Authoritative Original Source: AAS 113.1 (2021, January) p13
| English Source: Vatican Website | Latin Source: Vatican Website |
| WITH A FATHER’S HEART: that is how Joseph loved Jesus, whom all four Gospels refer to as “the son of Joseph”.(1)Lk 4:22; Jn 6:42; cf. Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3. | Patris corde: ita Ioseph amabat Iesum, qui in omnibus quattuor Evangeliis «filius Ioseph» vocatur.(1)Lc 4,22; Io 6,42; cfr Mt 13,55; Mc 6,3. |
| Matthew and Luke, the two Evangelists who speak most of Joseph, tell us very little, yet enough for us to appreciate what sort of father he was, and the mission entrusted to him by God’s providence. | Duo Evangelistae qui eius figuram illustraverunt, nempe Matthaeus et Lucas, narraverunt parum, satis tamen ut intellegeretur cuius generis esset hic pater atque missio ipsi a Providentia concredita. |
| We know that Joseph was a lowly carpenter (cf. Mt 13:55), betrothed to Mary (cf. Mt 1:18; Lk 1:27). He was a “just man” (Mt 1:19), ever ready to carry out God’s will as revealed to him in the Law (cf. Lk 2:22.27.39) and through four dreams (cf. Mt 1:20; 2:13.19.22). After a long and tiring journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, he beheld the birth of the Messiah in a stable, since “there was no place for them” elsewhere (cf. Lk 2:7). He witnessed the adoration of the shepherds (cf. Lk 2:8-20) and the Magi (cf. Mt 2:1-12), who represented respectively the people of Israel and the pagan peoples. | Novimus quod ille humilis faber fuit (cfr Mt 13,55), cui erat desponsata Maria (cfr Mt 1,18; Lc 1,27), «vir iustus» (Mt 1,19), semper paratus ad explendam voluntatem Dei in Lege ei manifestatam (cfr Lc 2,22.27.39) et saltem quattuor per somnia (cfr Mt 1,20; 2,13.19.22). Post longum arduumque iter de Nazareth in Bethlehem, vidit Christum natum in praesaepi, quia alibi «non erat eis locus» (Lc 2,7). Testis fuit adorationis pastorum (cfr Lc 2,8-20) atque Magorum (cfr Mt 2,1-12), qui personam gerebant alteri populi Israel alteri gentium. |
| Joseph had the courage to become the legal father of Jesus, to whom he gave the name revealed by the angel: “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). As we know, for ancient peoples, to give a name to a person or to a thing, as Adam did in the account in the Book of Genesis (cf. 2:19-20), was to establish a relationship. | Ille legalem paternitatem Iesu accipere non timuit, cui imposuit nomen revelatum ab angelo: «Vocabis nomen eius Iesum: ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum» (Mt 1,21). Ut notum est, nomen dare cuidam personae vel rei – sicut fecit Adam in narratione Genesis (cfr 2,19-20) – apud populos antiquos significabat illam ad se pertinere. |
| In the Temple, forty days after Jesus’ birth, Joseph and Mary offered their child to the Lord and listened with amazement to Simeon’s prophecy concerning Jesus and his Mother (cf. Lk 2:22-35). To protect Jesus from Herod, Joseph dwelt as a foreigner in Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-18). After returning to his own country, he led a hidden life in the tiny and obscure village of Nazareth in Galilee, far from Bethlehem, his ancestral town, and from Jerusalem and the Temple. Of Nazareth it was said, “No prophet is to rise” (cf. Jn 7:52) and indeed, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (cf. Jn 1:46). When, during a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, Joseph and Mary lost track of the twelve-year-old Jesus, they anxiously sought him out and they found him in the Temple, in discussion with the doctors of the Law (cf. Lk 2:41-50). | In Templo, quadraginta dies post nativitatem, una cum matre eius Ioseph obtulit Puerum Domino, et admiratione motus audivit prophetiam, quam Simeon dixit de Iesu et Maria (cfr Lc 2,22-35). Ad Iesum tuendum ab Herode, advena vitam degit in Aegypto (cfr Mt 2,13-18). Reversus in patriam, vixit in recessu parvi et ignoti oppidi Nazareth in Galilaea – unde, ut dicebatur, “propheta non surgit” et numquam “potest aliquid boni esse” (cfr Io 7,52; 1,46) – longe a Bethlehem, ubi natus erat, atque a Ierusalem, ubi erat Templum. Cum vero, ascendentibus ipsis in Ierusalem, Iesum duodecim annos natum amisissent, ipse et Maria requirebant eum turbati, et invenerunt eum in Templo cum doctoribus Legis disputantem (cfr Lc 2,41-50). |
| After Mary, the Mother of God, no saint is mentioned more frequently in the papal magisterium than Joseph, her spouse. My Predecessors reflected on the message contained in the limited information handed down by the Gospels in order to appreciate more fully his central role in the history of salvation. Blessed Pius IX declared him “Patron of the Catholic Church”,(2)S. RITUUM CONGREGATIO, Quemadmodum Deus (8 December 1870): ASS 6 (1870-71), 194. Venerable Pius XII proposed him as “Patron of Workers”(3)Cf. Address to ACLI on the Solemnity of Saint Joseph the Worker (1 May 1955): AAS 47 (1955), 406. and Saint John Paul II as “Guardian of the Redeemer”.(4)Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris custos (15 August 1989): AAS 82 (1990), 5-34. Saint Joseph is universally invoked as the “patron of a happy death”.(5)Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1014. | Post Mariam, Matrem Dei, nullus Sanctus tantum obtinet spatium in Magisterio pontificio quam Ioseph, eius sponsus. Decessores Nostri explicaverunt nuntium inclusum in paucis verbis relatis in Evangeliis ut magis ostenderent eius praecipuum munus in historia salutis: beatus Pius IX eum «Catholicae Ecclesiae Patronum» declaravit,(2)S. Rituum Congreg., Quemadmodum Deus (8 Decembris 1870): ASS 6 (1870-71), 194. venerabilis Pius XII proposuit eum tamquam “Patronum opificum”(3)Cfr Allocutio ad adscriptos Societatibus Christianis Operariorum Italicorum (ACLI) Ex Italiae Dioecesibus Romae coadunatos (1 Maii 1955): AAS 47 (1955), 406. et sanctus Ioannes Paulus II uti «Redemptoris custodem».(4)Adhort. ap. Redemptoris custos (15 Augusti 1989): AAS 82 (1990), 5-34. Populus vero ei se committit uti «bonae mortis patrono».(5)Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae, 1014. |
| Now, one hundred and fifty years after his proclamation as Patron of the Catholic Church by Blessed Pius IX (8 December 1870), I would like to share some personal reflections on this extraordinary figure, so close to our own human experience. For, as Jesus says, “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Mt 12:34). My desire to do so increased during these months of pandemic, when we experienced, amid the crisis, how “our lives are woven together and sustained by ordinary people, people often overlooked. People who do not appear in newspaper and magazine headlines, or on the latest television show, yet in these very days are surely shaping the decisive events of our history. Doctors, nurses, storekeepers and supermarket workers, cleaning personnel, caregivers, transport workers, men and women working to provide essential services and public safety, volunteers, priests, men and women religious, and so very many others. They understood that no one is saved alone… How many people daily exercise patience and offer hope, taking care to spread not panic, but shared responsibility. How many fathers, mothers, grandparents and teachers are showing our children, in small everyday ways, how to accept and deal with a crisis by adjusting their routines, looking ahead and encouraging the practice of prayer. How many are praying, making sacrifices and interceding for the good of all”.(6)Meditation in the Time of Pandemic (27 March 2020): L’Osservatore Romano, 29 March 2020, p. 10. Each of us can discover in Joseph – the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence – an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of trouble. Saint Joseph reminds us that those who appear hidden or in the shadows can play an incomparable role in the history of salvation. A word of recognition and of gratitude is due to them all. | Itaque, CL transactis annis a quo ipse Catholicae Ecclesiae Patronus declaratus est a beato Pio IX die VIII mensis Decembris anno MDCCCLXX – ut ait Iesus – quia «ex abundantia cordis os loquitur» (Mt 12,34), cupimus vobiscum participare quasdam proprias considerationes de hoc singulari viro, tam proximo humanae condicioni cuiusque nostrum. Huiusmodi desiderium crevit his mensibus pandemiae, in quibus potuimus experiri, in discrimine quod nos afficit, quod «nostrae vitae intexuntur et sustentantur a humilibus hominibus (plerumque oblivione obrutis) qui non apparent in diurnalium et ephemeridum integumentis neque in magnis ostentationibus recentissimi moris sed, absque dubio, describunt hodie decretorios eventus nostrae historiae: medici, infirmorum ministri et ministrae, addicti amplis sedibus rerum venalium, munditiae operatores, senioribus assistentes, vectores, ministri tutelae prospicientes, voluntarii, sacerdotes, religiosi viri et mulieres et perquam plurimi alii qui intellexerunt neminem solum salvum fieri. [...] Quot homines exercent cotidie patientiam et infundunt spem, prospicientes ne serant panicum timorem, sed corresponsalitatem. Quot patres et matres, avi et aviae, magistri ostendunt nostris filiis, parvis et cotidianis gestibus, quomodo occurrere difficultati eamque transire possunt iterum accommodando consuetudines, oculos attollendo et incitando orationem. Quot personae precantur, offerunt et intercedunt pro bono omnium».(6)Meditatio tempore pandemiae (27 Martii 2020): L’Osservatore Romano, 29 Martii 2020, p. 10. Cuncti in sancto Ioseph possunt invenire virum qui inobservatus transit, virum qui cotidie adest, discretum et absconditum, intercessorem, fulcimen et ductorem temporibus difficultatum. Sanctus Ioseph nos commonet omnes eos, qui videntur celari vel stare in “secunda serie”, in historia salutis incomparabiliter praecipuum locum obtinere. Quibus omnibus verba aestimationis et gratitudinis dicimus. |
§1 A beloved father |
§1 Pater amatus |
| The greatness of Saint Joseph is that he was the spouse of Mary and the father of Jesus. In this way, he placed himself, in the words of Saint John Chrysostom, “at the service of the entire plan of salvation”.(7)In Matthaeum Homiliae, V, 3: PG 57, 58. | Magnitudo sancti Ioseph stat in eo quod ipse sponsus fuit Mariae et pater Iesu. Quapropter «totius dispensationis minister effectus est», sicut affirmavit sanctus Ioannes Chrysostomus.(7)In Matth. hom., V,3: PG 57, 58. |
| Saint Paul VI pointed out that Joseph concretely expressed his fatherhood “by making his life a sacrificial service to the mystery of the incarnation and its redemptive purpose. He employed his legal authority over the Holy Family to devote himself completely to them in his life and work. He turned his human vocation to domestic love into a superhuman oblation of himself, his heart and all his abilities, a love placed at the service of the Messiah who was growing to maturity in his home”.(8)Homily (19 March 1966): Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, IV (1966), 110. | Sanctus Paulus VI animadvertit eius paternitatem re manifestatam esse «in eo quod de sua vita fecit servitium, sacrificium, dicatum mysterio incarnationis et missioni redemptrici cum illo coniunctae; in eo quod usus est auctoritate legali, quae ad eum attinebat de sacra Familia, ad praebendum ei in totum donum sui ipsius, suae vitae, sui operis; in eo quod suam humanam ad amorem domesticum vocationem convertit in superhumanam oblationem sui ipsius, sui cordis et cuiusque facultatis in amore posito ad serviendum Christo germinato in domo eius».(8)Homilia (19 Martii 1966): Insegnamenti di Paolo VI, IV [1966], 110. |
| Thanks to his role in salvation history, Saint Joseph has always been venerated as a father by the Christian people. This is shown by the countless churches dedicated to him worldwide, the numerous religious Institutes, Confraternities and ecclesial groups inspired by his spirituality and bearing his name, and the many traditional expressions of piety in his honour. Innumerable holy men and women were passionately devoted to him. Among them was Teresa of Avila, who chose him as her advocate and intercessor, had frequent recourse to him and received whatever graces she asked of him. Encouraged by her own experience, Teresa persuaded others to cultivate devotion to Joseph.(9)Cf. Autobiography, 6, 6-8. | Propter hoc suum munus in historia salutis, sanctus Ioseph est pater qui semper amabatur a populo christiano, sicut patet ex eo quod toto in orbe ei dedicatae sunt plurimae ecclesiae; multa Instituta religiosa, Confraternitates et ecclesiales coetus spiritu eius incitantur eiusque nomen ferunt; itemque a saeculis varia sacra spectacula in eius honorem peragebantur. Plures Sancti et Sanctae ardenter eum coluerunt, inter quos sancta Teresia Abulensis, quae eum tamquam advocatum et intercessorem accepit, se ipsi multum committens atque cunctas gratias suscipiens quas ab eo postulabat; eo quod ipsamet iuvamen experta sit, Sancta alios hortabatur ut eum colerent.(9)Cfr Liber vitae, 6,6-8. |
| Every prayer book contains prayers to Saint Joseph. Special prayers are offered to him each Wednesday and especially during the month of March, which is traditionally dedicated to him.(10)Every day, for over forty years, following Lauds I have recited a prayer to Saint Joseph taken from a nineteenth-century French prayer book of the Congregation of the Sisters of Jesus and Mary. It expresses devotion and trust, and even poses a certain challenge to Saint Joseph: “Glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph, whose power makes the impossible possible, come to my aid in these times of anguish and difficulty. Take under your protection the serious and troubling situations that I commend to you, that they may have a happy outcome. My beloved father, all my trust is in you. Let it not be said that I invoked you in vain, and since you can do everything with Jesus and Mary, show me that your goodness is as great as your power. Amen.” | In omni manuali precationum invenitur aliqua oratio ad sanctum Ioseph. Praecipuae deprecationes ad eum convertuntur quaque feria quarta ac praesertim totum per mensem Martium, ex more ipsi dedicatum.(10)Singulis diebus, iam a plus quam quadraginta annis, post Laudes Nos dicimus orationem ad sanctum Ioseph, sumptam de quodam libro devotionum, saeculo XIX lingua Gallica edito a Congregatione Sororum Iesu et Mariae, quae exprimit pietatem, fiduciam certamque provocationem sancti Ioseph: «Gloriose Patriarcha Sancte Ioseph, cuius potestas impossibilia valet possibilia efficere, veni in auxilium meum his temporibus angustiarum et difficultatum. Accipe sub tuam protectionem tam graves et difficiles condiciones, quas tibi committo, ut felicem solutionem contingant. Pater mi dilecte, omnis fiducia mea in te reponitur. Ne dicatur quod frustra te invocaverim. Et quia tu omnia potes apud Iesum et Mariam, ostende mihi tuam bonitatem tam magnam esse quam potestatem. Amen». |
| Popular trust in Saint Joseph is seen in the expression “Go to Joseph”, which evokes the famine in Egypt, when the Egyptians begged Pharaoh for bread. He in turn replied: “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do” (Gen 41:55). Pharaoh was referring to Joseph the son of Jacob, who was sold into slavery because of the jealousy of his brothers (cf. Gen 37:11-28) and who – according to the biblical account – subsequently became viceroy of Egypt (cf. Gen 41:41-44). | Fiducia populi in sancto Ioseph posita brevi exprimitur in dicto “Ite ad Ioseph”, quod reducitur ad tempus famis in Aegypto, cum populus alimenta petivit a pharaone et ille respondit: «Ite ad Ioseph et, quidquid vobis dixerit, facite» (Gn 41,55). Agebatur de Ioseph, filio Iacob, qui ob invidiam venditus erat a fratribus (cfr Gn 37,11-28) et qui, secundum narrationem Bibliorum, deinde alter a pharaone in Aegypto factus est (cfr Gn 41,41-44). |
| As a descendant of David (cf. Mt 1:16-20), from whose stock Jesus was to spring according to the promise made to David by the prophet Nathan (cf. 2 Sam 7), and as the spouse of Mary of Nazareth, Saint Joseph stands at the crossroads between the Old and New Testaments. | Ut natus e progenie David (cfr Mt 1,16.20), e radice cuius erat oriturus Iesus secundum promissionem factam David a propheta Nathan (cfr 2 Sam 7), utque sponsus Mariae de Nazareth, sanctus Ioseph est verticulus qui coniungit Vetus et Novum Testamentum. |
§2 A tender and loving father |
§2 Pater in miseratione |
| Joseph saw Jesus grow daily “in wisdom and in years and in divine and human favour” (Lk 2:52). As the Lord had done with Israel, so Joseph did with Jesus: he taught him to walk, taking him by the hand; he was for him like a father who raises an infant to his cheeks, bending down to him and feeding him (cf. Hos 11:3-4). | De die in diem Ioseph vidit Iesum proficere «sapientia et aetate et gratia apud Deum et homines» (Lc 2,52). Quomodo Dominus fecit cum Israel, ita ille “dirigebat gressus eius, portabat eum in brachiis suis: fuit ei quasi pater qui elevat infantem ad maxillas suas, et declinavit ad eum ut vesceretur” (cfr Os 11,3-4). |
| In Joseph, Jesus saw the tender love of God: “As a father has compassion for his children, so the Lord has compassion for those who fear him” (Ps 103:13). | In Ioseph Iesus vidit miserationem Dei: «Quomodo miseretur pater filiorum, misertus est Dominus timentibus se» (Ps 103,13). |
| In the synagogue, during the praying of the Psalms, Joseph would surely have heard again and again that the God of Israel is a God of tender love,(11)Cf. Deut 4:31; Ps 69:16; 78:38; 86:5; 111:4; 116:5; Jer 31:20. who is good to all, whose “compassion is over all that he has made” (Ps 145:9). | Ioseph certe audiverat resonare in synagoga, in prece Psalmorum, Deum Israel esse Deum misericordiae,(11)Cfr Dt 4,31; Ps 69,17; 78,38; 86,5; 111,4; 116,5; Ier 31,20. qui bonus est universis et «miserationes eius super omnia opera eius» (Ps 145,9). |
| The history of salvation is worked out “in hope against hope” (Rom 4:18), through our weaknesses. All too often, we think that God works only through our better parts, yet most of his plans are realized in and despite our frailty. Thus Saint Paul could say: “To keep me from being too elated, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me, but he said to me: ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness’” (2 Cor 12:7-9). | Historia salutis perficitur «in spe contra spem» (Rom 4,18) per infirmitates nostras. Nimis saepe putamus Deum fiduciam ponere tantummodo in parte bona et vincente nostrum, cum revera maiore ex parte incepta eius efficiuntur per ac praeter infirmitatem nostram. Hac de causa sanctus Paulus dixit: «Propter quod, ne extollar, datus est mihi stimulus carni, angelus Satanae, ut me colaphizet, ne extollar. Propter quod ter Dominum rogavi, ut discederet a me; et dixit mihi: “Sufficit tibi gratia mea, nam virtus in infirmitate perficitur”» (2 Cor 12,7-9). |
| Since this is part of the entire economy of salvation, we must learn to look upon our weaknesses with tender mercy.(12)Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium (24 November 2013), 88, 288: AAS 105 (2013), 1057, 1136-1137. | Si hic est oeconomiae salutis prospectus, necesse est ut discamus infirmitatem nostram accipere submissa miseratione.(12)Cfr Adhort. ap. Evangelii gaudium 88; 288: AAS 105 (2013), 1057, 1136-1137. |
| The evil one makes us see and condemn our frailty, whereas the Spirit brings it to light with tender love. Tenderness is the best way to touch the frailty within us. Pointing fingers and judging others are frequently signs of an inability to accept our own weaknesses, our own frailty. Only tender love will save us from the snares of the accuser (cf. Rev 12:10). That is why it is so important to encounter God’s mercy, especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we experience his truth and tenderness. Paradoxically, the evil one can also speak the truth to us, yet he does so only to condemn us. We know that God’s truth does not condemn, but instead welcomes, embraces, sustains and forgives us. That truth always presents itself to us like the merciful father in Jesus’ parable (cf. Lk 15:11-32). It comes out to meet us, restores our dignity, sets us back on our feet and rejoices for us, for, as the father says: “This my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (v. 24). | Malignus inducit nos ad infirmitatem nostram cum iudicio negativo aspiciendam, Spiritus autem miserens fert eam in lumen. Miseratio est optimus modus tangendi id quod est infirmum in nobis. Digitus directus et iudicium adhibitum contra alios persaepe signum est nos intus haud valere ipsum nostrum languorem ipsamque infirmitatem nostram accipere. Tantummodo miseratio nos salvos faciet ab opera Accusatoris (cfr Apc 12,10). Quapropter magni momenti est occurrere Misericordiae Dei, praesertim in Sacramento Reconciliationis, experiendo veritatem et miserationem. Inopinato etiam Malignus nobis veritatem dicere potest, sed si hoc facit, ad nos damnandum. Nos autem scimus Veritatem a Deo venientem nos non damnare, sed accipere, nos amplecti, nos sustinere, nobis ignoscere. Veritas apparet nobis semper veluti Pater misericors de parabola (cfr Lc 15,11-32): ad nos accurrit, nobis reddit dignitatem, nos sublevat, epulas dat pro nobis hac de ratione quod «hic filius meus mortuus erat et revixit, perierat et inventus est» (v. 24). |
| Even through Joseph’s fears, God’s will, his history and his plan were at work. Joseph, then, teaches us that faith in God includes believing that he can work even through our fears, our frailties and our weaknesses. He also teaches us that amid the tempests of life, we must never be afraid to let the Lord steer our course. At times, we want to be in complete control, yet God always sees the bigger picture. | Etiam per angustias Ioseph transit voluntas Dei, historia et inceptum eius. Ita Ioseph nos docet quod fidem in Deo habere includit etiam credere Eum agere posse per nostros timores, nostras infirmitates nostrumque languorem. Et docet nos ne, inter vitae procellas, timeamus Deo gubernaculum nostrae navis relinquere. Nonnumquam nos omnia recognoscere velimus, sed Ipse semper ampliorem conspectum habet. |
§3 An obedient father |
§3 Pater in oboedientia |
| As he had done with Mary, God revealed his saving plan to Joseph. He did so by using dreams, which in the Bible and among all ancient peoples, were considered a way for him to make his will known.(13)Cf. Gen 20:3; 28:12; 31:11.24; 40:8; 41:1-32; Num 12:6; 1 Sam 3:3-10; Dan 2, 4; Job 33:15. | Similiter ac Deus fecit Mariae, cum ei manifestavit suum propositum salutis, itaque Ioseph patefecit sua consilia, idque fecit per somnia, quae in Bibliis, sicut apud omnes populos antiquos, considerata erant unus e modis quibus Deus voluntatem suam manifestabat.(13)Cfr Gn 20,3; 28,12; 31,11.24; 40,8; 41,1-32; Nm 12,6; 1 Sam 3,3-10; Dn 2; 4; Iob 33,15. |
| Joseph was deeply troubled by Mary’s mysterious pregnancy. He did not want to “expose her to public disgrace”,(14)In such cases, provisions were made even for stoning (cf. Deut 22:20-21). so he decided to “dismiss her quietly” (Mt 1:19). In the first dream, an angel helps him resolve his grave dilemma: “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:20-21). Joseph’s response was immediate: “When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him” (Mt 1:24). Obedience made it possible for him to surmount his difficulties and spare Mary. | Ioseph fortiter turbatus est coram arcana praegnatione Mariae: at noluit «eam traducere»,(14)His in casibus praevidebatur etiam lapidatio (cfr Dt 22,20-21). sed decrevit «occulte dimittere eam» (Mt 1,19). In primo somno angelus adiuvit eum solvere eius grave dilemma: «Noli timere accipere Mariam coniugem tuam. Quod enim in ea natum est, de Spiritu Sancto est; pariet autem filium, et vocabis nomen eius Iesum: ipse enim salvum faciet populum suum a peccatis eorum» (Mt 1,20-21). Responsio eius protinus secuta est: «Exsurgens autem Ioseph a somno fecit, sicut praecepit ei angelus» (Mt 1,24). Oboedientia ipse superavit aerumnam suam et salvam fecit Mariam. |
| In the second dream, the angel tells Joseph: “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him” (Mt 2:13). Joseph did not hesitate to obey, regardless of the hardship involved: “He got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod” (Mt 2:14-15). | In secundo somno angelus praecepit Ioseph: «Surge et accipe puerum et matrem eius et fuge in Aegyptum et esto ibi, usque dum dicam tibi; futurum est enim ut Herodes quaerat puerum ad perdendum eum» (Mt 2,13). Ioseph non haesitavit in oboediendo nec interrogationes sibi fecit de difficultatibus quibus occurreret: «Qui consurgens accepit puerum et matrem eius nocte et recessit in Aegyptum et erat ibi usque ad obitum Herodis» (Mt 2,14-15). |
| In Egypt, Joseph awaited with patient trust the angel’s notice that he could safely return home. In a third dream, the angel told him that those who sought to kill the child were dead and ordered him to rise, take the child and his mother, and return to the land of Israel (cf. Mt 2:19-20). Once again, Joseph promptly obeyed. “He got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel” (Mt 2:21). | In Aegypto Ioseph exspectabat fiducialiter ac patienter nuntium ab angelo promissum Patriam regrediendi. Ut primum, nuntius divinus in tertio somno, postquam certiorem fecisset eum defunctos esse eos, qui quaerebant animam pueri, iussit Ioseph surgere et accipere puerum et matrem eius et redire in terram Israel (cfr Mt 2,19-20), ille rursum paruit sine haesitatione: «Surgens accepit puerum et matrem eius et venit in terram Israel» (Mt 2,21). |
| During the return journey, “when Joseph heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream” – now for the fourth time – “he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth” (Mt 2:22-23). | Sed dum rediebat, in itinere, «audiens quia Archelaus regnaret in Iudaea pro Herode patre suo, timuit illuc ire; et admonitus deinde in somnis – et quartum id evenit – secessit in partes Galilaeae et veniens habitavit in civitate, quae vocatur Nazareth» (Mt 2,22-23). |
| The evangelist Luke, for his part, tells us that Joseph undertook the long and difficult journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem to be registered in his family’s town of origin in the census of the Emperor Caesar Augustus. There Jesus was born (cf. Lk 2:7) and his birth, like that of every other child, was recorded in the registry of the Empire. | Evangelista Lucas autem rettulit Ioseph suscepisse longum et incommodum iter de Nazareth in Bethlehem, secundum legem census ab imperatore Caesare Augusto latam ut omnes profiterentur, singuli in sua civitate. In ipsis rerum adiunctis natus est Iesus (cfr 2,1-7), et sicut omnes alii pueri, in indicem anagraphicum Imperii inscriptus est. |
| Saint Luke is especially concerned to tell us that Jesus’ parents observed all the prescriptions of the Law: the rites of the circumcision of Jesus, the purification of Mary after childbirth, the offering of the firstborn to God (cf. 2:21-24).(15)Cf. Lev 12:1-8; Ex 13:2. | Sanctus Lucas potissimum sollicite in luce posuit parentes Iesu omnia praecepta Legis observavisse: ritus circumcisionis Iesu, purificationis Mariae post partum, oblationis Deo primogeniti (cfr 2,21-24).(15)Cfr Lv 12,1-8; Ex 13,2. |
| In every situation, Joseph declared his own “fiat”, like those of Mary at the Annunciation and Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. | In omnibus rerum adiunctis vitae suae Ioseph novit suum “fiat” dicere, sicut Maria in Annuntiatione et Iesus in Gethsemani. |
| In his role as the head of a family, Joseph taught Jesus to be obedient to his parents (cf. Lk 2:51), in accordance with God’s command (cf. Ex 20:12). | Ioseph, munere fungens patris familias, docuit Iesum subditum esse parentibus (cfr Lc 2,51), secundum mandatum Dei (cfr Ex 20,12). |
| During the hidden years in Nazareth, Jesus learned at the school of Joseph to do the will of the Father. That will was to be his daily food (cf. Jn 4:34). Even at the most difficult moment of his life, in Gethsemane, Jesus chose to do the Father’s will rather than his own,(16)Cf. Mt 26:39; Mk 14:36; Lk 22:42. becoming “obedient unto death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). The author of the Letter to the Hebrews thus concludes that Jesus “learned obedience through what he suffered” (5:8). | In recessu Nazareth absconditus, in schola Ioseph, Iesus didicit facere Patris voluntatem, quae cibus eius cotidianus facta est (cfr Io 4,34). Etiam difficillimo tempore vitae suae, in Gethsemani experto, maluit voluntatem Patris facere et non suam(16)Cfr Mt 26,39; Mc 14,36; Lc 22,42. et factus est «oboediens usque ad mortem […] crucis» (Phil 2,8). Quam ob rem in Epistula ad Hebraeos de Iesu dicitur: «Didicit ex his, quae passus est, oboedientiam» (5,8). |
| All this makes it clear that “Saint Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood” and that in this way, “he cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation and is truly a minister of salvation.”(17)SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris custos (15 August 1989), 8: AAS 82 (1990), 14. | Ex omnibus his rebus apparet ut Ioseph «a Deo est arcessitus ut Iesu recta via munerique eius per suae paternitatis exsecutionem famularetur: eo ipso prorsus modo ille in temporis plenitudine magno Redemptionis mysterio adiutricem praestitit operam reque vera salutis minister exsistit».(17)S. Ioannes Paulus II, Adhort. ap. Redemptoris custos (15 Augusti 1989), 8: AAS 82 (1990), 14. |
§4 An accepting father |
§4 Pater in acceptione |
| Joseph accepted Mary unconditionally. He trusted in the angel’s words. “The nobility of Joseph’s heart is such that what he learned from the law he made dependent on charity. Today, in our world where psychological, verbal and physical violence towards women is so evident, Joseph appears as the figure of a respectful and sensitive man. Even though he does not understand the bigger picture, he makes a decision to protect Mary’s good name, her dignity and her life. In his hesitation about how best to act, God helped him by enlightening his judgment”.(18)Homily at Mass and Beatifications, Villavicencio, Colombia (8 September 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1061. | Ioseph accepit Mariam, haud ponens praevias condiciones. Fisus est verbis angeli. «Nobilitas eius cordis effecit ut caritati submitteret quod de lege didicit; et hodie, in hoc mundo ubi vis psychologice, verbis et actis contra mulierem palam adhibetur, Ioseph apparet tamquam figura viri reverentis, lenis, qui, antequam haberet omnes notitias, optavit pro bona fama, dignitate et vita Mariae. Atque, eius in dubio, quomodo melius agendum esset, Deus adiuvit eum recte deligere, illuminans eius arbitrium».(18)Homilia in S. Missa cum beatificationibus, celebrata in urbe Villavicentiensi, in Columbia (8 Septembris 2017): AAS 109 (2017), 1061. |
| Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his own ideas in order to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them and make them part of his own history. Unless we are reconciled with our own history, we will be unable to take a single step forward, for we will always remain hostage to our expectations and the disappointments that follow. | Totiens nostra in vita occurrunt eventus, quorum non intellegimus sensum. Prima nostra reactio est frustratio ac defectio. Ioseph seposuit suas ratiocinationes ut spatium praeberet illi quod eventurum erat, et quantumvis illud in eius oculis mysteriosum apparere posset, ipse id accepit, assumpsit de illo responsalitatem et sua cum historia conciliatus est. Nisi nos nostra cum historia conciliemus, neque valebimus progredi, quoniam semper manebimus obsides nostrarum exspectationum ac sequentium frustrationum. |
| The spiritual path that Joseph traces for us is not one that explains, but accepts. Only as a result of this acceptance, this reconciliation, can we begin to glimpse a broader history, a deeper meaning. We can almost hear an echo of the impassioned reply of Job to his wife, who had urged him to rebel against the evil he endured: “Shall we receive the good at the hand of God, and not receive the bad?” (Job 2:10). | Vita spiritualis quam Ioseph ostendit nobis non est via quae explanat, sed via quae accipit. Tantummodo incipiendo ex hac acceptione, ex hac conciliatione, etiam animo percipi potest historia maior et sensus altior. Resonare videntur ardentia verba Iob, qui hortationi uxoris ut in omni evenienti sibi malo deficeret, respondit: «Si bona suscepimus de manu Dei, mala quare non suscipiamus?» (Iob 2,10). |
| Joseph is certainly not passively resigned, but courageously and firmly proactive. In our own lives, acceptance and welcome can be an expression of the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude. Only the Lord can give us the strength needed to accept life as it is, with all its contradictions, frustrations and disappointments. | Ioseph non fuit vir passive tolerans. Ipse actor fuit animosus et fortis. Acceptio est modus per quem in vita nostra manifestatur donum fortitudinis quod nobis a Spiritu Sancto datur. Tantummodo Dominus potest dare nobis virtutem accipiendi vitam sicut est, et spatium faciendi quoque illi eius parti quae est contradictoria, inopinata et frustrans. |
| Jesus’ appearance in our midst is a gift from the Father, which makes it possible for each of us to be reconciled to the flesh of our own history, even when we fail to understand it completely. | Iesu adventus inter nos est donum Patris, ut unusquisque concilietur sua cum historia, etiam cum prorsus eam non intellegit. |
| Just as God told Joseph: “Son of David, do not be afraid!” (Mt 1:20), so he seems to tell us: “Do not be afraid!” We need to set aside all anger and disappointment, and to embrace the way things are, even when they do not turn out as we wish. Not with mere resignation but with hope and courage. In this way, we become open to a deeper meaning. Our lives can be miraculously reborn if we find the courage to live them in accordance with the Gospel. It does not matter if everything seems to have gone wrong or some things can no longer be fixed. God can make flowers spring up from stony ground. Even if our heart condemns us, “God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1 Jn 3:20). | Sicut Deus dixit nostro Sancto: «Ioseph fili David, noli timere» (Mt 1,20), videtur nobis quoque iterare: “Nolite timere!”. Opus est rabiem et frustrationem deponere, et spatium facere, sine ulla mundana tolerantia, sed cum fortitudine spe repleta, illi quod non elegimus, attamen exsistit. Ita vitam accipere nos introducit in quendam sensum absconditum. Vita uniuscuiusque nostrum potest iterum mirabiliter proficere, si reperimus animum vivendi eamsecundum id quod nobis ostendit Evangelium. Et nihil refert, si iam omnia videntur sinistre declinavisse etsi quaedam reverti iam nequeunt. Deus flores proferre potest inter saxa. Etiamsi cor nostrum reprehendit nos, Ipse «maior est corde nostro et cognoscit omnia» (1 Io 3,20). |
| Here, once again, we encounter that Christian realism which rejects nothing that exists. Reality, in its mysterious and irreducible complexity, is the bearer of existential meaning, with all its lights and shadows. Thus, the Apostle Paul can say: “We know that all things work together for good, for those who love God” (Rom 8:28). To which Saint Augustine adds, “even that which is called evil (etiam illud quod malum dicitur)”.(19)Enchiridion de fide, spe et caritate, 3.11: PL 40, 236. In this greater perspective, faith gives meaning to every event, however happy or sad. | Denuo redit realismus christianus, qui nihil horum quae exsistunt reicit. Rerum veritas, in sua arcana constantia et implicatione, fert sensum exsistentiae una cum eius lucibus et umbris. Hoc inducit apostolum Paulum ut dicat: «Scimus autem quoniam diligentibus Deum omnia cooperantur in bonum» (Rom 8,28). Et sanctus Augustinus addit: «Etiam illud quod malum dicitur».(19)Enchiridion de fide, spe et caritate, 3.11: PL 40, 236. In hoc universali prospectu, fides cuique eventui laeto vel tristi sensum praebet. |
| Nor should we ever think that believing means finding facile and comforting solutions. The faith Christ taught us is what we see in Saint Joseph. He did not look for shortcuts, but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it. | Absit ergo nobis ut putemus quod credere sibi velit faciles consolationis solutiones reperire. Fides quam Christus nos docuit est autem fides, quam videmus apud sanctum Ioseph, qui non querit vias compendiarias, sed “apertis oculis” occurrit sibi accidentibus, ipsemet de iis assumens responsalitatem. |
| Joseph’s attitude encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception, and to show special concern for the weak, for God chooses what is weak (cf. 1 Cor 1:27). He is the “Father of orphans and protector of widows” (Ps 68:6), who commands us to love the stranger in our midst.(20)Cf. Deut 10:19; Ex 22:20-22; Lk 10:29-37. I like to think that it was from Saint Joseph that Jesus drew inspiration for the parable of the prodigal son and the merciful father (cf. Lk 15:11-32). | Acceptio Ioseph nos hortatur ad accipiendum alios, sine exclusione, sicut sunt, reservando infirmis praecipuam dilectionem, quia infirma eligit Deus (cfr 1 Cor 1,27), qui est «pater orphanorum et iudex viduarum» (Ps 68,6) et praecipit amare peregrinos.(20)Cfr Dt 10,19; Ex 22,20-22; Lc 10,29-37. Volumus opinari ex Ioseph moribus Iesum hausisse inceptum parabolae de filio prodigo patreque misericordi (cfr Lc 15, 11-32). |
§5 A creatively courageous father |
§5 Pater cum animo efficiendi |
| If the first stage of all true interior healing is to accept our personal history and embrace even the things in life that we did not choose, we must now add another important element: creative courage. This emerges especially in the way we deal with difficulties. In the face of difficulty, we can either give up and walk away, or somehow engage with it. At times, difficulties bring out resources we did not even think we had. | Si primus gradus omnis verae sanationis interioris est propriam historiam accipere, id est intus nostri spatium facere iis quae non elegimus in vita nostra, oportet tamen addere aliam magni momenti notam: animum efficiendi. Qui apparet praesertim tempore difficultatibus occurrendi. Nam in conspectu cuiusdam difficultatis possumus desistere et campum deserere, vel aliquo modo ingenio uti. Ipsae difficultates nonnumquam sunt quae extrahunt ex unoquoque nostrum opes, quas habere minime putabamus. |
| As we read the infancy narratives, we may often wonder why God did not act in a more direct and clear way. Yet God acts through events and people. Joseph was the man chosen by God to guide the beginnings of the history of redemption. He was the true “miracle” by which God saves the child and his mother. God acted by trusting in Joseph’s creative courage. Arriving in Bethlehem and finding no lodging where Mary could give birth, Joseph took a stable and, as best he could, turned it into a welcoming home for the Son of God come into the world (cf. Lk 2:6-7). Faced with imminent danger from Herod, who wanted to kill the child, Joseph was warned once again in a dream to protect the child, and rose in the middle of the night to prepare the flight into Egypt (cf. Mt 2:13-14). | Multoties, legendo “Evangelia infantiae”, quaestio oritur cur Deus tunc non interveniret directe et clare? Sed Deus intervenit per eventus et homines. Ioseph fuit vir per quem Deus curavit initia historiae redemptionis. Ipse fuit verum “miraculum” quo Deus salvum fecit Puerum et matrem eius. Caelum intervenit confidans animo efficiendi huius viri qui Bethlehem perveniens et nullum in deversorio inveniens locum ubi Maria parere posset, accommodavit stabulum ac denuo composuit illud ut, quantum fieri posset, aptus locus evaderet Dei Filio venienti in mundum (cfr Lc 2,6-7). In conspectu instantis periculi Herodis, qui voluit interficere Puerum, Ioseph iterum in somno monitus est ad Puerum tuendum, et media nocte fugam paravit in Aegyptum (cfr Mt 2,13-14). |
| A superficial reading of these stories can often give the impression that the world is at the mercy of the strong and mighty, but the “good news” of the Gospel consists in showing that, for all the arrogance and violence of worldly powers, God always finds a way to carry out his saving plan. So too, our lives may at times seem to be at the mercy of the powerful, but the Gospel shows us what counts. God always finds a way to save us, provided we show the same creative courage as the carpenter of Nazareth, who was able to turn a problem into a possibility by trusting always in divine providence. | In levi lectione harum narrationum, semper videtur mundus esse in arbitrio fortium et potentium, sed “bona notitia” Evangelii est in eo quod ostendatur, non obstante praepollentia et violentia dominatorum terrestrium, quomodo Deus semper inveniat rationem efficiendi suum consilium salutis. Vita etiam nostra aliquando videtur esse in arbitrio fortium potestatum, sed Evangelium dicit nobis Deum semper salvum facere posse id quod valet, si nos eodem animo efficiendi utimur ac faber tignarius de Nazareth, qui potest res adversas in opportunitatem convertere, anteponens semper fiduciam in Providentia. |
| If at times God seems not to help us, surely this does not mean that we have been abandoned, but instead are being trusted to plan, to be creative, and to find solutions ourselves. | Si aliquando Deus videtur nos non adiuvare, id non significat nos ab eo derelictos esse, sed potius eum confidere nobis, rebus quas concipere, excogitare et reperire possumus. |
| That kind of creative courage was shown by the friends of the paralytic, who lowered him from the roof in order to bring him to Jesus (cf. Lk 5:17-26). Difficulties did not stand in the way of those friends’ boldness and persistence. They were convinced that Jesus could heal the man, and “finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. When he saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven you’” (vv. 19-20). Jesus recognized the creative faith with which they sought to bring their sick friend to him. | Agitur de eodem animo efficiendi, demonstrato ab amicis paralytici qui, ut eum inferrent ad Iesum, summiserunt eum de tecto (cfr Lc 5,17-26). Difficultas non detinuit audaciam et obstinationem horum amicorum. Ipsi persuasum habuerunt Iesum aegrum sanare posse, «et non invenientes qua parte illum inferrent prae turba, ascenderunt supra tectum et per tegulas summiserunt illum cum lectulo in medium ante Iesum. Quorum fidem ut vidit, dixit: “Homo, remittuntur tibi peccata tua”» (vv. 19-20). Iesus agnovit fidem efficiendi qua illi viri conati sunt amicum suum aegrum ad eum portare. |
| The Gospel does not tell us how long Mary, Joseph and the child remained in Egypt. Yet they certainly needed to eat, to find a home and employment. It does not take much imagination to fill in those details. The Holy Family had to face concrete problems like every other family, like so many of our migrant brothers and sisters who, today too, risk their lives to escape misfortune and hunger. In this regard, I consider Saint Joseph the special patron of all those forced to leave their native lands because of war, hatred, persecution and poverty. | Evangelium non refert notitias pertinentes ad tempus quod Ioseph, Maria et Puer degerunt in Aegypto. Quippe quibus autem oportebat vesci, habitationem et operam invenire. Non est opus multum imaginari ad complendum Evangelii silentium de his rebus. Sacrae Familiae occurrendum erat realibus necessitatibus sicut agunt cunctae aliae familiae, sicut agunt plurimi nostri fratres migrantes qui adhuc hodie vita periclitantur rebus adversis et fame coacti. Hoc sensu censemus sanctum Ioseph revera praecipuum patronum esse his omnibus qui relinquere debent terram suam propter bella, odium, persecutiones et egestatem. |
| At the end of every account in which Joseph plays a role, the Gospel tells us that he gets up, takes the child and his mother, and does what God commanded him (cf. Mt 1:24; 2:14.21). Indeed, Jesus and Mary his Mother are the most precious treasure of our faith.(21)Cf. S. RITUUM CONGREGATIO, Quemadmodum Deus (8 December 1870): ASS 6 (1870-1871), 193; BLESSED PIUS IX, Apostolic Letter Inclytum Patriarcham (7 July 1871): l.c., 324-327. | In fine cuiusque eventus qui habet Ioseph veluti actorem praecipuum, Evangelium annotat eum surgere, accipere Puerum et matrem eius et facere quod Deus praecepit ei (cfr Mt 1,24; 2,14.21). Re quidem vera, Iesus et Maria, Mater eius, sunt fidei nostrae thesaurus pretiosissimus.(21)Cfr. S. Rituum Congreg., Quemadmodum Deus (8 Decembris 1870): ASS 6 (1870-71), 193; B. Pius IX, Litt. ap. Inclytum Patriarcham (7 Iulii 1871): l.c., 324-327. |
| In the divine plan of salvation, the Son is inseparable from his Mother, from Mary, who “advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully persevered in her union with her Son until she stood at the cross”.(22)SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gen tium, 58. | In consilio salutis Filius a Matre disiungi nequit, scilicet ab ea quae «in peregrinatione fidei processit, suamque unionem cum Filio fideliter sustinuit usque ad crucem».(22)Conc. Oecum. Vat. II, Const. dogm. Lumen gentium, 58. |
| We should always consider whether we ourselves are protecting Jesus and Mary, for they are also mysteriously entrusted to our own responsibility, care and safekeeping. The Son of the Almighty came into our world in a state of great vulnerability. He needed to be defended, protected, cared for and raised by Joseph. God trusted Joseph, as did Mary, who found in him someone who would not only save her life, but would always provide for her and her child. In this sense, Saint Joseph could not be other than the Guardian of the Church, for the Church is the continuation of the Body of Christ in history, even as Mary’s motherhood is reflected in the motherhood of the Church.(23)Catechism of the Catholic Church, 963-970. In his continued protection of the Church, Joseph continues to protect the child and his mother, and we too, by our love for the Church, continue to love the child and his mother. | Necesse est nos ipsos semper interrogemus si cunctis nostris viribus custodiamus Iesum et Mariam, qui arcano consilio commendati sunt nostrae responsalitati, nostrae curae et custodiae. Omnipotentis Filius in mundum venit assumens condicionem magnae infirmitatis. Factus est indigens Ioseph ut defenderetur, custodiretur, curaretur et aleretur. Deus fisus est huic viro, sicut fecit et Maria, quae in Ioseph invenit eum qui non solum voluit vitam eius salvam facere, sed ei et Puero semper providere. Hoc sensu sanctus Ioseph non potest Custos Ecclesiae non esse, quia Ecclesia est continuatio Corporis Christi in historia, et eodem tempore in Ecclesiae maternitate est adumbrata maternitas Mariae.(23)Catechismus Catholicae Ecclesiae, 963-970. Continuans custodire Ecclesiam, Ioseph continuat custodire Puerum et matrem eius, et nos quoque diligendo Ecclesiam, continuamus Puerum et matrem eius diligere. |
| That child would go on to say: “As you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Mt 25:40). Consequently, every poor, needy, suffering or dying person, every stranger, every prisoner, every infirm person is “the child” whom Joseph continues to protect. For this reason, Saint Joseph is invoked as protector of the unfortunate, the needy, exiles, the afflicted, the poor and the dying. Consequently, the Church cannot fail to show a special love for the least of our brothers and sisters, for Jesus showed a particular concern for them and personally identified with them. From Saint Joseph, we must learn that same care and responsibility. We must learn to love the child and his mother, to love the sacraments and charity, to love the Church and the poor. Each of these realities is always the child and his mother. | Hic Puer est Ille qui deinde dixit: «Quamdiu fecistis uni de his fratribus meis minimis, mihi fecistis» (Mt 25,40). Sic omnis egens, omnis pauper, omnis patiens, omnis moribundus, omnis advena, omnis carcere clausus, omnis aegrotus sunt “Puer” quem Ioseph custodire continuat. Ecce qua de causa sanctus Ioseph invocatur veluti patronus miserorum, egentium, exsulum, afflictorum, pauperum moribundorumque. Et hanc ob rem Ecclesia non potest non diligere potissimum postremos, quia Iesus praetulit eos, se ipsum in iis profecto agnoscens. Ab Ioseph discere debemus eandem curam et responsalitatem: Puerum et matrem eius amare; Sacramenta et caritatem colere; Ecclesiam et pauperes diligere. Quaeque ex his realitatibus est semper Puer et mater eius. |
§6 A working father |
§6 Pater opifex |
| An aspect of Saint Joseph that has been emphasized from the time of the first social Encyclical, Pope Leo XIII’s Rerum Novarum, is his relation to work. Saint Joseph was a carpenter who earned an honest living to provide for his family. From him, Jesus learned the value, the dignity and the joy of what it means to eat bread that is the fruit of one’s own labour. | Indoles quae sanctum Ioseph illustrat quaeque a temporibus primarum litterarum encyclicarum socialium Rerum novarum Leonis XIII in luce posita est, ad eius spectat cum opere necessitudinem. Sanctus Ioseph carpentarius erat qui probe est operatus ut suam familiam sustentaret. Ab eo Iesus didicit pondus, dignitatem et laetitiam quae e sensu proveniunt manducandi panem fructum proprii operis. |
| In our own day, when employment has once more become a burning social issue, and unemployment at times reaches record levels even in nations that for decades have enjoyed a certain degree of prosperity, there is a renewed need to appreciate the importance of dignified work, of which Saint Joseph is an exemplary patron. | Hoc nostro tempore in quo opus videtur rursum urgentem socialem quaestionem significare et coacta operis vacatio nonnumquam gradus assequitur qui animum movent, etiam his in Nationibus ubi per decennia gens in certa prosperitate vixit, necesse est renovata conscientia sensus operis intellegatur qui dignitatem praebet cuiusque noster Sanctus exemplaris est patronus. |
| Work is a means of participating in the work of salvation, an opportunity to hasten the coming of the Kingdom, to develop our talents and abilities, and to put them at the service of society and fraternal communion. It becomes an opportunity for the fulfilment not only of oneself, but also of that primary cell of society which is the family. A family without work is particularly vulnerable to difficulties, tensions, estrangement and even break-up. How can we speak of human dignity without working to ensure that everyone is able to earn a decent living? | Opus navandum fit participatio ipsam operam salutis, occasio ad Regni adventum accellerandum, ad proprias facultates dotesque augendas, eas in famulatu collocando societatis et communionis; opus fit occasio ad complendum non solum nobis ipsis, sed potissimum illi nucleo primitivo societatis quem constituit familia. Familia in qua opus deest, magis ad difficultates exponitur, ad contentiones, divisiones et etiam ad desperatam desperantemque dissolutionis temptationem. Quomodo loqui possumus de dignitate humana nisi conatus efficiamus ut omnes et singuli dignam sustentationem adipisci valeant? |
| Working persons, whatever their job may be, are cooperating with God himself, and in some way become creators of the world around us. The crisis of our time, which is economic, social, cultural and spiritual, can serve as a summons for all of us to rediscover the value, the importance and necessity of work for bringing about a new “normal” from which no one is excluded. Saint Joseph’s work reminds us that God himself, in becoming man, did not disdain work. The loss of employment that affects so many of our brothers and sisters, and has increased as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, should serve as a summons to review our priorities. Let us implore Saint Joseph the Worker to help us find ways to express our firm conviction that no young person, no person at all, no family should be without work! | Qui operatur, quodcumque sit eius munus, consociatam operam cum Deo ipso adimplet, quodammodo fit creator mundi qui nos circumdat. Discrimen nostri temporis, quod discrimen est oeconomicum, sociale, culturale et spirituale, omnibus adhortationem praebere potest ad iterum detegendum bonum, pondus et necessitatem operis ad ortum praebendum novae “normali aetati”, in qua nemo excludatur. Opus sancti Ioseph memorat nobis quod ipse Deus, homo factus, opus nullo modo contempsit. Ammissio operis quae tot fratres sororesque attingit quaeque postremis temporibus ob pandemiam Covid-19 appellatam est aucta, oportet adhortationem constituat ad praegressus nostros revisendos. Sanctum Ioseph opificem imploremus ut vias invenire valeamus quae nos obstringant dicere: nullus iuvenis, nulla persona, nulla familia sit sine opere! |
§7 A father in the shadows |
§7 Pater in umbra |
| The Polish writer Jan Dobraczyński, in his book The Shadow of the Father,(24)Original edition: Cień Ojca, Warsaw, 1977. tells the story of Saint Joseph’s life in the form of a novel. He uses the evocative image of a shadow to define Joseph. In his relationship to Jesus, Joseph was the earthly shadow of the heavenly Father: he watched over him and protected him, never leaving him to go his own way. We can think of Moses’ words to Israel: “In the wilderness… you saw how the Lord your God carried you, just as one carries a child, all the way that you travelled” (Deut 1:31). In a similar way, Joseph acted as a father for his whole life.(25)Cf. SAINT JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris custos, 7-8: AAS 82 (1990), 12-16. | Scriptor Polonus Ioannes Dobraczyński suo in libro Umbra Patris(24)Editio originalis: Jan Dobraczyński, Cień Ojca, Warszawa 1977. in forma commenticiae fabulae vitam sancti Ioseph narravit. Amoena imagine umbrae figuram definivit Ioseph, qui erga Iesum in terra erat umbra Patris Caelestis: custodivit eum, protexit eum numquam ab eo recessit ut eius sequeretur passus. Cogitemus de eo quod Moyses in memoriam redegit Israel: «In solitudine – ipse vidisti – portavit te Dominus Deus tuus, ut solet homo gestare parvulum filium suum, in omni via» (Dt 1,31). Ita Ioseph per totam vitam suam paternitatem exercuit.(25)Cfr S. Ioannes Paulus II, Adhort. ap. Redemptoris custos, 7-8: AAS 82 (1990), 12-16. |
| Fathers are not born, but made. A man does not become a father simply by bringing a child into the world, but by taking up the responsibility to care for that child. Whenever a man accepts responsibility for the life of another, in some way he becomes a father to that person. | Pater non nascitur, sed fit. Et non fit tantum quia filium generat, sed quia curam de eo responsaliter suscipit. Quotiescumque aliquis vir responsalitatem de vita alterius assumit, quodammodo paternitatem erga eum exercet. |
| Children today often seem orphans, lacking fathers. The Church too needs fathers. Saint Paul’s words to the Corinthians remain timely: “Though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers” (1 Cor 4:15). Every priest or bishop should be able to add, with the Apostle: “I became your father in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” (ibid.). Paul likewise calls the Galatians: “My little children, with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you!” (4:19). | In societate nostrae aetatis, saepe filii patre orbati esse videntur. Etiam Ecclesia hodie patribus eget. Semper pondus suum habet admonitio a sancto Paulo ad Corinthios scripta: «Nam si decem milia paedagogorum habeatis in Christo, sed non multos patres» (1 Cor 4,15); et unusquisque sacerdos vel episcopus debet sicut Apostolus addere: «Nam in Christo Iesu per evangelium ego vos genui» (ibid.). Et ad Galatos dicit: «Filioli mei, quos iterum parturio, donec formetur Christus in vobis!» (4,19). |
| Being a father entails introducing children to life and reality. Not holding them back, being overprotective or possessive, but rather making them capable of deciding for themselves, enjoying freedom and exploring new possibilities. Perhaps for this reason, Joseph is traditionally called a “most chaste” father. That title is not simply a sign of affection, but the summation of an attitude that is the opposite of possessiveness. Chastity is freedom from possessiveness in every sphere of one’s life. Only when love is chaste, is it truly love. A possessive love ultimately becomes dangerous: it imprisons, constricts and makes for misery. God himself loved humanity with a chaste love; he left us free even to go astray and set ourselves against him. The logic of love is always the logic of freedom, and Joseph knew how to love with extraordinary freedom. He never made himself the centre of things. He did not think of himself, but focused instead on the lives of Mary and Jesus. | Patris est filium in vitae experientiam, in rerum veritatem introducere. Ille non est tenendus, non claudendus, non possidendus, sed reddendus idoneus ad arbitria, libertatem, profectiones. Forsitan hanc ob rem, praeter appellationem patris, traditio vocavit Ioseph etiam “castissimum”. Non est notio tantum affectiva, sed summarium significat habitus qui possessioni est contrarius. Castitas est libertas a possessione in omnibus vitae ambitibus. Tantummodo cum amor castus est, verus amor est. Amor qui possidere vult, in fine semper periculosus fit, claudit, suffocat, infelices reddit. Deus ipse hominem amore casto dilexit, eum liberum relinquens etiam errandi atque adversus Ipsum se ponendi. Ratio amoris semper ratio libertatis est, et Ioseph novit modo eximie libero amare. Numquam se ipsum in medium locum posuit. Novit se de medio removere, in medium locum vitae suae Mariam et Iesum collocare. |
| Joseph found happiness not in mere self-sacrifice but in self-gift. In him, we never see frustration but only trust. His patient silence was the prelude to concrete expressions of trust. Our world today needs fathers. It has no use for tyrants who would domineer others as a means of compensating for their own needs. It rejects those who confuse authority with authoritarianism, service with servility, discussion with oppression, charity with a welfare mentality, power with destruction. Every true vocation is born of the gift of oneself, which is the fruit of mature sacrifice. The priesthood and consecrated life likewise require this kind of maturity. Whatever our vocation, whether to marriage, celibacy or virginity, our gift of self will not come to fulfilment if it stops at sacrifice; were that the case, instead of becoming a sign of the beauty and joy of love, the gift of self would risk being an expression of unhappiness, sadness and frustration. | Felicitas Ioseph non est in ratione sacrificii sui ipsius, sed doni sui ipsius. Numquam hoc in viro frustratio animadvertitur, sed sola fiducia. Eius permanens silentium non continet lamentationes, sed semper veros gestus fiduciae. Mundus patribus eget, patronos recusat, illos videlicet recusat qui alterius possessione uti volunt ad suum vacuum implendum; illos recusat qui auctoritatem cum auctoritatis excessu permiscent, ministerium cum deformi obsequio, comparationem cum oppressione, caritatem cum curandi fictione, vigorem cum destructione. Unaquaeque vera vocatio a dono sui ipsius oritur, quod fit cum simplex sacrificium maturescit. Etiam in sacerdotio et in vita consecrata huiusmodi genus maturitatis postulatur. Ubi quaedam vocatio, matrimonialis, caelibataria vel virginalis, doni sui ipsius maturitatem non assequitur, tantum in ratione sacrificii restans, tunc potius quam signum pulchritudinis fieri et amoris laetitiae, in vicem periclitatur infelicitatem, tristitiam et frustrationem exprimere. |
| When fathers refuse to live the lives of their children for them, new and unexpected vistas open up. Every child is the bearer of a unique mystery that can only be brought to light with the help of a father who respects that child’s freedom. A father who realizes that he is most a father and educator at the point when he becomes “useless”, when he sees that his child has become independent and can walk the paths of life unaccompanied. When he becomes like Joseph, who always knew that his child was not his own but had merely been entrusted to his care. In the end, this is what Jesus would have us understand when he says: “Call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven” (Mt 23:9). | Paternitas quae temptationi renuntiat vivendi vitam filiorum, semper spatia rei ineditae patefacit. Unusquisque filius secum semper mysterium affert, rem ineditam quae tantum revelari potest adiuvante patre qui eius libertatem servat, qui est pater conscius suam operam educationis adimplendi et paternitatem plene vivendi sollummodo cum se ipsum “inutilem” reddidit, cum videt filium autonomum fieri et in semitis vitae solum deambulare, cum se ipsum in condicionem Ioseph ponit, qui semper novit illum Infantem eius non fuisse, sed simpliciter eius curis concreditum esse. Revera hoc est quod Iesus significat cum dicit: «Et “patrem” nolite vocare vobis super terram, unus enim est Pater vester, caelestis» (Mt 23,9). |
| In every exercise of our fatherhood, we should always keep in mind that it has nothing to do with possession, but is rather a “sign” pointing to a greater fatherhood. In a way, we are all like Joseph: a shadow of the heavenly Father, who “makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Mt 5:45). And a shadow that follows his Son. | Quotiescumque paternitatem exercemus, semper nobis memorandum est numquam hoc possessionis exercitationem constituere, sed “signum” quod ad paternitatem altiorem adducit. Quodammodo omnes semper in condicione Ioseph sumus: umbra unius Patris caelestis, qui «solem suum oriri facit super malos et bonos et pluit super iustos et iniustos» (Mt 5,45); et umbra quae Filium sequitur. |
| *** | *** |
| “Get up, take the child and his mother” (Mt 2:13), God told Saint Joseph. | «Surge et accipe puerum et matrem eius» (Mt 2,13), dicit Deus sancto Ioseph. |
| The aim of this Apostolic Letter is to increase our love for this great saint, to encourage us to implore his intercession and to imitate his virtues and his zeal. | Propositum huius Epistulae Apostolicae est augere amorem erga hunc magnum Sanctum, ut compellamur ad poscendam eius intercessionem et imitemur eius virtutes eiusque ardorem. |
| Indeed, the proper mission of the saints is not only to obtain miracles and graces, but to intercede for us before God, like Abraham(26)Cf. Gen 18:23-32. and Moses,(27)Cf. Ex 17:8-13; 32:30-35. and like Jesus, the “one mediator” (1 Tim 2:5), who is our “advocate” with the Father (1 Jn 2:1) and who “always lives to make intercession for [us]” (Heb 7:25; cf. Rom 8:34). | Nam peculiaris missio Sanctorum non est tantum concedere miracula et gratias, sed intercedere pro nobis apud Deum, sicut fecerunt Abraham(26)Cfr Gn 18,23-32. et Moyses,(27)Cfr Ex 17,8-13; 32,30-35. sicut facit Iesus, «unus mediator» (1 Tim 2,5), quem habemus apud Deum nostrum “advocatum” (1 Io 2,1), semper viventem ad interpellandum pro nobis (cfr Heb 7,25; Rom 8,34). |
| The saints help all the faithful “to strive for the holiness and the perfection of their particular state of life”.(28)SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gen tium, 42. Their lives are concrete proof that it is possible to put the Gospel into practice. | Sancti adiuvant omnes fideles «ad sanctitatem et proprii status perfectionem prosequendam».(28)Conc. Oecum. Vat. II, Const. dogm. Lumen gentium, 42. Eorum vita est certum signum nos secundum Evangelium vivere posse. |
| Jesus told us: “Learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart” (Mt 11:29). The lives of the saints too are examples to be imitated. Saint Paul explicitly says this: “Be imitators of me!” (1 Cor 4:16).(29)Cf. 1 Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17; 1 Thess 1:6. By his eloquent silence, Saint Joseph says the same. | Iesus dixit: «Discite a me, quia mitis sum et humilis corde» (Mt 11,29), ipsique vicissim sunt exemplaria vitae imitanda. Sanctus Paulus palam hortatus est: «Imitatores mei estote!» (1 Cor 4,16).(29)Cfr 1 Cor 11,1; Phil 3,17; 1 Thess 1,6. Sanctus Ioseph idem dicit per suum eloquens silentium. |
| Before the example of so many holy men and women, Saint Augustine asked himself: “What they could do, can you not also do?” And so he drew closer to his definitive conversion, when he could exclaim: “Late have I loved you, Beauty ever ancient, ever new!”(30) Confessions, VIII, 11, 27: PL 32, 761; X, 27, 38: PL 32, 795. | In conspectu tot Sanctorum virorum et mulierum exempli sanctus Augustinus se interrogabat: «Tu non poteris quod isti, quod istae?». Itaque ad maturam conversionem pervenit, exclamans: «Sero te amavi, pulchritudo tam antiqua et tam nova!».(30)Confessiones VIII,11,27: PL 32, 761; X,27,38: PL 32, 795. |
| We need only ask Saint Joseph for the grace of graces: our conversion. | Imploremus denique a sancto Ioseph gratiam gratiarum: nostram conversionem. |
| Let us now make our prayer to him: | Ad eum nostram dirigamus orationem: |
| Hail, Guardian of the Redeemer, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. To you God entrusted his only Son; in you Mary placed her trust; with you Christ became man. |
Salve, Redemptoris custos et sponsus Mariae Virginis. Tibi Deus suum Filium commisit; in te Maria fiduciam suam reposuit; tecum Christus vir factus est. |
| Blessed Joseph, to us too, show yourself a father and guide us in the path of life. Obtain for us grace, mercy and courage, and defend us from every evil. Amen. |
O beate Ioseph, etiam nobis monstra te esse patrem, atque duc nos in vitae itinere. Impetra nobis gratiam, misericordiam et animum, et tuere nos ab omni malo. Amen. |
| Given in Rome, at Saint John Lateran, on 8 December, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the year 2020, the eighth of my Pontificate. | Romae, Laterani, die VIII mensis Decembris, in Immaculata Conceptione BMV, anno MMXX, Pontificatus Nostri octavo. |
| Franciscus | Franciscus |