Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 543
Lectionary: 543
The LORD spoke to
Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Responsorial PsalmPS 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 AND 29
R. (37) The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. The son of David will live for ever.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R. The son of David will live for ever.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R. The son of David will live for ever.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R. The son of David will live for ever.
Reading 2ROM 4:13, 16-18, 22
Brothers and
sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
Verse Before The GospelPS 84:5
Blessed are those
who dwell in your house, O Lord;
they never cease to praise you.
they never cease to praise you.
GospelMT 1:16, 18-21, 24A
Jacob was the
father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Each year Jesus’
parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them.
Meditation: Joseph did as the angel
commanded him
Are you prepared to obey the Lord in everything? Faith in God's
word and obedience to his commands go hand in hand. Joseph, like Mary, is a
model of faith and justice. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a "just
man". John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), a gifted preacher and bishop of
Constantinople, comments on the great virtue we see in Joseph which qualified him
to be a worthy guardian and foster father for the child Jesus:
"The concept of 'just' here signifies the man who possesses
all the virtues. By 'justice' one at times understands only one virtue in
particular, as in the phrase: the one who is not avaricious (greedy)is
just. But 'justice' also refers to virtue in general. And it is in this
sense, above all, that scripture uses the word 'justice'. For example, it
refers to: a just man and true (cf. Job 1:1), or the
two were just (cf. Luke 1:6). Joseph, then, being just, that is to say
good and charitable..."
Joseph's faith was put to the test when he discovered that his
espoused wife Mary was pregnant. Joseph, being a just and God-fearing man, did
not wish to embarrass, punish, or expose Mary to harm. To all outward appearances
she had broken their solemn pledge to be faithful and chaste to one another.
Joseph, no doubt took this troubling matter to God in prayer. He was not hasty
to judge or to react with hurt and anger. God rewarded him not only with
guidance and consolation, but with the divine assurance that he had indeed
called Joseph to be the husband of Mary and to assume a mission that would
require the utmost faith, confidence, and trust in Almighty God. Joseph
believed in the divine message to take Mary as his wife and to accept the child
in her womb as the promised Messiah, who is both the only begotten Son of God
and son of Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Joseph was a worthy successor to the great patriarchs of the old
covenant - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph followed the call of God through
the mysterious circumstances that surrounded the coming of Jesus, the
long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled all the promises made to Abraham and his
offspring. God entrusted this silent, humble man with the unique privilege of
raising, protecting, teaching, and training Jesus as a growing child. Joseph
accepted his role of fatherly care with faith, trust, and obedience to the will
of God. He is a model for all who are entrusted with the care, instruction, and
protection of the young. Joseph is a faithful witness and servant of God's
unfolding plan of redemption.
Are you ready to put your trust in the Lord to give you his help
and guidance in fulfilling your responsibilities? God gives strength and
guidance to those who seek his help, especially when we face trials, doubts,
fears, perplexing circumstances, and what seems like insurmountable problems
and challenges in our personal lives. God our heavenly Father has not left us
alone, but has given us his only begotten Son Jesus as our savior, teacher,
lord, and healer. Where do you need God's help and guidance? Ask the Lord to
increase your faith and trust in his promises and in his guiding hand in your
life.
"Lord Jesus, you came to free us from the power of sin,
fear, and death, and to heal and restore us to wholeness of life. May I always
trust in your saving help, guidance, wisdom, and plan for my life".
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A Heroic Example |
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March 19, 2015. Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the
Blessed Virgin Mary
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Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her
was born Jesus who is called the Christ. Now this is how the birth of Jesus
Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before
they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph
her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to
shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son
of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is
through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will
bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people
from their sins." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had
commanded him and took his wife into his home.
Introductory Prayer: Lord, in spite of difficulties I trust in
your love and mercy. I believe in you, I hope in you, and I love you above
all things. These ingredients – faith, hope and love – will help strengthen
me for today’s battle. Lord, I entrust myself to you
unconditionally.
Petition: Lord, grant me a clean conscience like that of your foster
father, Joseph.
1. My Situation: A danger could exist on our spiritual journey.
When everything is quiet, works well and is intelligible, or when others
esteem our efforts, our life seems to flourish. On the other hand, when
everything is tough, humiliating or painful, a repugnance seems to cast a
gray cloud over us. We may even begin to wonder if God still loves us. We
need to keep our faith in God strong always. Joseph is a good example for us
to emulate, for he did not become discouraged easily when undergoing trials.
2. A Clean Conscience: Joseph, a just man, wanted to believe Mary’s
story, but the facts were too harsh to comprehend. He loved and cared for
Mary, but he felt betrayed. Since he had a clean conscience, he tried to
dismiss the perfect dream of taking Mary to be his wife and decided to
divorce her quietly. God, seeing Joseph’s honesty, communicated to him the
truth about Mary’s integrity. A message in a dream was enough to convince his
willing heart. How willing am I to believe the works of God in my life? How
willing am I to fulfill God’s will?
3. Not All Is Easy for a Just Man: God chose a man of great
integrity and detail to shoulder the daunting responsibility of raising his
Son. Would Joseph ever have imagined that five months after taking Mary into
his home he would have to take her to Bethlehem without any comforts or
security during the journey? Would he ever have imagined that he would have
to flee to Egypt, dodging swords and soldiers? This was the price he paid for
being an honorable man. However, the Lord rewarded Joseph with being the
foster father of the Creator of the Universe, with all the blessings and
satisfactions that this would imply.
Conversation with Christ: O Christ, King and Lord,
your foster father Saint Joseph provides me with an example of courage in
bearing serenely the weight of life’s crosses and difficulties. Help me to
see the beauty of giving limitlessly and surrendering my life to you.
Resolution: I will chat with Saint Joseph at some moment during the day,
asking him to teach me how to be serene in times of trial.
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SOLEMNITY OF JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED
VIRGIN MARY
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, MATTHEW 16, 18-21, 24a
(2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Psalm 89; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22)
THURSDAY, MARCH 19, MATTHEW 16, 18-21, 24a
(2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Psalm 89; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22)
KEY VERSE: "When his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the power of the Holy Spirit" (v 18).
TO KNOW: Luke's gospel narrated the nativity from Mary's perspective; however, Matthew recounted the infancy story from Joseph's point of view. When Joseph discovered that Mary was with child, he decided to divorce her (betrothed couples were considered spouses). Joseph was a "righteous man" (one who followed the Mosaic Law), but he was unwilling to subject Mary to the charge of adultery as she would be put to death (Dt 22:23-24). An Angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, and told him he should not fear to take Mary as his wife since she had conceived the child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph accepted guardianship for the child who was to be named Jesus (Hebrew, Yeshua) meaning "Yahweh saves." Jesus is also "Emmanuel," meaning "God is with us" (v 23). Like Mary, Joseph responded with faithful obedience and took Mary as his wife.
TO LOVE: St. Joseph, help me to follow your example this Lent of humble obedience to God's Word.
TO SERVE: Do I seek the Lord's guidance when I have a difficult decision to make?
Joseph was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the foster and adoptive father of Jesus Christ. He was a visionary who was visited by angels, and noted for his willingness to immediately do what God required of him. Joseph's genealogy appears in two forms (Matt 1:1-17 and Lk 3:23-38). Of Joseph's personal history practically nothing is recorded in the Bible. The facts concerning him in the two birth narratives (Matt 1-2, Lk 1-2) are: (a) that he was a descendant of David, (b) that Mary was already betrothed to him when she was found with child of the Holy Spirit, and (c) that he lived at Nazareth after the birth of Christ. At Nazareth Joseph followed the trade of a carpenter (tecton, a craftsman, Matt 13:55). It is probable that he had died before the public ministry of Christ, for no mention is made of him in passages relating to this period. And from John 19:26 it is clear that he was not alive at the time of the Crucifixion.
Memorare to Saint Joseph: Remember, O most chaste spouse of the Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who implored your help and sought your intercession was left unassisted. Full of confidence in your power I fly unto you and beg your protection. Despise not O Guardian of the Redeemer my humble supplication, but in your bounty, hear and answer me. Amen.
Thursday 19 March 2015
St Joseph.
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16. The son of David will live for ever—Ps 88(89):2-5, 27, 29. Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22. Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24/Luke 2:41-51.
2 Samuel 7:4-5, 12-14, 16. The son of David will live for ever—Ps 88(89):2-5, 27, 29. Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22. Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24/Luke 2:41-51.
Joseph did what the angel
told him to do.
We need to cultivate in our
lives the qualities Joseph showed—firm trust in God and prompt obedience to
what God called him to do. He was faithful in the little things of daily life,
which are in reality the great issues. He could be depended upon; he was
prepared to work hard at what he knew best, believing that it all fitted into
the plan God was working with his life.
Let us remember that it is
God who weaves the pattern of our lives also—made up from all the scraps of our
efforts and the colours of our hopes—into his plan for the saving of all his
children. Lord, bless all the little moments of my life this day.
MINUTE MEDITATIONS
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Definition of Love
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I moved a step farther toward accepting my complete inability to
change another person and my inability to change myself. Love has been called
many things, but maybe one definition would be the utterly unbridgeable gap
between any two humans and the attempt to bridge it anyway.
March
19
St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
St. Joseph, Husband of Mary
The Bible pays Joseph the highest compliment: he was a “just” man.
The quality meant a lot more than faithfulness in paying debts.
When the
Bible speaks of God “justifying” someone, it means that God, the all-holy or
“righteous” One, so transforms a person that the individual shares somehow in
God’s own holiness, and hence it is really “right” for God to love him or her.
In other words, God is not playing games, acting as if we were lovable when we
are not.
By saying
Joseph was “just,” the Bible means that he was one who was completely open to
all that God wanted to do for him. He became holy by opening himself totally to
God.
The rest
we can easily surmise. Think of the kind of love with which he wooed and won
Mary, and the depth of the love they shared during their marriage.
It is no
contradiction of Joseph’s manly holiness that he decided to divorce Mary when
she was found to be with child. The important words of the Bible are that he
planned to do this “quietly” because he was “a righteous man, yet unwilling to
expose her to shame” (Matthew 1:19).
The just
man was simply, joyfully, wholeheartedly obedient to God—in marrying Mary, in
naming Jesus, in shepherding the precious pair to Egypt, in bringing them to
Nazareth, in the undetermined number of years of quiet faith and courage.
Comment:
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (see Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary...?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
The Bible tells us nothing of Joseph in the years after the return to Nazareth except the incident of finding Jesus in the Temple (see Luke 2:41–51). Perhaps this can be taken to mean that God wants us to realize that the holiest family was like every other family, that the circumstances of life for the holiest family were like those of every family, so that when Jesus’ mysterious nature began to appear, people couldn’t believe that he came from such humble beginnings: “Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary...?” (Matthew 13:55a). It was almost as indignant as “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (John 1:46b).
Quote:
“He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord’” (St. Bernardine of Siena).
“He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian and protector of his greatest treasures, namely, his divine Son and Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying: ‘Good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord’” (St. Bernardine of Siena).
Patron Saint of:
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Belgium
Canada
Carpenters
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Church
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Fathers
Happy death
Peru
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Social justice
Travelers
Universal Church
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Workers
LECTIO DIVINA:
SAINT JOSEPH
Lectio:
Thursday, March 19, 2015
Matthew 1,16.18-21.24a
Joseph, the Spouse of Mary, the Mother of Jesus
Joseph, the Spouse of Mary, the Mother of Jesus
1.
LECTIO
A)
OPENING PRAYER:
Spirit who moves over the water,
calm in us all discordance,
the agitated waves, the noise of the words,
the whirlwind of vanity,
and make the Word which recreates,
arise in silence.
Spirit who in a sigh you Whisper
to our spirit the Name of the Father,
come and gather together all our desires,
make them grow in a beam of light
which will be a response to your light,
the Word of the new Day.
Spirit of God, the sap of love
of the immense tree on which you graft us,
so that all our brothers
will seem to us as a gift
in the great Body in which
the Word of communion matures.
(Frère Pierre-Yves of Taizé)
calm in us all discordance,
the agitated waves, the noise of the words,
the whirlwind of vanity,
and make the Word which recreates,
arise in silence.
Spirit who in a sigh you Whisper
to our spirit the Name of the Father,
come and gather together all our desires,
make them grow in a beam of light
which will be a response to your light,
the Word of the new Day.
Spirit of God, the sap of love
of the immense tree on which you graft us,
so that all our brothers
will seem to us as a gift
in the great Body in which
the Word of communion matures.
(Frère Pierre-Yves of Taizé)
B)
READING OF THE GOSPEL: MATTHEW 1, 16-24
Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary; of her was born Jesus
who is called Christ. The sum of generations is therefore: fourteen from
Abraham to David; fourteen from David to the Babylonian deportation; and
fourteen from the Babylonian deportation to Christ. This is how Jesus Christ
came to be born. His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph; but before they came
to live together she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Her
husband Joseph, being an upright man and wanting to spare her disgrace, decided
to divorce her informally. He had made up his mind to do this when suddenly the
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do
not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because she has conceived what is
in her by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you must name him
Jesus, because he is the one who is to save his people from their sins.' Now
all this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken through the prophet:
Look! the virgin is with child and will give birth to a son whom they will call
Immanuel, a name which means 'God-is-with-us'. When Joseph woke up he did what
the angel of the Lord had told him to do: he took his wife to his home; he had
not had intercourse with her when she gave birth to a son; and he named him
Jesus.
C)
A MOMENT OF SILENCE:
so that the Word of God may enter into our hearts and enlighten
our lives.
2.
MEDITATIO
A)
A KEY TO THE READING:
The passage of today’s Gospel is taken from the first chapter of
the Gospel of Matthew which forms part of the section concerning the
conception, birth and infancy of Jesus. The center of all this account is the
Person of Jesus around which are all the events and the persons mentioned. One
must keep in mind that the Gospel reveals a Theology of the history of Jesus,
and so getting close to the Word of God we should get the message which is
hidden under the veils of the account without losing ourselves, as Paul so
wisely advises us “in foolish speculations”, avoiding “those genealogies and
the quibbles and disputes about the Law, they are useless and futile” (Tt 3,9).
In fact, this text is connected to the genealogy of Jesus, which
Matthew arranges with the intention of stressing the dynastic succession of
Jesus, the Saviour of his people (Mt 1, 21). To Jesus are conferred all the
rights inherited from the lineage of David, of “Joseph, son of David” (Mt 1:20;
Lk 2:4-5) his legal father. For the Biblical and Hebrew world legal paternity
was sufficient to confer all the rights of the lineage in question (cf.: the
law of the levirate and of adoption (Dt 25:5ff). That is why from the beginning
of the genealog, Jesus is designed as “Christ the Son of David” (Mt 1:1) that
is, the anointed one of the Lord Son of David, with whom all the promises of
God to David his servant, are fulfilled (2 Sam 7:1-16; 2 Cr 7:18; 2 Cr 21:7; Ps
89:30). This is why Matthew adds to the account of the genealogy and of the
conception of Jesus the prophecy of Isaiah: “All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had spoken through the prophet.: The young woman is with child
and will give birth to a son whom she will call Immanuel, which means God with
us” (Mt 1, 21-23 and Is 7:14).
Let us stop to say something, on the spiritual reality of
adoption, we can refer to the fact that the elected people possess “the glory,
the covenants, the legislation, the cult, the promises”, because “they are
Israelites and possess the adoption of sons” (Rm 9:4). But we also, the new
people of God in Christ receive the adoption of sons because “when the
completion of the time came God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject
of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law, so that we could receive
adoption as sons” (Gal 4:4-5). This is the salvation which Jesus has brought to
us. Christ “will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21) because he is the
“God with us!” (Mt 1: 23) who makes adopted sons of God.
Jesus is born from “Mary who was betrothed to Joseph” (Mt
1:18a)) who “was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit” (Mt 1: 18b).
Matthew does not give the account of the annunciation as Luke does (Lk 1,
26-38), but structures the account from the point of view of the experience of
Joseph the just man. The Bible reveals to us that God loves the just and many
times chooses them for an important mission, protects them and does not join
them to the impious (Gen 18:23ff). In the Old Testament we find many persons
who are considered just. We think of Noah “a good man, an upright man among his
contemporaries” (Gen 6:9). Or also Johoash who “did what Yahweh regards as
right” (2 K 12:3).
A constant idea in the Bible is the “dream” as a privileged
place where God makes his projects and designs known, and sometimes reveals the
future. The dreams of Jacob and Betel are well known (Gen 28: 10ff) and Joseph
his son, as also those of the cup-bearer and the chief baker imprisoned in
Egypt with him (Gen 37:5ff; Gen 40: 5ff) and the dreams of Pharaoh which
revealed the future years of plenty and of famine and want (Gen 41:1ff).
“An Angel of the Lord“ appeared to Joseph (Mt 1:20) to reveal to
him God’s design. In the Gospels of the infancy frequently the Angel of the
Lord is mentioned as the heavenly messenger (Mt 1:20.24; 2:13.19; Lk 1:11; 2:9)
and also on other occasions the angel appears to calm down, to reveal the
project of God, to heal, to liberate from slavery (cf. Mt 28:2; Jn 5:4; Acts
5:19; 8:26; 12:7.23). Many are the references to the Angel of the Lord also in
the Old Testament where originally the angel represented the Lord himself who
guided and protected his people being close to them (cf. Gen 16:7-16; 22:12;
24:7; Ex 3:3; 23:20; Tb 5:4).
B)
QUESTIONS TO ORIENTATE THE MEDITATION AND MAKE IT RELEVANT:
● What has struck you in this passage? Why?
● In the key to the reading, have we given enough consideration
to some terms (adoption, angel, dream, just)? What sentiments or thoughts did
these arise in your heart? What relevance can they have for your journey of
spiritual maturation?
● Which do you think is the central message in this Gospel
passage?
3.
ORATIO
A)
PSALM 92
It is good to give thanks to Yahweh,
to make music for your name, Most High,
to proclaim your faithful love at daybreak,
and your constancy all through the night,
on the lyre, the ten-stringed lyre,
to the murmur of the harp.
You have brought me joy, Yahweh,
by your deeds, at the work of your hands I cry out,
'How great are your works, Yahweh,
immensely deep your thoughts!'
to make music for your name, Most High,
to proclaim your faithful love at daybreak,
and your constancy all through the night,
on the lyre, the ten-stringed lyre,
to the murmur of the harp.
You have brought me joy, Yahweh,
by your deeds, at the work of your hands I cry out,
'How great are your works, Yahweh,
immensely deep your thoughts!'
Stupid people cannot realise this,
fools do not grasp it.
The wicked may sprout like weeds,
and every evil-doer flourish,
but only to be eternally destroyed;
whereas you are supreme for ever, Yahweh.
fools do not grasp it.
The wicked may sprout like weeds,
and every evil-doer flourish,
but only to be eternally destroyed;
whereas you are supreme for ever, Yahweh.
Look how your enemies perish,
how all evil-doers are scattered!
You give me the strength of the wild ox,
you anoint me with fresh oil;
I caught sight of the ambush against me,
overheard the plans of the wicked.
how all evil-doers are scattered!
You give me the strength of the wild ox,
you anoint me with fresh oil;
I caught sight of the ambush against me,
overheard the plans of the wicked.
The upright will flourish like the palm tree,
will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of Yahweh,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they will still bear fruit,
will remain fresh and green,
to proclaim Yahweh's integrity;
my rock, in whom no fault can be found.
will grow like a cedar of Lebanon.
Planted in the house of Yahweh,
they will flourish in the courts of our God.
In old age they will still bear fruit,
will remain fresh and green,
to proclaim Yahweh's integrity;
my rock, in whom no fault can be found.
B)
MOMENTS FOR A PRAYERFUL SILENCE
4.
CONTEMPLATIO
The Christian contemplation of God’s dream, of the project which
God cherishes for the history of humanity does not produce alienation but keeps
the consciences vigilant and active and stimulates us to face with courage and
altruism the responsibilities which life gives us.
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