SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH,
HUSBAND OF MARY
Psalter: Proper / (White)
Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 & 29
The son of David will live forever.
1st Reading: 2 S 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
But that very night, Yahweh’s word came to Nathan, “Go and tell my servant David, this is what Yahweh says: Are you able to build a house for me to live in?
When the time comes for you to rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your son after you, the one born of you; and I will make his reign secure. He shall build a house for my name and I will firmly establish his kingship forever. I will be a father to him and he shall be my son. If he does wrong, I will punish him with the rod, as men do.
Your house and your reign shall last forever before me, and your throne shall be forever firm.”
2nd Reading: Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the law, but because he was just, and a friend of God, through faith. For that reason, faith is the way, and all is given, by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the law, but also for all the others, who have believed. Abraham is the father of all of us,
As it is written: I will make you the father of many nations. He is our father, in the eyes of Him, who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence, what does not yet exist, for this is the God in whom he believed. Abraham believed, and hoped against all expectation, thus, becoming the father of many nations, as he had been told: See how many will be your descendants. This was taken into account, for him to attain righteousness.
Gospel: Mt 1:16, 18-21, 24a (or Lk 2:41-51a)
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ – the Messiah.
This is how Jesus Christ was born: Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to disgrace her.
While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.”
Reflections
JOSEPH, AN UPRIGHT MAN
One of the most quiet protagonists in the Gospels is Joseph, the husband of Mary. And only one word describes him: UPRIGHT. What is the meaning of being upright? Let us start from the traits of Joseph that prompted the Gospel writer to call him upright. We meet him first when Mary was betrothed to him. When he found out that Mary was with child, he did not just close his eyes but acknowledged that he had to somehow divorce her according to the law but he wanted to protect Mary so he was planning to do it as quietly as possible. The first trait that is shown is TRUTH, AUTHENTICITY. One has to face the truth even how unpalatable it is. But he was COMPASSIONATE about it. An upright person does not want to destroy another person. Then when he was told that the child is not of any human father but was conceived by the Holy Spirit, he then assumed the RESPONSIBILITY of taking care of the child of her mother Mary. Then the next scene was the warning about the threat to Jesus’ life. He was DOCILE to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and took care of the safety of his charges. In the finding of Jesus in the temple, he showed CONCERN for the welfare of the lost Child. But when he realized that Jesus was “doing His Father’s business”, like Mary, HE KEPT THE THINGS HE DID NOT UNDERSTAND AND PONDERED THEM IN HIS HEART. In all his actions and attitude he showed us what UPRIGHTNESS is all about.
Daily Reflection 2018
Bible Diary ® is a product of Claretian Publications, a division of Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc. (CCFI) which is a pastoral endeavor of the Claretian Missionaries in the Philippines that brings the Word of God to people from all walks of life. CCFI aims to promote integral evangelization and renewed spirituality that is geared towards empowerment and total liberation in response to the needs and challenges of the Church today.
CCFI is a member of Claret Publishing Group, a consortium of the publishing houses of the Claretian Missionaries all over the world: Bangalore, Barcelona, Buenos Aires, Chennai, Colombo, Dar es Salaam, Lagos, Madrid, Macao, Manila, Owerry, São Paolo, Varsaw , Yaoundé.
Biblical Texts are taken from Christian Community Bible, Catholic Pastoral Edition (57th Edition) The New English Translation for the ROMAN MISSAL
With permission from the EPISCOPAL COMMISION ON LITURGY of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines
Copyright © 2O17
Claretian Communications Foundation, Inc.
U.P. P.O. Box 4, Diliman,
1101 Quezon City, Philippines
Tel.: (63-2) 921-3984
Fax: (6352) 921-7429
Email: ccfi@claretianpublicationscom
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Web: www.claretianph.com
