Daily Reflection

The Faith of Joseph, the Son of Abraham

March 19, 2024 | Tuesday
  • Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
  • Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

    2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

    Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

    Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

    Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

     

    Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

    Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

     

    Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

    When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

    but before they lived together,

    she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

    Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

    yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

    decided to divorce her quietly.

    Such was his intention when, behold,

    the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

    “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.

    She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

    because he will save his people from their sins.”

    When Joseph awoke,

    he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

    and took his wife into his home.

     

    Opening Prayer: Lord God, you invite me to believe in you and trust in you as my loving Father. When I sin, I reject you, your plan, and your love. When I sin, I mistakenly trust in myself. Never let me doubt your love and be separated from you through sin.

     

    Encountering the Word of God

     

    1. Joseph’s Role in the History of Salvation: Joseph has an important role in the history of salvation. He is part of the fulfillment of the covenant promises made to Abraham (Second Reading) and David (First Reading). Paul’s Letter to the Romans presents Abraham as the father “of many nations.” Abraham’s universal fatherhood is obtained not through the rite of circumcision or the Law of Moses, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. All who follow the “faith of Abraham” are considered his spiritual descendants. And these, in turn, will share in the covenant promises made to Abraham. Abraham is our father, not according to the flesh, but according to according to faith.

     

    2. Abraham’s Faith: Paul highlights two aspects of the “faith of Abraham.” First, there Abraham’s belief in God as the Creator of all. God “calls into being what does not exist.” We profess this faith every Sunday: “I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” Believing that God is our creator means that we believe that all things depend on him and that he guides all things to himself through his providential plan. Second, Paul writes that the faith of Abraham includes the belief that God “gives life to the dead.” In his letter, Paul will bring out an analogy between the faith of Abraham and Christian faith: just as Abraham believed God could bring new life (Isaac) from Sarah’s dying body, Christians believe that God brought new life to the crucified body of Jesus by raising him from the dead (see Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament, p. 263). Above all, Abraham trusted in God and his promises; he “hoped against hope” and glorified God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised (Romans 4:21). Paul writes that God promised Abraham and he and his descendants would “inherit the world.” This calls to mind the passage in Genesis when God promised Abraham a worldwide family through his offspring (Genesis 22:16-22). It also brings to mind Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus teaches that the meek “will inherit the land,” that the poor in spirit and the persecuted will inherit “the kingdom of heaven,” and that the pure of heart will “see God.” What this tells us is that our inheritance, received through Baptism and faith in Jesus Christ, is divine sonship and eternal life with God.

     

    3. Joseph’s Faith: The First Reading begins to shed light on what all this has to do with Joseph. David, we learn, is promised an heir who will build a house for God’s name. Through this heir, the house and the kingdom of David would endure and the throne of David would stand firm. God will ask David, like Abraham, to place his trust in him and his promise of an everlasting kingdom, for David will not live to see the day when Jesus, his heir, inaugurates the Kingdom of God. Today’s Gospel follows after Matthew's long genealogy (Matthew 1:1-16) that guides us from Abraham and David, through the fall of the kingdom and exile, to “the royal child to whom all of Israel’s history was directed: Jesus” (E. Sri and C. Mitch, The Gospel of Matthew, 41). Jesus is called the Messiah and is the King who will deliver Israel from their sin and suffering and fulfill the royal covenant made with David. Joseph is not introduced as the biological father of Jesus but as the husband of Mary. By calling Joseph “son of David,” the angel “calls attention to Joseph’s own royal heritage and his crucial role of passing on Davidic descent to Jesus.” Joseph fulfills this role by naming Jesus and claiming the child as his own. In this obedient act of naming the child, Joseph makes Jesus a legal heir to David (E. Sri and C. Mitch, The Gospel of Matthew, 42). Joseph is a just and upright man, who, in a way superior to Abraham and David, trusts God fully and totally. Joseph’s faith and trust are fully manifested in his filial obedience to God’s commandment: he does just as the angel of the Lord commanded him, taking Mary into his home and naming the child Jesus.

     

    Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Son of David, I trust in you as my Savior. Help me imitate Saint Joseph, who welcomed you, cared for you, and embraced his role in the divine plan of salvation. Help me to welcome you in the stranger, care for you in the poor, and embrace the Father’s will for me.

     

    Living the Word of God: As we celebrate the solemnity of Joseph today, we contemplate him as a model of faith and trust in God. We should strive to imitate Joseph, asking God to increase our faith and help us in our unbelief. Second, as we meditate today on Joseph’s role in the history of salvation, we ask God to enlighten us about our own mission and we ask God for the grace and strength to fulfill that mission as Joseph did.

    © 2024. EPRIEST, Inc. All rights reserved.

At ePriest, we are dedicated to supporting Catholic priests as they serve their people and build up the Church.

We invite you to explore our resources to help your own ministry flourish!

Sign Up Now