ST JOSEPH, MOST OBEDIENT &
PILLAR OF FAMILIES
Retreat talk to Satellite Denary
CMO
(Mt 1:16-25, 2:13-23; Lk 1:26-27, 2:1-7, 21-28, 41-52)
1.0. OBEDIENCE
OF ST JOSEPH
St Joseph was an excellently obedient servant
of God. His form of obedience is not just in mere observance of the law; he
shares in Mary’s form of obedience of to God. St Joseph is an epitome of
obedience because he gave way for the will of God in his life, i.e. he did all
he could never to obstruct the will of God. While Mary totally surrendered
herself the will of God, Joseph totally gave way for what God had pre-destined
to happen. Joseph appeared like resolute man, who knew what he wanted; a
determinate man, who was strong enough to execute his plans and bring about his
desired result! He was a man of action, who spoke by his works. Yet, he was a
man of God, who would never resolve what would displease God, and was ready to
execute what God commanded. Thus, his virtue of obedience lies in his faith and
relationship with God.
St Joseph was a faithful son of King David’s
lineage. He seemed to have embodied the hope of an eternal dynasty from the
house of David; he was duly recognized as ‘of the house of David.’ He was a
worthy son, a man that was down to earth with his family heritage, and was
found worthy to stand in the name of his ancestor, David! Where David was
recognized as a man after God’s heart, his lineage son, Joseph grew to become ‘father’,
a man who dwells with God! So Joseph was faithful to the great virtues that
characterize the hope of an eternal dynasty in the house of David. He was a
chaste man, just, hardworking carpenter, quiet man, respects women, fears God,
sensitive and attentive.
St Joseph was obedient even to civil authorities.
He obeyed the directive of Emperor Augustus Caesar to go to his native town of
Bethlehem for census. Despite the inconveniences of making the long journey
since Mary was due for delivery, Joseph obeyed the civil directive. It appears
he travelled at the very dateline because of his low financial status and the
inconveniences of travelling with a pregnant woman. That was why he could not
get accommodation in the inn. He was also obedient to the religious laws of the
time. This is obvious as he went with Mary to dedicate the Child according to
the temple rules. And every year, he would lead Mary and Jesus for an annual
pilgrimage to Jerusalem.
St Joseph’s act of obedience shines out the
most in his encounter with the angel, through a dream. He obeyed the message of
the angel to take Mary home as his wife. He obeyed when the angel told him to
name the child, Jesus. He obeyed when told in a dream to escape with the child
to Egypt, even without any definite time-frame to return. He obeyed when asked
to return. These were no easy moments for him, but he obeyed. Surprisingly, he
even obeyed promptly and completely! Such level of humble and unreserved
response can only come from a man who lives under God’s commandments.
2.0. ST JOSEPH, PILLAR OF FAMILIES
Pope Leo XIII declared St Joseph the patron and
protector of the universal Church, the earthly family of God, in his encyclical,
“Quamquam Pluries” on August 15th, 1889. God found him worthy to
preside over the household that the Saviour would come from. St Joseph became
an essential link through which the hope of Israel in general, especially the
hope of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and the hope of an everlasting dynasty in the
name of David, would be find their fulfilment. Thus, he became the PILLAR by
which the hope of Israel towers to its fulfilment in Christ Jesus. In turn, St
Joseph stood firm like the PILLAR by which the Holy Family is rooted in
socio-cultural and religious life of Israel. In other words, he gave the divine
Son his cultural identity and upbringing; he gave him a ‘take off point’ to
begin His ministry. Jesus would be called, ‘The Son of Joseph’ (Mk 6:3). And ‘Son
of David’ (Mt 15:22, 21:9; 2Tim 2:8) became a messianic title for Jesus. “How
can the Scribes maintain that the Christ is the son of David?” (Mk 12:35).
According to Pope Leo XIII in ‘Quamquam Pluries’
No. 3, “Hence it came about
that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him, and that
He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their
parents. From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays
upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the
administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was.
And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those
duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his
spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was
necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded
from death the Child threatened by a monarch's jealousy, and found for Him a
refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was
ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of
Jesus. Now the divine house which Joseph ruled with the authority of a father,
contained within its limits the scarce-born Church. From the same fact that the
most holy Virgin is the mother of Jesus Christ is she the mother of all Christians
whom she bore on Mount Calvary amid the supreme throes of the Redemption; Jesus
Christ is, in a manner, the first-born of Christians, who by the adoption and
Redemption are his brothers. And for such reasons the Blessed Patriarch looks
upon the multitude of Christians who make up the Church as confided specially
to his trust - this limitless family spread over the earth, over which, because
he is the spouse of Mary and the Father of Jesus Christ he holds, as it were, a
paternal authority. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph
ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with
his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage
and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.”
As the pillar, St Joseph was not an absentee
father. He was readily available, both in the difficult times and joyous times.
His fatherhood was concretely expressed in his having made his life a service
to the mystery of Incarnation and to the redemptive work connected with it. His
devotion to his family is a model for fathers today, who are easily tempted
towards allowing disordered attachments to pleasure distort and hinder their
dedication to their family. St Joseph was a reliable and trustworthy guardian of
the holy Family. According to St Francis de Sales, St Joseph was the custodian
of the hearts of Jesus and Mary, the grace of love that he received from the Holy
Spirit makes him a participant of all the goods Mary possessed, and which made
them grow marvellously to perfection.
The Church continues to recommend St Joseph as
patron of fathers. Family life today appears to be threatened. We have more things
to tear us apart than to unite us; there are several forces battling against
unity in the home. Many fathers are
gradually losing their capacity to make binding commitments. We see from St
Joseph how a person’s virtuous and spiritual life translates into a pillar that
supports others. Joseph is like a mustard seed sown that grows into a big shrub
(Mk 4:30-32). Let us embrace St Joseph today; seeking his intercession and
learning from his example. Our families shall stand secure on Jesus Christ, who
is the Cornerstone from which we rise as supporting pillars of God’s household.
Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
St Ann Catholic Church,
PPL, Okokomaiko, Lagos.
CMO DENARY LENTEN RETREAT
March 27th, 2021.
www.nwachinwe.blogspot.com
