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March 19: POPE BENEDICT XVI ON ST. JOSEPH (Solemnity). March 19: POPE BENEDICT XVI ON ST. JOSEPH (Solemnity). HOMILY OF THE HOLY FATHER BENEDICT XVI Amadou Ahidjo Stadium of Yaoundé Thursady, 19 March 2009 Dear Brother Bishops, Dear Brothers and Sisters, Praised be Jesus Christ who has gathered us in this stadium today that we may enter more deeply into his life! Jesus Christ brings us together on this day when the Church, here in Cameroon and throughout the world, celebrates the Feast of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Virgin Mary. I begin by wishing a very happy feast day to all those who, like myself, have received the grace of bearing this beautiful name, and I ask Saint Joseph to grant them his special protection in guiding them towards the Lord Jesus Christ all the days of their lifE. How can we enter into the specific grace of this day? In a little while, at the end of Mass, the liturgy will remind us of the focal point of our meditation when it has us pray: “Lord, today you nourish us at this altar as we celebrate the feast of Saint Joseph. Protect your Church always, and in your love watch over the gifts you have given us.” We are asking the Lord to protect the Church always – and he does! – just as Joseph protected his family and kept watch over the child Jesus during his early years. Our Gospel reading recalls this for us. The angel said to Joseph: “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home,” (Mt 1:20) and that is precisely what he did: “he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him” (Mt 1:24). Why was Saint Matthew so keen to note Joseph’s trust in the words received from the messenger of God, if not to invite us to imitate this same loving trust? Although the first reading which we have just heard does not speak explicitly of Saint Joseph, it does teach us a good deal about him. The prophet Nathan, in obedience to God’s command, tells David: “I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins” (2 Sam 7:12). David must accept that he will die before seeing the fulfilment of this promise, which will come to pass “when (his) time comes” and he will rest “with (his) ancestors”. We thus come to realize that one of mankind’s most cherished desires – seeing the fruits of one’s labours – is not always granted by God. I think of those among you who are mothers and fathers of families. Parents quite rightly desire to give the best of themselves to their children, and they want to see them achieve success. Yet make no mistake about what this “success” entails: what God asks David to do is to place his trust in him. David himself will not see his heir who will have a throne “firm for ever” (2 Sam 7:16), for this heir, announced under the veil of prophecy, is Jesus. David puts his trust in God. In the same way, Joseph trusts God when he hears his messenger, the Angel, say to him: “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” (Mt 1:20). Throughout all of history, Joseph is the man who gives God the greatest display of trust, even in the face of such astonishing news. Dear fathers and mothers here today, do you have trust in God who has called you to be the fathers and mothers of his adopted children? Do you accept that he is counting on you to pass on to your children the human and spiritual values that you yourselves have received and which will prepare them to live with love and respect for his holy name? At a time when so many people have no qualms about trying to impose the tyranny of materialism, with scant concern for the most deprived, you must be very careful. Africa in general, and Cameroon in particular, place themselves at risk if they do not recognize the True Author of Life! Brothers and sisters in Cameroon and throughout Africa, you who have received from God so many human virtues, take care of your souls! Do not let yourselves be captivated by selfish illusions and false ideals! Believe – yes! – continue to believe in God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – he alone truly loves you in the way you yearn to be loved, he alone can satisfy you, can bring stability to your lives. Only Christ is the way of Life. God alone could grant Joseph the strength to trust the Angel. God alone will give you, dear married couples, the strength to raise your family as he wants. Ask it of him! God loves to be asked for what he wishes to give. Ask him for the grace of a true and ever more faithful love patterned after his own. As the Psalm magnificently puts it: his “love is established for ever, his loyalty will stand as long as the heavens” (Ps 88:3). Just as on other continents, the family today […] is experiencing a difficult time; but fidelity to God will help see it through. Certain values of the traditional life have been overturned. Relationships between different generations have evolved in a way that no longer favours the transmission of accumulated knowledge and inherited wisdom. Too often we witness a rural exodus not unlike that known in many other periods of human history. The quality of family ties is deeply affected by this. Uprooted and fragile members of the younger generation who often – sadly – are without gainful employment, seek to cure their pain by living in ephemeral and man-made paradises which we know will never guarantee the human being a deep, abiding happiness. Sometimes the African people too are constrained to flee from themselves and abandon everything that once made up their interior richness. Confronted with the phenomenon of rapid urbanization, they leave the land, physically and morally: not as Abraham had done in response to the Lord’s call, but as a kind of interior exile which alienates them from their very being, from their brothers and sisters, and from God himself. Is this an irreversible, inevitable development? By no means! More than ever, we must “hope against all hope” (Rom 4:18).[…] The first priority will consist in restoring a sense of the acceptance of life as a gift from God. According to both Sacred Scripture and the wisest traditions of your continent, the arrival of a child is always a gift, a blessing from God. Today it is high time to place greater emphasis on this: every human being, every tiny human person, however weak, is created “in the image and likeness of God” (Gen 1:27). Every person must live! Death must not prevail over life! Death will never have the last word! Sons and daughters of Africa, do not be afraid to believe, to hope, and to love; do not be afraid to say that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and that we can be saved by him alone. Saint Paul is indeed an inspired author given to the Church by the Holy Spirit as a “teacher of nations” (1 Tim 2:7) when he tells us that Abraham, “hoping against hope, believed that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, ‘So shall your descendants be’” (Rom 4:18). “Hoping against hope”: is this not a magnificent description of a Christian? […] are all members of the peoples that God gave to Abraham as his descendants. Each and every one of us was thought, willed and loved by God. Each and every one of us has a role to play in the plan of God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. If discouragement overwhelms you, think of the faith of Joseph; if anxiety has its grip on you, think of the hope of Joseph, that descendant of Abraham who hoped against hope; if exasperation or hatred seizes you, think of the love of Joseph, who was the first man to set eyes on the human face of God in the person of the Infant conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Let us praise and thank Christ for having drawn so close to us, and for giving us Joseph as an example and model of love for him. Dear brothers and sisters, I want to say to you once more from the bottom of my heart: like Joseph, do not be afraid to take Mary into your home, that is to say do not be afraid to love the Church. Mary, Mother of the Church, will teach you to follow your pastors, to love your bishops, your priests, your deacons and your catechists; to heed what they teach you and to pray for their intentions. Husbands, look upon the love of Joseph for Mary and Jesus; those preparing for marriage, treat your future spouse as Joseph did; those of you who have given yourselves to God in celibacy, reflect upon the teaching of the Church, our Mother: “Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes and confirms it. Marriage and virginity are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the Covenant of God with his people” (Redemptoris Custos, 20). Once more, I wish to extend a particular word of encouragement to fathers so that they may take Saint Joseph as their model. He who kept watch over the Son of Man is able to teach them the deepest meaning of their own fatherhood. In the same way, each father receives his children from God, and they are created in God’s own image and likeness. Saint Joseph was the spouse of Mary. In the same way, each father sees himself entrusted with the mystery of womanhood through his own wife. Dear fathers, like Saint Joseph, respect and love your spouse; and by your love and your wise presence, lead your children to God where they must be (cf. Lk 2:49). Finally, to all the young people present, I offer words of friendship and encouragement: as you face the challenges of life, take courage! Your life is priceless in the eyes of God! Let Christ take hold of you, agree to pledge your love to him, and – why not? – maybe even do so in the priesthood or in the consecrated life! This is the supreme service. To the children who no longer have a father, or who live abandoned in the poverty of the streets, to those forcibly separated from their parents, to the maltreated and abused, to those constrained to join paramilitary forces that are terrorizing some countries, I would like to say: God loves you, he has not forgotten you, and Saint Joseph protects you! Invoke him with confidence. May God bless you and watch over you! May he give you the grace to keep advancing towards him with fidelity! May he give stability to your lives so that you may reap the fruits he awaits from you! May he make you witnesses of his love here in Cameroon and to the ends of the earth! I fervently beg him to give you a taste of the joy of belonging to him, now and for ever. Amen. SOURCE: http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/homilies/2009/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20090319_instrlabor-africa.html EMPHASIS MINE. ANGELUS Saint Peter’s Square Third Sunday of Lent, 19 March 2006 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Today, 19 March, is the Solemnity of St Joseph, but as it coincides with the Third Sunday of Lent, its liturgical celebration is postponed until tomorrow. However, the Marian context of the Angelus invites us to reflect today with veneration on the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s spouse and Patron of the universal Church. I like to recall that beloved John Paul II was also very devoted to St Joseph, to whom he dedicated the Apostolic Exhortation Redemptoris Custos, Guardian of the Redeemer, and who surely experienced his assistance at the hour of death. The figure of this great Saint, even though remaining somewhat hidden, is of fundamental importance in the history of salvation. Above all, as part of the tribe of Judah, he united Jesus to the Davidic lineage so that, fulfilling the promises regarding the Messiah, the Son of the Virgin Mary may truly be called the “son of David”. The Gospel of Matthew highlights in a special way the Messianic prophecies which reached fulfilment through the role that Joseph played: the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (2: 1-6); his journey through Egypt, where the Holy Family took refuge (2: 13-15); the nickname, the “Nazarene” (2: 22-23). In all of this he showed himself, like his spouse Mary, an authentic heir of Abraham’s faith: faith in God who guides the events of history according to his mysterious salvific plan. His greatness, like Mary’s, stands out even more because his mission was carried out in the humility and hiddenness of the house of Nazareth. Moreover, God himself, in the person of his Incarnate Son, chose this way and style of life – humility and hiddenness – in his earthly existence. From the example of St Joseph we all receive a strong invitation to carry out with fidelity, simplicity and modesty the task that Providence has entrusted to us. I think especially of fathers and mothers of families, and I pray that they will always be able to appreciate the beauty of a simple and industrious life, cultivating the conjugal relationship with care and fulfilling with enthusiasm the great and difficult educational mission. To priests, who exercise a paternal role over Ecclesial Communities, may St Joseph help them love the Church with affection and complete dedication, and may he support consecrated persons in their joyous and faithful observance of the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience. May he protect workers throughout the world so that they contribute with their different professions to the progress of the whole of humanity, and may he help every Christian to fulfil God’s will with confidence and love, thereby cooperating in the fulfilment of the work of salvation. SOURCE: http://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/angelus/2006/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20060319.html EMPHASIS MINE. FOR THE REFLECTION HOMILY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH, CLICK HERE and HERE FOR THE MARCH 19 SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH MASS PRAYERS AND READINGS CLICK HERE. Stay updated: subscribe by email for free TO OUR NEW WEBSITE www.catholicsstrivingforholiness.org (PUT YOUR EMAIL IN THE SUBSCRIBE WIDGET). We are also in www.fb.com/Catholicsstrivingforholiness. Kindly help more people in their Christian life by liking our page and inviting your family, friends and relatives to do so as well. Thanks in advance and God bless you and your loved ones! Rolly Arjonillo
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prečisti zaručnik Blažene Djevice Marije i otac hranitelj Isusa Krista, Sina Božjega. 19. ožujka blagdan sv. Josipa U Crkvi 19.ožujka slavimo blagdan sv. Josipa, zaručnika Bezgrešne Djevice Marije i zaštitnika, čuvara i oca hranitelja Sina Božjeg i našega Gospodina Isusa Krista. Ako tražimo u Evanđeljima lik sv. Josipa i njegov životopis, naići ćemo na nekoliko elemenata i epizoda sakrivenih u šutnji i jednostavnosti. Ta evanđeoska šutnja o Josipu nije šutnja zaborava, već šutnja koja je u isto vrijeme misterij i otkrivenje. U šutnji Josip otkriva veliku tajnu Otajstva sakrivena u njegovoj zaručnici Mariji. U šutnji on stoga odlučuje da otpusti potajno svoju zaručnicu jer još nije bio potpuno shvatio svetu volju Božju. Konačno u šutnji gluhe noći i u snu sami Bog otkriva Josipu preko svojeg anđela tajnu Otajstva Utjelovljene Riječi Božje u utrobi prečiste Djevice Marije i njegovo poslanje – misiju uz Isusa i Mariju Božjim planovima spasenja ljudskoga roda. Josip nije vizionar, on je čovjek vjere. On je čovjek stvarnosti, čovjek koji potiče iz naroda. San, u kojem jedna osoba ulazi kao u mističnu sferu i u sferu neočekivane i čudne spoznaje, u Bibliji postaje simbol – znak i sredstvo Božjih otkrivenja. Stoga Evanđelje i govori o »snovima« koji se često spominju u povijesti praotaca, jer putem snova Bog vrlo često ljudima priopćava svoje nakane. Kao što je Ivan Krstitelj posljednji od proroka, tako je Josip posljednja biblijska ličnost na kojoj se Božja objava očituje u »snovima«. Ta Josipova sličnost s praocima vjere još više dolazi do izražaja u njegovu bijegu s Isusom i Marijom u Egipat. Tako se na njemu, Mariji i Isusu ostvaruje novi izlazak Božjeg naroda. Sva ta Božja otkrivenja Josip spoznaje u šutnji i u šutnji prihvaća taj svoj veliki i teški, ali uzvišeni životni put koji mu je Božja providnost odredila. Na taj način Bog određuje Josipu da u šutnji izvrši svoje poslanje, svoju zadaću u Božjim planovima otkupljenja i spasenja ljudi i čovječanstva. Tajanstveno i duboko značenje Josipovog poslanja i zadaće u tom Božjem djelu spasenja svijeta nalazi se u slavnom Natanovu proročanstvu upućenu kralju Davidu, a koje smo čuli u današnjem prvom čitanju iz Druge knjige o Samuelu. Izraelova nada u očekivanog Mesiju zasniva se sva na ovom proročanstvu što ga prorok Natan dade Davidu. Mesija će dakle, izići iz Davidova potomstva i spasenje će izvesti nad Izraelom i cijelim ljudskom rodom. »Ovako govori Gospodin: „Kad se ispune tvoji dani i ti počineš kod svojih otaca, podići ću tvoga potomka nakon tebe, koji će se roditi od tvoga tijela, i utvrdit ću njegovo kraljevstvo. (…) Ja ću njemu biti otac, a on će meni biti sin.”« (2 Sam 7,5. 12-14) Josip otac Isusov Josip je bio »iz doma Davidova«, što je očito iz Isusova rodoslovlja po Mateju (Mt 1,1-24) i iz blagovijesti Lukina evanđelja (Lk 27). Tako po Josipu, djevičanskom mužu Marijinu, Isus postaje »sin Davidov« i kraljevske loze. Isus Krist je taj obećani Mesija i pravi »sin Davidov« koji će biti graditelj pravoga Hrama, Crkve Božje. »On će sagraditi dom imenu mojemu, a ja ću utvrditi njegovo prijestolje zauvijek« (2 Sam 7,13). Tako nepokolebljiva i vjerna, kroz sva pokoljenja, ljubav Božja, koja je najveća oznaka Boga Saveznika sa svojim narodom, je već unaprijed vrhunski počivala na najvećem Izabraniku, »sinu Davidovu«, Isusu Kristu. Taj Mesija će imati najintimnije sinovske veze s Bogom, Jahvom: »Ja ću njemu biti otac, a on će meni biti sin« (2 Sam 7,14). Nitko kao On, koji je i u ljudskoj naravi pravi Sin Božji, neće biti tako potpuno sjedinjen s Bogom. Ali u taj splet ljubavi s Bogom, u tu povijest i ostvarenje savezničke ljubavi, na mnogo je načina uključen i sv. Josip. Po njemu, sinu Davidovu, u Davidovu kraljevsku lozu je uključen i Isus. U njemu je korijen Davidov procvao Mesijom, Kristom. I Josip jedini je imao sreću da ga je taj Sin Božji odvijeka, a u vremenu sin Marije, žene Josipove, nazivao slatkim imenom: »Oče!« (usp Lk 2,48). Na taj način preko Josipa koji je posljednji prsten ljudskog rodoslovlja Davidove loze, Isus Krist, pravi Sin Božji, ulazi u povijest spasenja ljudskoga roda koju je Bog započeo s Abrahamom i njegovim potomstvom, nastavio s Davidom i njegovim potomstvom sve do punine vremena koje se ostvarilo u Mariji, Josipovoj zaručnici. Prema tome, prvi rodozačetnik Izraela, izabranog naroda Božjega iz kojega potječe Mesija, Krist, bio je Abraham. Stoga s Abrahamom započinje Josipovo i Isusovo rodoslovlje (Mt 1,1). S njim je Jahve (Bog) prvim sklopio Savez (Berit) ljubavi i obećao mu da će biti otac mnogim narodima i po njegovu potomstvu će se blagoslivljati svi narodi. A sv. Pavao apostol u svojoj Poslanici Rimljanima, kako smo čuli u današnjem drugom čitanju, kaže da je Abraham ne »samo po Zakonu«, »nego i po vjeri« »otac svih nas« – »kao što je pisano: „Ocem mnoštva narodâ ja te postavljam pred Onim komu povjerova, pred Bogom koji oživljuje mrtve i ono što nije zove te bude.”« (Rim 4,16-18). Abraham u nadi protiv svake ljudske nade povjerova Bogu i »Zato mu se i uračuna u pravednost« (Rim 4,22). Izak, sin Abrahamov, koji se rodio izvan prirodnog reda, od majke neplodne (Post 16,1) i od oca usahla (Post 17,17 i Rim 4,19) je samo predslika, pralik Isusa Krista koji je ostvarenje toga potomstva. U Izaku je već Bog naznačio još veće čudo, djevičansko začeće Isusa, Sina Božjega, u prečistoj utrobi Bezgrešne Djevice Marije i njegovo nadnaravno rođenje. I tako u misterij, u to čudo povijesti spasenja ljudskoga roda od Abrahama do Isusa Krista ulazi i Josip, jer je zakoniti »muž« Marijin (Lk 1,19). »Jakovu se rodi Josip, muž Marije, od koje se rodio Isus koji se zove Krist« (Mt 1,16) Josip pravedan pred Bogom Josip, siguran u Božju vjernost i njegova obećanja, nije posumnjao u čudo što ga Duh Sveti izvede u Mariji. »A rođenje Isusa Krista bijaše ovako. Njegova majka Marija, zaručena s Josipom, prije nego će se oni sastati, nađe se trudna po Duhu Svetome.« (Mt 1,17) Iako Josip nije na početku mogao odmah shvatiti tu veliku tajnu Otajstva Božjeg što se skrivalo u prečistoj utrobi njegove zaručnice Marije, on je uvijek vjerovao u njezino poštenje i vjernost i zato je ne htjede izvrgnuti sramoti. »A Josip, muž njezin, pravedan, ne htjede je izvrgnuti sramoti, nego smišljaše kako da je potajice otpusti.« (Mt 1,18). Zaista, vjera Josipova je u svemu slična Abrahamovoj vjeri. On sa svojom vjerom u šutnji se nadao protiv svake nade u Boga i otkrio je u Djetetu svoje zaručnice Marije, Sina Božjega i svojega Boga, onoga istoga Boga koji se objavio Abrahamu, Izaku i Jakovu i koji je govorio Mojsiju, Davidu i svim prorocima i ocima odabranog Božjeg izraelskog naroda i koji se evo sada objavljuje i njemu i govori mu preko svojega anđela: »Josipe, sine Davidov, ne boj se uzeti k sebi Mariju, ženu svoju. Što je u njoj začeto, doista je od Duha Svetoga. Rodit će Sina, a ti ćeš mu nadjenuti ime Isus, jer će on spasiti narod svoj od grijeha njegovih.« (Mt 16,23). Josip, čovjek pravedan, do savršenstva njeguje sve svoje odnose prema Bogu i svim ljudima. I to ne samo izvana, nego se dušom i srcem potpuno daruje u ljubavi Bogu i bližnjemu. Zatim, kako vidimo iz Evanđelja, on se iskazuje kao čovjek koji najspremnije vrši Božju volju, čovjek Bogu poslušan, sa svom dušom i srcem. »Kad se Josip probudi oda sna, učini kako mu naredi anđeo Gospodnji.« (Mt 1,24) Josip je djevičanski muž Marijin i otac hranitelj, čuvar i branitelj Sina Božjeg. On će Isusu nadjenuti ime, što je u židovskom zakonu bilo pravo oca. Tako on, nadjenuvši ime Isusu, naviješta svijetu spasenje i na taj način u šutnji postaje apostol Božjeg Evanđelja. Josipova ljubav, vjernost i odanost Mariji i njezinu Sinu Isusu koji je istobitno i pravi Sin Božji, omogućili su da Bog ostvari svoj spasiteljski naum s ljudima. Troje najljepših bića ove zemlje, Isusa, Mariju i Josipa, povezivala je najintimnija, najsrdačnija i najiskrenija ljubav, a to je ona prava i istinita ljubav koja proizlazi iz srca Boga Oca od kojega »proizlazi svako očinstvo i na nebu i na zemlji« (Ef 3,15). I mi kršćani smo, po Kristu, ušli u ovu struju vječne, božanske, snažne i jake ljubavi Boga, Oca. Stoga svi ljudi u kakvom se god stanju i u kakvim se god uvjetima života nalazili imaju puno pravo da se povjere sv. Josipu koji predstavlja čuvara svete Nazaretske Obitelji. Za očeve i majke, on je model prave, iskrene i istinite ljubavi i sjedinjenja srdaca u vjernosti. Kad bi ga mladi molili, on bi im pokazao pravi put života i pomogao bi im da otkriju svoj životni poziv i da slijede Gospodina ustrajno do kraja svojega života. Svećenicima, djevicama i svim Bogu posvećenim osobama, Josip je ideal savršene ljubavi prema Bogu i bližnjemu i najvjerniji zaštitnik i najmoćniji zagovornik u nebu kod Boga Oca i Sina njegova Isusa Krista i Majke Božje Marije.