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| ST JOSEPH, PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH Image from catholic.org |
The Holy Bible has only a few passages about this foster father of our Lord Jesus Christ. But these few passages speak so much about the man who was chosen by God to be the protector of the Child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
St Joseph according to the Holy Bible
The Holy Bible tells us these important things about St Joseph's person:
He was of royal lineage. He descended from King David and the angel acknowledged this by calling him, "Son of David" [Matthew 1:20]. In another passage, he is identified "as a man named Joseph, of the House of David" [Luke 1:27].
He was a just man. When he knew about the situation of Mary, he did not back out from their engagement. Instead, he simply decided to informally or secretly divorce her so that she won't be exposed to shame and possible stoning [see Matthew 1: 18-19].
He was a man of faith. When the angel told him that he should not hesitate to take Mary as his wife for she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, he believed [see Matthew 1: 20-23]. His faith was also tested when after the visit of the thee wise men, King Herod ordered the killing of babies two years old and below in order to ensure the death of Jesus, and Joseph had to bring his family to Egypt without assurance of what kind of life they would have there [see Matthew 2: 13-15]. And when Herod was already dead, he had to bring mother and child back to Israel but they had to live in another place away from home, in Nazareth [see Matthew 2: 19-23]. This decision to reside in Nazareth is recorded by Matthew as the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jesus will be called a Nazarene although there is not even a single Old Testament passage to which this claim of Matthew actually points to.
He was a religious man. He made sure that Jesus would be circumcised and presented in the Temple according to tradition [see Luke 2: 21-24], he would go with Mary to Jerusalem yearly for the Passover and when the child Jesus was already twelve, he took Him too [see Luke 2: 41-42] probably for the Bar Mitzvah though it is not mentioned in the Holy Bible.
Protector of the Church
St Joseph is considered as Protector or Patron of the Universal Church because of his role as foster father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Founder of the Church, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church.
He first protected the Blessed Virgin Mary when he accepted her as his wife even if she was carrying in her womb a child who is not his. Though he thought of divorcing her, he planned to do it secretly or informally so that she won't be exposed to possible stoning for having a baby outside of marriage. Though not recorded in the Bible, he probably accompanied Mary when she decided to visit and serve her cousin Elizabeth upon being informed by the Archangel Gabriel that her cousin was also having a child.
He also protected the child Jesus when he took Mary as his wife because when Mary was spared from being stoned, the Child in her womb was also spared from a violence. He protected both when he brought them safely to Bethlehem from Nazareth for the census though she was already about to give birth. He also protected them from Herod by leading them to Egypt and from Herod's son by bringing them to Nazareth instead of Bethlehem upon their return from Egypt.
St Joseph's Relevance Today
The world needs more fathers according to the heart of St Joseph for there are a lot of homeless, and many are already family-less, children out there who need the protection and the love of a father. They need to have fathers who will manifest the fatherhood of St Joseph.
Those who are fathers of a family could get inspiration from the way St Joseph fulfilled his role in the family which included the Son of God and the Mother of God. A very ideal and unique family indeed but not without their own share of human trials and sorrows and yet stayed close and stable because of their love for one another and their faithfulness and obedience to and dependence on God.
He was a just man. When he knew about the situation of Mary, he did not back out from their engagement. Instead, he simply decided to informally or secretly divorce her so that she won't be exposed to shame and possible stoning [see Matthew 1: 18-19].
He was a man of faith. When the angel told him that he should not hesitate to take Mary as his wife for she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, he believed [see Matthew 1: 20-23]. His faith was also tested when after the visit of the thee wise men, King Herod ordered the killing of babies two years old and below in order to ensure the death of Jesus, and Joseph had to bring his family to Egypt without assurance of what kind of life they would have there [see Matthew 2: 13-15]. And when Herod was already dead, he had to bring mother and child back to Israel but they had to live in another place away from home, in Nazareth [see Matthew 2: 19-23]. This decision to reside in Nazareth is recorded by Matthew as the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jesus will be called a Nazarene although there is not even a single Old Testament passage to which this claim of Matthew actually points to.
He was a religious man. He made sure that Jesus would be circumcised and presented in the Temple according to tradition [see Luke 2: 21-24], he would go with Mary to Jerusalem yearly for the Passover and when the child Jesus was already twelve, he took Him too [see Luke 2: 41-42] probably for the Bar Mitzvah though it is not mentioned in the Holy Bible.
Protector of the Church
St Joseph is considered as Protector or Patron of the Universal Church because of his role as foster father of the Lord Jesus Christ, Founder of the Church, and the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of the Church.
He first protected the Blessed Virgin Mary when he accepted her as his wife even if she was carrying in her womb a child who is not his. Though he thought of divorcing her, he planned to do it secretly or informally so that she won't be exposed to possible stoning for having a baby outside of marriage. Though not recorded in the Bible, he probably accompanied Mary when she decided to visit and serve her cousin Elizabeth upon being informed by the Archangel Gabriel that her cousin was also having a child.
He also protected the child Jesus when he took Mary as his wife because when Mary was spared from being stoned, the Child in her womb was also spared from a violence. He protected both when he brought them safely to Bethlehem from Nazareth for the census though she was already about to give birth. He also protected them from Herod by leading them to Egypt and from Herod's son by bringing them to Nazareth instead of Bethlehem upon their return from Egypt.
St Joseph's Relevance Today
The world needs more fathers according to the heart of St Joseph for there are a lot of homeless, and many are already family-less, children out there who need the protection and the love of a father. They need to have fathers who will manifest the fatherhood of St Joseph.
Those who are fathers of a family could get inspiration from the way St Joseph fulfilled his role in the family which included the Son of God and the Mother of God. A very ideal and unique family indeed but not without their own share of human trials and sorrows and yet stayed close and stable because of their love for one another and their faithfulness and obedience to and dependence on God.
For our Church that is currently sailing on unfriendly waters, let us call upon the intercession of the Lord's foster father so that he may always keep the Church protected in the same way that he protected the Child Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Let us pray
Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son. Amen.
For more about St Joseph, please visit the following
[1] Catholic Encyclopedia
[2] Catholic Online
[3] Redemptoris Custos @ Wikipedia
Saint Joseph, patron of the universal Church, watch over the Church as carefully as you watched over Jesus, help protect it and guide it as you did with your adopted son. Amen.
For more about St Joseph, please visit the following
[1] Catholic Encyclopedia
[2] Catholic Online
[3] Redemptoris Custos @ Wikipedia
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