THE FEAST OF ST JOSEPH

By Rev. Fr. Innocent Maganya, M.Afr
Lecturer – Tangaza University College

The liturgical calendar has two feasts of St Joseph. The first one is on March 19 and the second one is on May 1. The scriptures do not speak much about St Joseph. The little that appears in the scriptures portrays a man of faith, a just man, a responsible husband, a caring father, humble and obedient servant of God.

On March 19th, we celebrate Joseph as the Husband of Mary and custodian of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Pope Francis chose him as a model and asked to include him in the Eucharistic prayer. We now pray for St Joseph the most chaste spouse of Mary. St Joseph came from the royal family of king David. Through his marriage to Mary, he became the legal custodian of the Holy Family. It is Joseph who gives the name to Jesus. “Mary is to be bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus.” ( Mt 1:21). Joseph will faithfully accomplish this role of guardian and protector throughout his life.

God somehow disrupted the plan of Joseph. But, in silence and faith, Joseph accepted to enter into God’s plan, thus, allowing the plan of God to be fulfilled according to the scriptures. We see a very responsible man, in obedience to the civil law, he sets out from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census. (Lk 2:1-7). In obedience to the Jewish custom and the law of Moses he dedicates Jesus to God by presenting to the Lord (Lk 2:22-38). He does the same when Jesus becomes mature at the age of 12. (Lk 2, 41-52). In Obedience to the Angel of the Lord he accepts to take Mary as his wife and in obedience to the same Angel he flees to Egypt in order to protect the child and the mother. (Mt 2, 13-15). For a third time, Joseph will obey the Angel and go back from Egypt to Israel. Once again, warned in a dream, by an Angel, Joseph went to settle in Nazareth in fulfillment of what the prophets said. (Mt 2, 19-23). This is basically what we celebrate on the feast of the Holy Family during the octave of Christmas. We celebrate St Joseph as a selfless, loving and caring husband and a father.

The role of St Joseph as custodian or protector of the Holy Family was emphasized by Pope Francis during his inaugural homily as Pope on the Feast of St Joseph (March 19, 2013). This is what Pope Francis says. “St Joseph is “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation.”

On May 1, the Church celebrates St Joseph the worker. This feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1955. Against a Marxist philosophy which considered work as an end in itself, Pius XII taught that the end of work is to glorify God. St Joseph provided for the Holy Family by the work of his hands. He was a carpenter. A humble and honest work is a source of true human dignity. As we celebrate Joseph the worker today, let us pray of all those who are the front inline in fighting against Corona Virus. They know that they are at risk, but they do the work because they want to save lives. Indeed hundreds of doctors and nurses have succumbed to the disease. The feast of Joseph the worker teaches us that we can achieve holiness through an honest earning from our work. But we also honor all those who contribute to our economy, especially those who are exploited and ill remunerated. The Social Doctrine of the church has always defended the right of the workers to earn a just salary.

Let us hear again the plea of Pope Francis “ Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!” (Pope Francis: March 19, 2013)

Pope Benedict XVI links St Joseph’s faith and his actions. “Paradoxically, it was by acting, by carrying out his responsibilities, that he stepped aside and left God free to act, placing no obstacles in his way. Joseph is a “just man” (Mt 1:19) because his existence is “ad-justed” to the word of God.” (Benedict XVI, Yaounde 2009).
Even though, the scriptures are silent about St Joseph, his actions speak louder and continue to challenge us even today. That is why St Joseph remains a model for all Christians.

From this reflection we can ask ourselves the following questions: Am I obedient to the will of God? Do I glorify the name of the Lord by my work? Do I respect and promote the dignity of every worker? Am I a true custodian of my family and to a large extent custodian of God’s creation? What is my role and responsibility as a Christian.?
HAPPY FEAST DAY

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