HOMILY SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH

(2 Sam 7:4-16; Ps 89; Rm 4:13-22; Mt 1:16-24/Lk 2:41-51))

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We are all familiar with Mariology. How familiar are we with Josephology?

Today’s solemnity of St. Joseph is an occasion to explore some of that Josephology, with its message for men especially, to be humble, obedient, faithful, caring and self-giving, but also for all of us to build up the reign of God through humble faith in Jesus and love for one another.

The readings for today are well chosen. In the letter to the Romans, St. Paul speaks of God’s promise to Abraham, that he would be the father of many nations through his descendants.

In the first reading from Samuel, the prophet Nathan tells David that God would establish a kingdom “from his body,” his posterity, and that God would have a father-son relationship with that descendant.

Psalm 89 continues that theme of ancestry: “His line shall continue forever.” It also introduces the central reality of a covenant. God has always wanted an intimate, covenant relationship with God’s people throughout our salvation history.

Turning to the gospel, there are two options for today. In the gospel of Luke, we see Jesus at home in the Temple, his Father’s house, and the first sign of that special relationship with the Father. Jesus saw no need to go home, as he was already home in the Temple. He was already about his Father’s business – initiating the kingdom of God here on earth, so eager that he could not wait until his public ministry at the age of 30.

In the gospel of Matthew, which begins with the genealogy of Jesus arranged in groups of 14 generations, the angel refers to Joseph as “son of David.” His obedient faith to the dream, and his loving concern for Mary, leads him to become the foster-father of Jesus, who was conceived in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit.

All of biblical history, including Joseph, thus leads to Jesus, his life, death and resurrection. What Jesus is about is initiating the reign of God here on earth, for those who believe and follow him. His is a new covenant of unconditional love and pure grace through his sacrificial love. Faith in Jesus and our love for each other is what builds the reign of God right here and right now.

This must be the focus; the goal, the purpose of the Church around the world – to build up the reign of God by our faith in Jesus and love for one another.

Today, the Church honors the role that Joseph played in that mission of the Church. In 1989, St. John Paul II published Redemptorist Custos, his apostolic exhortation on St. Joseph. He portrays Joseph as a model of authentic masculinity. His example of courage, humility and hard work, lived through his vocation as protector of Mary and Jesus, has much to teach not just men, but all of us today.

Alton Pelowski, editor of Columbia magazine, points out that JP II masterfully summarized St. Joseph’s heavenly mission with these words: “Just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to the upbringing of Jesus, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model.” That is why in 1870 Joseph was made the patron saint of the universal church. He is also the principle patron saint of Canada.

As head of the Holy Family, Joseph was not a dominant ruler but a loving and humble servant, as St. Paul exhorts in Ephesians, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the Church and handed himself over for her.”  Joseph, like Mary, made his own “fiat,” his own unreserved “yes” to God that was the fruit of his receptivity to the Holy Spirit.

After the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” Only then does he challenge them to sacrificial love: “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” Practically speaking, the renewal of men’s spirituality demands that they become contemplatives in action, like St. Joseph.

Salt and Light Television recently aired a documentary on St. Brother André Bessette, of the Congregation of Holy Cross. Frail all his life and orphaned at the age of ten, he went to work in the States, searching for his real vocation. Upon his return to Canada, he began to assist the pastor of his local parish, who noticed his piety and prayer before the statue of St. Joseph. The pastor suggested he join the Holy Cross congregation, but he was rejected due to his poor health. The bishop intervened, however, and he was accepted with the expectation of doing only humble tasks and serving as a porter.

As porter of the College doing only menial tasks, Brother André’s strong faith led people to come to him for prayer. He shared with them a God who was close to them, heard their pain, and prayed for both physical and spiritual healing. Eventually, his faith in St. Joseph and the support of his friends throughout North America led to the construction of St. Joseph’s Oratory on Mt. Royal in Montreal. Known as the miracle worker, he was canonized in 2010. His humility, tenderness, caring, wisdom and faith mirrors that of St. Joseph.

The Eucharist we celebrate now is itself a humble meal that makes present the love that Jesus shared with the Holy Family and showed us on the Cross. We listen to his word, then humble gifts of bread and wine will be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into the Body and Blood of Jesus.

May our celebration empower us to be like St. Joseph and St. André, contemplatives in action, building up the reign of God here on earth through our faith in Jesus and love for one another.