Homily for the Solemnity of St. Joseph
March 19, 2024
Collect
Christian Brothers, St.
Joseph’s Residence, N.R.
Christ in Joseph's Workshop
(Matteo Pagano)
We
prayed in this morning’s collect that the Church would continue St. Joseph’s
mission, watching over, i.e., safeguarding and assisting, the mysteries of
human salvation. It’s true, of course, that
God could have redeemed sinful humanity in a countless number of ways. But he chose to act with a humble human
family descended from David. He chose
the human cooperation of the Virgin Mary and her spouse Joseph of
Nazareth. Thus the beginnings of our
salvation were entrusted to Joseph, head of the family who guided his wife to
his ancestral home to reinforce their connection to David, and the protector of
mother and child from the evil plotted against them by Herod and his court.
The
mysteries of our salvation unfolded gradually in the conception, birth, and
growth of Joseph’s foster child and his earthly ministry, which Joseph didn’t
live to see. But he watches over the
continuation of that ministry, the ministry of Christ’s Church. We might say that Joseph is the father of the
Church in a unique way, not the way that we say Irenaeus or Augustine is a
father of the Church. As Joseph once
gave Mary’s Son his name, protected infant Jesus, and solicitously looked after
the boy as he grew, he still protects and looks after Christ’s living body and
helps the Church faithfully bring God’s salvation to us in Christ’s Word and
sacraments, in grace and mercy.
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