Pope John Paul II: St. Joseph: Guardian of the Redeemer

St. Joseph: Guardian . . .

 

Called to be the Guardian of the Redeemer, “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife“ (cf. Mt 1:24).

Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary. And gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing; he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body; that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model.

On the occasion of the centenary of Pope Leo XIII’s Encyclical Epistle Quamquam Pluries, and in line with the veneration given to Saint Joseph over the centuries, I wish to offer for your consideration, dear brothers and sisters, some reflections concerning him “to whose custody God entrusted his most precious treasures.” I gladly fulfill this pastoral duty so that all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in love for the Saviour whom he served in such an exemplary manner.

. . . of the Redeemer

In this way the whole Christian people not only will turn to Saint Joseph with greater fervor and invoke his patronage with trust, but also will always keep before their eyes his humble, mature way of serving and of “taking part” in the plan of salvation.

I am convinced that by reflecting upon the way that Mary’s spouse shared in the divine mystery, the Church – on the road towards the future with all of humanity – will be enabled to discover ever anew her own identity within this redemptive plan, which is founded on the mystery of the Incarnation.

This is precisely the mystery in which Joseph of Nazareth “shared” like no other human being except Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word He shared in it with her; he was involved in the same salvific event; he was the guardian of the same love, through the power of which the eternal Father “destined us to be his sons  through Jesus Christ”. (Eph. 1:5).

I:  The Gospel Portrait

Marriage . . .

“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”. (Mt 1:20-21).

In these words we find the core of biblical truth about Saint Joseph; they refer to that moment in his life to which the Fathers of the Church make special reference.

The Evangelist Matthew explains the significance of this moment while also describing how Joseph lived it.  However, in order to understand fully both its content and context, it is important to keep in mind the parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke.

In Matthew we read; “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 of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1:18). However, the origin of Mary’s pregnancy “of the Holy Spirit” is described more fully and explicitly in what Luke tells us about the annunciation of Jesus’ birth; ““The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary” (Lk 1:26-27).

. . . to Mary

The angel’s greeting, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you” (Lk 1:28) created an inner turmoil in Mary and also moved her to reflect. Then the messenger reassured the Virgin and at the same time revealed God’s special plan for her; “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David” (Lk 1:30-32).

A little earlier the Gospel writer had stated that at the moment of the Annunciation, Mary was “betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David.” The nature of this “marriage” is explained indirectly when Mary, after hearing what the messenger says about the birth of the child, asks, “How can this be, since I do not know man? (Lk 1:34). The angel responds; “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Lk 1:35). Although Mary is already “wedded” to Joseph, she will remain a virgin, because the child conceived in her at the Annunciation was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Revealing God’s . . .

At this point Luke’s text coincides with Matthew 1:18 and serves to explain what we read there. If, after her marriage to Joseph, Mary “is found to be with child of the Holy Spirit,” this fact corresponds to all that the Annunciation means, in particular to Mary’s final words: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). In response to what is clearly the plan of God, with the passing of days and weeks Mary’s “pregnancy” is visible to the people and to Joseph; she appears before them as one who must give birth and carry within herself the mystery of motherhood.

In these circumstances, “her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly” (Mt 1:19). He did not know how to deal with Mary’s “astonishing” motherhood. He certainly sought an answer to this unsettling question, but above all he sought a way out of what was for him a difficult situation. “But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not Year to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins’ ”. (Mt 1:20-21).

. . . Special Plan

There is a strict parallel between the “annunciation” in Matthew’s text and the one in Luke. The divine messenger introduces Joseph to the mystery of Mary’s motherhood. While remaining a virgin, she who by law is his “spouse” has become a mother through the power of the Holy Spirit. And when the Son in Mary’s womb comes into the world, he must receive the name Jesus. This was a name known among the Israelites and sometimes given to their sons. In this case, however, it is the Son who, in accordance with the divine promise, will bring to perfect fulfillment the meaning of the name Jesus – Yehosua’ – which means “God saves.”

Joseph is visited by the messenger as “Mary’s spouse”.  He is the one who in due time must give this name to the Son. The Son to be born of the Virgin of Nazareth.  It is to Joseph, then, that the messenger turns, entrusting to him the responsibilities of an earthly father with regard to Mary’s Son.

“When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife”. (cf. Mt 1:24). He took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her together with the Son who had come into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way he showed a readiness of will like Mary’s with regard to what God asked of him through the angel.

II The Guardian of the Mystery of God

When, soon after the Annunciation, Mary went to the house of Zechariah to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth. Even as she offered her greeting she heard the words of Elizabeth, who was “filled with the Holy Spirit“. (Lk 1:41). Besides offering a salutation which recalled that of the angel at the Annunciation, Elizabeth also said; “And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord”. (Lk 1:45). These words were the guiding thought of the Encyclical Redemptoris Mater in which I sought to deepen the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which stated: “The Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully preserved her union with her Son even to the cross” “preceding” all those who follow Christ by faith.

Now at the beginning of this pilgrimage, the faith of Mary meets the faith of Joseph. Elizabeth said of the Redeemer’s Mother, “blessed is she who believed”. In a certain sense this blessedness can be referred to Joseph as well. Because he responded positively to the word of God when it was communicated to him at the decisive moment. While it is true that Joseph did not respond to the angel’s “announcement” in the way as Mary,  he “did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife”. What he did is the clearest obedience of faith”. (cf. Rom 1:5: 16:26: 2 Cor 10:5- 6).

Together with Mary, Joseph is . . .

One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as a truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation. The Council teaches; “ ‘The obedience of faith’ must be given to God as he reveals himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making ‘the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals,’ and willingly assenting to the revelation given by him”. This statement, which touches the very essence of faith, is perfectly applicable to Joseph of Nazareth.

. . . the First Guardian of this Divine Mystery

Therefore he became a unique guardian of the mystery hidden for ages in God” (Eph. 3:9), as did Mary. in that decisive moment which Saint Paul calls “the fullness of time,” when God sent forth his Son, born of woman . . .  to redeem those  who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). In the words of the Council; “It pleased God,  in his goodness and wisdom. to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will” (cf. Eph. 1:9). His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ. the Word made flesh. in the Holy Spirit, and become sharers in the divine nature. (cf. Eph 2:18; 2 Pt 1:4).

Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to Mary, he shares in this final phase of God’s self-revelation in Christ, and he does so from the very beginning. Looking at the Gospel texts of both Matthew and Luke, one can also say that Joseph is the first to share in the faith of the Mother of God, and that in doing so he supports his spouse in the faith of the divine annunciation. He is also the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary’s “pilgrimage of faith”.  It is a path along which – especially at the time of Calvary and Pentecost – Mary will precede in a perfect way.

Pilgrimage of Faith

The path that was Joseph’s – his pilgrimage of faith—ended first, that is to say, before Mary stood at the foot of the Cross on Golgotha, and before that time after Christ returned to the Father, when she was present in the Upper Room on Pentecost, the day the Church was manifested to the world, having been born in the power of the Spirit of truth. Nevertheless, Joseph’s way of faith moved in the same direction; it was totally determined by the same mystery, of which he,  together with Mary,  had been the first guardian.

The Incarnation and Redemption constitute an organic and indissoluble unity, in which the plan of revelation is realized by words and deeds which are intrinsically bound up with each other”.  Precisely because of this unity; Pope John XIII. who had a great devotion to Saint Joseph. directed that Joseph’s name be inserted in the Roman Canon of the Mass – which is the perpetual memorial of redemption – after the name oi Mary –  and before the Apostles, Popes and Martyrs.

The Service of Fatherhood

As can be deduced from the Gospel text, Joseph’s marriage to Mary is the juridical basis of his fatherhood. It was to assure fatherly protection tor Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary’s spouse. It follows that Joseph’s fatherhood – a relationship that places him as close as possible to Christ, to whom every election and predestination is offered (cf. Rom 8:28-29) – comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family.

While clearly affirming that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that virginity remained intact in the marriage (cf. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38), the Evangelists refer to Joseph as Mary’s husband and to Mary as his wife (cf. Mt 1:16, 18- 20, 24; Lk 1:27; 2:5).

 

(To be Continued)