from the Pope's homily today:
In the Gospel we heard that “Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife” (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos,
the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this
protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II
pointed out: “Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly
dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over
and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin
Mary is the exemplar and model” (Redemptoris Custos, 1).
How
does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when
he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary
until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of
Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse
of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to
Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she
gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the
frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the
day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught
his trade to Jesus.
How does Joseph respond to his calling to be
the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly
attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to
God’s plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David,
as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by
men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who
builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is
a “protector” because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by
his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the
persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things
realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly
wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s
call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian
vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that
we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!
The
vocation of being a “protector”, however, is not just something
involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is
simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the
beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as
Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s
creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means
protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person,
especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last
we think about. It means caring for one another in our families:
husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they
care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect
their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect
one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has
been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it.
Be protectors of God’s gifts!
Whenever human beings fail to live
up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and
for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and
hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are
“Herods” who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and
women.
Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions
of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men
and women of goodwill: let us be “protectors” of creation, protectors of
God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the
environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to
accompany the advance of this world! But to be “protectors”, we also
have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy
and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping
watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of
good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We
must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!
Here I would
add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a
certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong
and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great
tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of
strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for
genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness,
of tenderness!
3/19/2013
St. Joseph our Protector
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