Friday March 19

Fourth Week of Lent

 

SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH

 

            Patron of the Church             

 

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.

 

Reading 1: 2 Sm 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.

 

Reading 2: 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.

 

Verse before the Gospel:  Ps 84:5

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you.

 

Gospel: Mt 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.

 

Or Lk 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.

 

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.

 

Commentary

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the Patron of the Universal Church. The Universal Church celebrates her “Beloved Father”, declaring it a special occasion of love and mercy. Pope Francis had given us seven qualities of this Father for our reflection and imitation. All the fathers out there, if you need some guidelines on how to set up your family after the manner of the Holy Family of Nazareth, pay attention to the Apostolic Letter of Pope Francis titled, “With a Fathers’ Heart.”

Pope Francis narrates seven virtues that are evident in the life of Joseph, as described in the Gospels. Of course, St. Joseph had very little reference in the Bible. The Father figure of Joseph is portrayed by Pope Francis with these qualities:
1. a beloved father,
2. a tender and loving father,
3. an obedient father,
4. an accepting father;
5. a father who is creatively courageous,
6. a working father,
7. a father in the shadows.

A man who was entrusted with the care of most precious possession of God the Father, could not be anything less than that. Youngsters who follow the game of soccer must have come across the concept of “total football”. It demands that all the 11 players on the field must excel in all aspects of the game. For parents in families, St. Joseph and his Holy Family could be a school of parenthood. A “Total Father” from whom young parents could draw lessons and inspirations.
And this is the same vocation we have all received – a vocation to love, care and protect our families! By being faithful to our vocation to be a good parent and a good spouse, we help to continue God’s plan of salvation in the world – a world that stands in need of love, compassion and healing.
Pope Francis points out that Joseph’s faithfulness to his service of fatherhood has led the Church to put great trust in his protection and intercession. The expression used to refer to the Joseph of the Old Testament, “Go to Joseph” (Ite ad Joseph) is applied to Joseph of Nazareth and we do well to heed such advice. After all, God himself turned to Joseph and entrusted to him all that was dear to him, Jesus and Mary. Let us entrust ourselves to him as well. Go to Joseph!