some ways, the answer to that question is complex, because the gift of faith is like a diamond with many facets. In the readings we have been hearing during the Easter season, and today is no exception, it has been called “message of salvation,” the “word of God,” “eternal life,” the “saving power of God” and the “victory of God.”
All of these terms express some facet of what is most commonly called the Good News, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, and the implications that has for those who believe: freedom from fear, unconditional forgiveness of all our sins, healing of our painful emotions, negative attitudes and even our addictions. That should be cause of joy and excitement for all of us.
In the readings, there are two opposing responses: joy and excitement on the part of the Gentiles who believe, and jealousy and even accusations of blasphemy on the part of the Jewish leaders who were locked into a self-serving religiosity they had created for themselves. They consistently sold out to money, fame and power and refused to be open to this new paradigm that was the fulfillment of their own faith history, if only they could have looked with humble eyes of faith.
In the gospel, Jesus, speaking before his death and resurrection, adds another reason for joyful excitement – to see him is to see the Father. The Father dwells in him, and he and the Father are one. So, when we have an intimate, personal relationship of prayer with Jesus, we also have an intimate personal relationship with the Father. To know Jesus is to know the Father. As Jesus put it, he is the Way, the Truth and the Life.
Today we honour St. Joseph the worker, within a year dedicated to St. Joseph that is also the 150th anniversary of the decree Quemadmodum Deus by Pope Pius IX which declared St. Joseph to be patron of the Catholic Church. This special year will run until Dec. 8, 2021.
St. Joseph is seen as a model of fatherhood, and a key intercessor in modern times. In an apostolic letter issued Dec. 8, 2020 to coincide with the launch of the Year of St. Joseph, Pope Francis recalled Joseph’s actions in the bible, noting that after the Virgin Mary, no other saint has been mentioned as frequently by popes. Francis said the figure of St. Joseph has been on his mind in a particular way during the coronavirus pandemic, a crisis he said showed how “our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked.”
People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. People such as doctors and nurses, supermarket workers, caregivers, cleaning personnel and transport workers, as well as priests and public safety officials, he said, have understood amid COVID-19 that “no one is saved alone.”
“How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer,” he said.
With the backdrop of the pandemic, Francis said faithful can rediscover St. Joseph, “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” as an intercessor and source of support and guidance. Saint Joseph, he said, “reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all.”
Pope Francis then offered a series of personal reflections on St. Joseph, focusing on different aspects of his fatherhood based on the bible and devotion to St. Joseph in the Church, describing him as a “beloved,” “tender and loving,” “obedient,” “accepting,” “creatively courageous,” and “working” father, as well as a father “in the shadows.”
“Today, in our world where psychological, verbal and physical violence towards women is so evident, Joseph appears as the figure of a respectful and sensitive man. Even though he does not understand the bigger picture, he makes a decision to protect Mary’s good name, her dignity and her life.” Francis pointed to St. Joseph’s reaction to the unexpected twists and turns of his life, noting that while most people’s reaction would be “disappointment and rebellion” when things don’t go as planned, Joseph embraced them.
The Eucharist itself is another reason for excitement and joy – we are nourished by the word of God that spread among the Gentiles, even to us today, and we are healed and transformed by receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus that empowers us to go out and proclaim this Good News to all we meet.
So let us remember to pray for a faith that will excite us, and help us spread that excitement to others – faith in Jesus Christ arisen from the dead, and be steadfast in humble service like St. Joseph.
