Today is the Feat Day of Saint Joseph, husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus our Lord. In Saint Joseph we have an impeccable model of biblical manhood, and a man worthy of more of our admiration and attention. Joseph was a man who listened to the voice of God above all else and loved and led his family despite difficulties and dangers. When we really consider what God invited Joseph to do, which was to embrace the fact that his betrothed had gotten pregnant not by him but through God the Holy Spirit, and that he would be expected to go along with this even though there must have been many confused outsiders and judgmental glances, and that he would be responsible to raise and father this child who is the Son of God and Savior of humanity –we have to marvel at what a high calling this was. Imaginably so, this was a lot for Joseph to process and understand.
Nevertheless, he faithfully accepted God’s call, which in his day meant he actually had to legally adopt Jesus as his child. Through this divinely inspired adoption Jesus our Lord came to us from the ancestral line of King David, to whom the Lord had covenantally promised he would establish an eternal household and throne. When David yearned to build a temple for God, the Lord spoke over him, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever” (2 Samuel 7:13-14). Jesus, whose name means “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21) is the shoot from the stump of Jesse, the child named Immanuel, born of a virgin whom the Lord himself promised as a sign of salvation (Isaiah 11:1; 7:14).
Joseph’s divine adoptive calling never left him without heavenly help to face all of the challenges that came along with raising the Son of God and Savior of humanity. In the Gospel of Matthew we see that God spoke to Joseph four times in dreams, first telling him to not be afraid to take Mary as his wife, affirming that she had indeed conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20-23). Three more angelic appointments came as warnings for Joseph to lead and guide his family in safety from King Herod, who wanted to kill the newborn Messiah (Mt. 2:13-15; 19-21; 23). Besides he and Mary finding the child Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:41-52) and Jesus being referred to as “the carpenter’s son” (Mt. 13:55), we do not see Joseph elsewhere in Scripture. Even though Joseph’s mention in the New Testament is limited, he was of great significance in God’s plan of redemption and salvation for humankind. He is a role model of biblical manhood and an excellent example of what true faith, fatherhood, family, and a fulfilling marriage look like. The Catholic Church has attributed Saint Joseph as being the patron saint of fathers, families, expectant mothers and unborn children, immigrants, workers, travelers, homebuyers, and several countries who have named him their patron saint as well.
Collect (Prayer) of the Day
O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the husband of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen. (taken from the ACNA Book of Common Prayer, 2019.)
Bible Reading
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Photo Credit Unsplash.com
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