MONDAY, THIRD WEEK OF LENT
Solemnity of St Joseph, Husband of Mary
2 Sm 7:4-5,12-14,16; Ps 89:2-5,27,29; Rom 4:13,16-18,22;
Mt 1:16,18-21,24 or Lk 2:41-51
A RESPONSE TO GOD’S FAITHFULNESS
The feast of St. Joseph is not just a testament to the faith of Joseph and his righteousness before God. It is more about the faithfulness of God to Joseph and through Joseph to David and Abraham to whom God first made his covenant. This feast is about God loving normal human beings with their weaknesses and failures and coming to their rescue in an unimaginable way. God makes a covenant with Abraham and then with David and finally, through Mary, the betrothed partner of Joseph fulfils his covenant of salvation.
Joseph seems to be a devout Jew and also a kind-hearted man. He is not only concerned about righteousness, but also shows mercy to Mary when he hears that she is with child. He has the right to be angry, to show contempt to his wife because she had violated the marriage. But he has mercy on her and since they had not yet started living together, decides to set her free most probably so that she could be with the man whose child she bears. This already is a sign of the Lord’s grace at work in his life. But the Lord intervenes and reveals the truth and His plan to Joseph for raising a child with Mary. And this is not just any child, but the Son of God, the sign of his faithfulness to mankind.
God is not only faithful to his covenant but also provides mercy and grace for human beings – in this case, Joseph and Mary to accept and receive the gift of His Son to mankind. Blessed is Joseph for responding in faith to God’s promise and work in his life. Blessed is the man who hears the word of God and obeys it (Lk 11:28) Blessed is Joseph the obedient son to God and the reliable father to the Son of God. Let this inspire more men to be reliable, obedient and strong in their faith, so that as God remains faithful to us, we can respond in faithfulness to God as well.
Response: His descendants shall continue forever.
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