March 19, 2019 Friday, 4th Week of Lent Joseph,
Husband of Mary
1st Reading: 2 S 7:4–5a, 12–14a, 16
2nd Reading: Rom 4:13, 16–18, 22
Gospel: Mt 1:16, 18–21, 24a (or Lk 2:41–51a)
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ—the Messiah.This is how Jesus Christ was born. Mary his mother had been given to Joseph in marriage but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her.While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus’ for he will save his people from their sins.”When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do and he took his wife to his home.
D@iGITAL-EXPERIENCE
(Daily Gospel in the Assimilated Life Experience)
St. Joseph is one of the few saints whose feast is celebrated twice in a calendar year. Every March 19 we celebrate his feast as husband of Mary, and every May 1 his feast as patron of workers. We couldn’t find a single quote of him in the Gospels. The double celebration is not to compensate for his virtual anonymity in Scriptures but to pay tribute to his important role of giving Jesus the Davidic lineage. In giving Jesus this lineage the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David’s line was fulfilled.
Equally important to the Davidic lineage was the virtue of righteousness Joseph passed on to Jesus. Joseph was righteous man. When he found Mary with child before they lived together, Joseph had the law in his mind, the law punishing death any woman caught with child by another man. He wanted to divorce her quietly lest she should be condemned to a shameful death without the benefit of trial. This decision was reflective of a righteous man always in search of God’s Will.
Jesus absorbed Joseph’s brand of righteousness. It was not always beneficial to Jesus, though, for it led him into conflict with the Pharisees who were screwed to the letter of the Law. Jesus enjoyed the freedom of putting the Law at the service of the Father’s Will. Thus he cured many on a Sabbath despite the prohibition. The many miracles Jesus performed along the path of righteousness compensate for his foster father Joseph’s virtual anonymity in Scriptures.
May today’s feast of St. Joseph help us follow the path of righteousness that leads to freedom of the spirit! – (Atty.) Rev. Fr. Dan Domingo P. delos Angeles, Jr., D.M.
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