Homily for the Feast of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Theme: St Joseph’s whole life is defined by his relation to others.
By: Diotacious Chikontwe SMA
Homily for Saturday March 19 2022
*READINGS OF THE DAY*
2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16
Romans 4:13,16-18,22
Matthew 1:16,18-21,24
*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this day we celebrate the great Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In reality we have very little historical information about him. Traditionally he is known for being a carpenter and his other feast is on 1st May, were we celebrate St. Joseph the Worker.
*ST JOSEPH FROM THE HOLY SCRIPTURES*
We do not have a single word of St Joseph’s recorded in the Scriptures; he is the archetypal strong silent type and a great example to us in an increasingly noisy world. Where some broadcast their virtue from the rooftops, or via facebook, St Joseph was a very quiet man: he just does it. For this reason he has been described as an icon of our faith, words would be a distraction. His love of Our Lady, care for Jesus, obedience, faith, purity, simplicity, courage and hope speak loudly from the home he built in Nazareth, we best know St Joseph through Jesus’s words and deeds.’ This is what icons do; they ‘speak to us of the presence of God among us in the material world.
*WHAT DO WE REALLY CELEBRATE TODAY?*
On today’s Feast we don’t celebrate and remember Joseph for his wise words or for his dramatic actions, we remember him for simply doing the Father’s will, for giving himself up for others. This is the calling for many of us in our Christian lives, and our example may not be widely celebrated by the Church, but it just might affect those around us.
*CONCLUSION*
Dear Friends in Christ, St Joseph was the quiet man of action and his actions are oriented to, and obedient to, the will of God. If we live as we ought to, like St Joseph, we may become icons of the living Lord, and that would be a life well lived to the will of God.
His love of Our Lady, care for Jesus, obedience, faith, purity, simplicity, courage and hope speak loudly for him.
Happy Feast of St Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
*REFERENCES AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS*
1 Fr Gary Caster, Joseph: the Man who raised Jesus. (Servant Books: Cincinnati, 2013), p.xiii
2 Jeana Visel OSB, Icons in the Western Church. (Liturgical Press: Collegeville, 2016), p.xi
3. Fr Toby Lees Homily on the Feast of St Joseph, 20th March 2017.