Other Sunday and Holy Day Readings
The Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Readings:
2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16
Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27, 29
Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22
Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a
All Scripture passages are from the New American Bible unless designated NJB (New Jerusalem Bible), IBHE (Interlinear Bible Hebrew-English), IBGE (Interlinear Bible Greek-English), or LXX (Greek Septuagint Old Testament translation). CCC designates a citation from the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The word LORD or GOD rendered in all capital letters is, in the Hebrew text, God's Divine Name YHWH (Yahweh).
God reveals His divine plan for humanity in the two Testaments. That is why we read and relive the events of salvation history contained in the Old and New Testaments in the Church's Liturgy. The Catechism teaches that the liturgy reveals the unfolding mystery of God's plan as we read the Old Testament in light of the New and the New Testament in light of the Old (CCC 1094-1095).
St. Joseph was a descendant of King David and Jesus' legal link to the Davidic line of kings and the eternal Davidic Covenant (Mt 1:20; Lk 2:4). His hometown was Bethlehem, the city of King David. As an adult, he had a home in Nazareth in the Galilee, where he worked as a carpenter and became betrothed to a young virgin named Mary. However, before they married, he discovered she was with child. An angel revealed to Joseph that this was God's divine plan, and Mary was pregnant with the Son of God (Mt 1:20-25). Joseph married Mary of Nazareth, becoming the protector of the Holy Family and the putative father of Jesus, who He raised as his son.
St. Joseph is only present in the birth narratives of Jesus in the Gospels and when Jesus was twelve years old and left behind in Jerusalem (Lk 2:41-52). Joseph probably died before Jesus began His public ministry. According to the non-canonical but Church-approved Gospel of St. James (the Protoevangelium of St. James), St. Joseph was previously married for forty years before he became Mary's protector. He had sons and daughters with his first wife, and he married the Virgin Mary as an elderly widower. According to tradition, his son, St. James the Just, became the first Christian bishop of Jerusalem. St. Joseph is the patron saint of fathers, artisans, carpenters, and woodworkers. He is the model of a saintly life in service to the Lord for all generations. See CCC 437, 497, 532, 1014, 1846 and 2177.
The Theme of the Readings: Human Fatherhood in God's Divine Plan
The focus of the First Reading and the Responsorial Psalms
is God's eternal covenant with the House of David. God reveals His intention of
rewarding David's faithfulness by establishing an everlasting covenant through
his heirs in the First Reading. It is a covenant that will find its completion
in Jesus of Nazareth, the Davidic heir (Mt 1:1), and Redeemer Messiah promised
by the prophets in the centuries after David (c.f., Jer 23:5-6; 33:15-16;
Ez 34:23-24).
The Responsorial Psalm is a Messianic hymn praising the promised Davidic Redeemer-Messiah. The throne of David stands secure forever because it is the birthright of the Savior of the world, and that is why Christians pray this psalm by applying it to Jesus Christ.
The Second Reading from St. Paul's letter to the Christians in Rome is the framework for the Gospel. Both Joseph, Jesus' foster father, and Abraham, the ancestral father of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, played a significant role in the history of our salvation. Paul writes that without any proof, Abraham was faithful to God's call and the promise that his descendants would inherit the world. He established the physical, human pathway that led to the birth of our Savior.
In the Gospel Reading from Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a, Joseph receives a revelation from God after discovering that he is facing a dilemma concerning his betrothed, Mary of Nazareth, who is pregnant with a child that is not his. His response to God's call to become the "father" of the Son of God is like Abraham's response to his divine call: "He is that just man, that wise and loyal servant, whom you placed at the head of your family" (Preface to the Eucharistic Prayer).
In the Gospel Reading from Luke 2:41-51a, Joseph sets an example of faithfulness to the Law of the Lord by taking his family to Jerusalem for the feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread. The Feast of Unleavened Bread (that began the day after Passover.) Unleavened Bread was a "pilgrim feast" that required every man of the covenant to come before God's holy altar. By this act of obedience, he set the example that Jesus was required to keep when he turned thirteen the next year. The reading points to what the Entrance Antiphon says about Saint Joseph: "The Lord has put his faithful servant in charge of his household." And it also highlights what the Preface says about Joseph: "With a husband's love, he cherished Mary, the Virgin Mother of God. With fatherly care, he watched over Jesus Christ Your Son, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit."
On this Solemnity of Saint Joseph, our prayer should be: "Father, You entrusted Your Son and our Savior to the care of Saint Joseph. By the help of his prayers, may all Christian fathers look to him as the image of a loving husband and father, and may the children of Your Church continue to follow his example in service to our Lord, Jesus Christ."
The First Reading 2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16 ~ The
Promise of an Eternal Davidic Covenant
4 The LORD spoke to Nathan and said: 5A "Go, tell my servant
David [...] 12 'When your time comes, and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up
your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm.
13 It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his
royal throne firm forever. 14A
I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to
me. [...] 16 Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne
shall stand firm forever.'"
The prophet Nathan delivered God's message to David, God's anointed servant, and King of Israel. David had offered to build a "house" of worship for Yahweh in Jerusalem. However, God told David (through the prophet Nathan) that David's son will build God a "house" in Jerusalem (verse 13). In the parallel account in 1 Chronicles 22:7-10, the Lord tells David he cannot build His Temple because he has been a man of war, and his son, Solomon, will be a man of peace.
God does not reject David for being a man of war. In his wars on behalf of Israel, David fulfilled the destiny God gave him for securing Israel as a nation, and God has blessed him in his battles, giving David his victories. But God does not want His dwelling place associated with violence and war, like the false gods of other nations. He wants His covenant faithful to experience His "house" in the context of peace and spiritual rest. The Lord credits to David his generous offer but tells His anointed servant that instead, He will build a "house," meaning a dynasty, for David and will establish through his heirs an eternal covenant.
Verse 14 is understood to be a formula of adoption and the earliest expression of Davidic messianism. Each Davidic king will be the Lord's son. God also promises that He will discipline the Davidic kings like a good human father admonishes his sons. David's special relationship with Yahweh and God's continuing relationship with the sons of David are repeated in Psalm 89 (our Psalm Reading). In that psalm, God will acknowledge the Davidic heir: He [the Davidic heir] will cry to me, "You are my father, my God, the rock of my salvation!" So I shall make him my first-born, the highest of earthly kings. I shall maintain my faithful love for him always; my covenant with him will stay firm. I have established his dynasty forever, his throne to be as lasting as the heavens (Ps 89:26-29). It is a passage that is not fulfilled in the earthly Davidic kings but in Jesus Christ, the Davidic Messiah, and inheritor of David's everlasting covenant.
Nathan's message to David establishes the charter for the advancement of God's Divine Plan for humanity's salvation. The hereditary monarchy is the center of the prophecy. God assures David's dynastic succession and the specific role of His Temple among His chosen people in the capital city of Jerusalem that is part of the plan. The covenant promise that David's throne will last forever points to the Messiah, who will be a descendant of David. Every future Davidic king will prefigure the Messiah and will have the following qualities:
The prophets identified the fulfillment of the everlasting rule of the Davidic king in the promised Messiah (c.f., Jer 17:24-27; Ez 34:23-24; etc.). The climax of this "charter with humanity" through God's servant David is Jesus "son of David" (Mt 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 21:9; Rom 1:3; etc.). The Church reads this passage from 2 Samuel 7 in the liturgy of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary because it is Joseph who is the guarantor of the Davidic descent of Jesus through being "of the house of David" (Mt 1:20; Lk 1:27) as is Mary of Nazareth (Lk 1:30-33).
The Responsorial Psalm 89:2-5, 27, 29 ~ The
Messianic Son of David
Response: "The son of David will live forever."
2 The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations, my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
3 for you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven, you have confirmed your faithfulness.
Response:
4 "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David, my servant:
5 Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."
Response:
27 "He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.'
29 Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm."
Response:
This psalm recalls the promise God made to David in the First Reading that his dynasty shall be as long-lasting as the heavens because of the eternal covenant the Lord made with David and his descendants. In verse 27, God confirms that He will be a Divine Father to David's heirs, a prophecy fulfilled in God the Son, who is also the son and heir of David and his eternal covenant.
The faithful of the Old and New Covenant Churches saw Psalm 89 as a Messianic Psalm, looking forward to the reign of an eternal Davidic king sent by God as humanity's Redeemer-Messiah. It is Saint Joseph and Mary who help to fulfill the promise: Mary provides the bloodline link to David and Joseph the legal link when he names Jesus, declaring Mary's child as his legal son.
The Second Reading Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22 ~ Christians are not Justified by Obedience to the Old Covenant Law
13 It was not through the Law that the promise was
made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but
through the righteousness that comes from faith. [...]
16 For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only
adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the
father of all of us,
17 as it is
written, "I have made you father of many nations." He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed,
who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
18 He believed,
hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according
to what was said, "Thus shall your descendants be." [...]
22 That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
If salvation came only through the observance of the Law of Moses, the result would be that faith as a supernatural gift of God would have no role in God's plan of salvation for humanity. Faith would be "null and void" of any meaning or impact, and God's promise of justifying Abraham's faith would remain unfulfilled. The righteousness that Paul mentions is the obedience of faith, evidenced by the living and active faith in Abraham's life. God awarded the promises to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 because of his faith. It was an inheritance not granted as a reward for a duty performed or as a contract fulfilled [Abraham hadn't even left for Canaan] but was given in faith to be redeemed by faith in the saving work of Jesus Christ.
In Romans 4:15, Paul repeats what he introduced in Romans 1:18 and then taught more thoroughly in 3:19-20. Paul's point is that the Law of Moses was limited. God gave the Law to identify human transgressions; it could not eliminate sin, nor could it bring about eternal salvation and union with the Most Holy Trinity.
In Romans 4:16-17, Paul wrote:
16 For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only
adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us,
17 as it is written, "I have made you father of many nations."
Paul is presenting the alternative to
disobedience which leads to transgressions of the Law and God's wrathful
judgment as opposed to God's promise of salvation in the gift of unmerited grace
and faith:
| The Law ==> transgression ==> wrath | God's promises ==> unmerited grace ==> faith |
God's power to make us godly by calling us to faith is greater than the power of concupiscence that draws us into sin (see CCC#405; 1264; 2515-16). The necessity of faith is the first step in the process of salvation. CCC# 161: "Believing in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent him for our salvation is necessary for obtaining that salvation. Since 'without faith, it is impossible to please [God]' and to attain to the fellowship of his Son, therefore without faith no one has ever attained justification, nor will anyone obtain eternal life 'but he who endures to the end'" (quoting Dei Filius; Matthew 10:22; 24:13; Hebrews 11:6; Council of Trent: DS 1532).
The Council of Trent stated that this initial act of faith "moves the person to recognize God, to repent of his sins, to put his trust and faith in God's divine mercy and to love him above all things; and to desire the sacraments and resolve to live a holy life" ( The Council of Trent, De Justification, chapter 6.
17 as it is written, "I have made you father of many nations."
Paul is citing Genesis 17:5, according to the Greek Septuagint
translation. The term "many nations" represents the Gentile peoples in general
who will become the children of Abraham through faith in Jesus Christ. In
other words, Paul informs his audience while they may have assumed God's
promise to be in the physical sense, He intended it to have a fuller and more
profound spiritual fulfillment. Scripture, anticipating that God would justify
the Gentile nations through faith in Jesus, records the preaching of the Gospel
in advance to Abraham with Yahweh's promise "I have made you the father of
many nations."
Paul establishes as the consequence of the "spiritual fatherhood" of Abraham the fulfillment of the promise made to Abraham that is an intrinsic aspect of God's salvific plan for all humanity: the world-wide blessing through Abraham, repeated five times in Genesis 12:3; 18:18; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14. God fulfills the promise in the spiritual descendants of Abraham, who are New Covenant believers living across the face of the earth. Now both Jews and Gentile come to God through the Lord Jesus Christ and are incorporated into one family: the universal Catholic Church.
Paul writes, He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being
what does not exist. Paul was making a significant link between the
revelation of God in the Old and New Testaments in this passage. He was
providing his readers with the connection between the miracle of Creation and
the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, which generated a new Creation. Jesus' Resurrection
was on the same day that, according to Jewish tradition, the first Creation
took place, on the first day of the week, Sunday. The seventh day of Creation was
the Old Covenant Sabbath, Saturday. Therefore, the first day of Creation was
what we call Sunday that became the New Covenant Sabbath!
In verses 18-22, Paul tells us that Father Abraham's faith is a model for Christian faith. Why does Paul write that there would seem to be no hope for the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham in verse 18? What was the necessary condition that had to be completed for the fulfillment of the promises?
| 1. "I shall make you a great nation": the promise of a nation that will belong to Abram's descendants and over which they will rule. |
| 2. "I shall bless you and make your name famous": the promised of the blessing of descendants. A man's name was carried on by his offspring. |
| 3. "All the nations on earth will bless themselves by your descendants": the promise of a world-wide blessing that will come from the children of Abram. |
These promises became the three-fold, unconditional covenant with Abram and his "seed"/descendants in Genesis Chapters 15, 17, and 22, a period that covers approximately 40 years. God based all the promises on descendants. Abraham was elderly, and his wife was beyond her childbearing years. In Genesis 17, Abraham was 99 and Sarai (Sarah) 89, but he believed, and miraculously Sarah conceived the child through which the promises would eventually be fulfilled and gave birth when she was 90 years old. Abraham's son Isaac, born when his father was 100 years old, had Jacob, who God would rename Israel, and Jacob/Israel would become the physical father of the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus, the Messiah, was born from the fourth son of Jacob-Israel, the tribe of Judah and the tribe of David.
Paul writes that Abraham's faith and the faith of all Christians strengthens us even when we are physically or spiritually weak. Even a little faith is enough for God's grace to work in our lives for faith is all-powerful and allows God's power to yield miracles in our lives. Then in verse 22, Paul quotes Genesis 15:6 for the third time, writing, 22 That is why it was credited to him as righteousness. Abraham's faith becomes the pattern for our Christian faith because the object is the same. The God who promises that faith will make the dead live again and who promises to justify the sinner is the same God who fulfilled His promises to Abraham 2000 years earlier. If Abraham trusted in faith and was justified, then so too will we be justified by our obedient faith.
The Gospel Reading Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a ~ The Angel of
the Lord Speaks to Joseph in a Dream
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born
Jesus, who is called the Christ. [...] 18 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. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to
expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will
save his people from their sins." [...] 24 When Joseph awoke, he
did as the Angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
In his genealogy, St. Matthew defines Jesus' birth only through Mary. He does not list Jesus as the son of Joseph. Instead, Jesus is the son of Mary, who was married to Joseph. Joseph is His legal father, not his biological father. In verse 18, Matthew also identifies Jesus by the royal title "Jesus Christ." "Christos" is the Greek word for "Messiah," and this verse is the fourth time St. Matthew uses Jesus' royal title "Jesus Messiah/Christ" (Mt 1:1, 16, 17, 18). According to the traditions of the times, legal paternity through adoption, Levirate marriage (Dt 25:5-10), or biological birth was sufficient to confirm all heredity rights. There can be no doubt for the reader that Matthew presents Jesus of Nazareth as the Redeemer promised in Genesis 3:15 and the Messiah ("anointed one") foretold by God's prophets. Only agents of God receive an anointing for holy service (prophets, priests, and kings).
Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant after he was already betrothed to her. A betrothal was not like a modern engagement. According to the customs of the times, a couple became betrothed after the payment of the bride price (paid by the groom), the dowry (paid by the girl's family), and the signing of the marriage contract. The couple did not live together until the groom made preparations to bring a wife into his home. When the groom completed all the preparations, he brought the bride to his house. The couple's friends and family celebrated in a seven-day wedding ceremony (Gen 29:27; Judg 14:12), after which the couple began to live together. However, in the interim period, they were both legally and morally bound to each other under the specific laws enumerated in the Deuteronomic Code (see Dt 22:23-27). These laws presupposed the marriage of a betrothed couple in a legal sense. Any sexual contact between a betrothed woman and another man was equivalent to the sin of adultery and punishable by death for both the betrothed woman and her partner (Ex 20:14; Dt 5:18; Lev 18:20; 20:10; Dt 22:22).
When Joseph discovered that Mary was with child, she was in a precarious position. If Joseph repudiated her, no other "righteous" Jewish man would marry her, and she would be ridiculed and shunned by the community. It is unlikely that at this time in history, she would have suffered the penalty of death according to Mosaic Law. Judah and the Galilee were subject to Roman occupation. The Romans held power over life and death in the territories under their control, and only a Roman court or a ruled appointed by Rome to uphold Roman Law could sentence a man or woman to death (see Jn 18:29-31).
There are two theories as to why Joseph decided to divorce Mary (verse 19). One suggestion is that Joseph already knew the child she carried was the Messiah and did not feel he was worthy enough to have the honor of parenting the Messiah-king. The second theory is that he believed Mary had committed adultery but wanted to spare the ridicule of the community by setting her aside without publically charging her in the Jewish Law Court. The key to understanding the passage is in how would a Jew define the term "righteous man," as verse 19 describes Joseph? For a Jew, a "righteous man" was a man who lived in strict obedience to the Law. As a "righteous man," Joseph could not marry someone who appeared to have grossly violated the Law of Moses. An act of repudiation was the only way Joseph could release himself from the obligation to take Mary as his wife.
In answer to Joseph's dilemma, the Angel of the Lord came to him in a dream, revealing God's divine plan in verses 20-21. Notice that the angel acknowledges that Joseph is a descendant of King David. The angel's announcement follows the same pattern as other special births of sons in the Bible:
In verses 20-21, the angel made three significant statements to reassure Joseph that he should take Mary as his wife:
The angel's command that Joseph must name the child is imperative. According to custom, if a man publically named a child born from his wife or a woman with whom he was intimate, he was declaring the child legally his. The angel's command leaves no doubt in Joseph's mind that he is to be the child's legal human father. The name the angel commands him to give the child is Yahshua in Hebrew (Yehoshua in Aramaic, which we translate as Joshua in English). The child's name means "Yahweh saves" or "Yahweh is salvation." Notice that the angel made a wordplay on the child's name by stating: "because he will save his people from their sins" (verse 21b). The name also subtly identifies Jesus with the Divine Name, Yahweh; it is a connection that will not become clear until later. The angel also defines the Messiah's mission as spiritual and not political, saying, "because he will save his people from their sins."
Joseph demonstrated his obedience to God by immediately taking Mary into his protection as his wife. Joseph is the model of faith in action. Are you following Joseph's example? Is your life guided by your faith and trust in God and His divine plan for your life?
The Alternate Gospel Reading Luke 2:41-51a ~ Young Jesus at the Temple
41 '>Each year Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, 42 and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. 43 After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. 44 Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45 but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, 47 and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety." 49 And he said to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" 50 But they did not understand what he said to them. 51a He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.
The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread took place during eight days in the early spring as a memorial of the Exodus redemption (Ex chapter 12; Lev 23:4-14; Num 28:16-25). The Feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15-21st ) began at sundown on the day of the Passover sacrifice. It was one of the three "pilgrim feasts" that required every man of the covenant who was thirteen years and older to appear before God's altar with his sacrifices (Ex 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Dt 16:16-17; 1 Chron 8:13). The Jews in the first century AD celebrated the two feasts as though they were one feast lasting eight days and referred to the eight days simply as "the Passover." It was a joyous time, and many families made the journey to Jerusalem, like the Holy Family.
Significantly, verse 46 tells us Jesus was missing for three days, as He will be missing on the three days between His crucifixion and Resurrection. "Finding" Jesus on the third day prefigures the events of Easter. Joseph and Mary found Jesus at the Temple, conversing with the teachers of the Law. Jesus was "in the midst" of the teachers, according to the text. The Greek text of this part of the narrative from verse 41 to 52 has 170 words. It is interesting that the Greek word for "in the midst" is in the exact middle of the narrative and is word 85 (IBGE, vol. IV, page 160-61).
As time passed and Jesus grew up like any child, and His parents may have begun to take His promised mission for granted. This episode reminded them that their son was indeed the Son of God, and He knew His true identity and His destiny. This incident was the first manifestation that Jesus was conscious of being the Son of God as He confirms in Joseph's presence that God is His Father.
51a He went down
with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them
Jesus was obedient to the commandment to honor His earthly
parents (Ex 20:12). The rest of verse 51 tells us that Mary "contemplated these
events." This probably means that she did so in terms of what the angel and
Simeon revealed to her in the past and what was likely to unfold in the future
according to the prophecies she received and the teaching of the Old Testament prophets
(see Lk 1:26-38; 2:19, 22-35). Her continuing thoughtful contemplation shows
her appreciation of God's Divine plan.
Catechism References (* indicates that Scripture is quoted
or paraphrased in the citation):
2 Samuel 7 (CCC 709*)
7:14 (CCC 238, 441)
Romans 4:16-21 (CCC 706*, 2572*)
Matthew 1:16 (CCC 437); 1:18-21 (CCC 497*); 1:20 (CCC 333*, 437, 486*, 497); 1:21 (CCC 430, 437, 452, 1507*, 1846, 2666*, 2812*)
Luke 2:41-51a (CCC 534*); 2:41 (CCC 583*); 2:46-49 (CCC 583*); 2:48-49 (CCC 503*); 2:49 (CCC 2599); 2:51 (CCC 517*, 531, 2196, 2599*)
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