January 3, 2021 - "A Year in Honor of Saint Joseph"

On December 8, 1870 Blessed Pius IX declared Saint Joseph to be the Patron of the Universal Church.  To mark that anniversary Pope Francis has announced that the Catholic Church would observe a Year in Honor of Saint Joseph, which actually began on December 8, 2020 and will end on December 8, 2021.  Pope Francis has explained all this in his new Apostolic Letter entitled Patris Corde (“With a Father’ Heart”).  There Pope Francis describes Saint Joseph as a beloved Father, a tender and loving Father, an obedient Father, and father who is creatively courageous, a working father, and a father in the shadows.
 
The Holy Father has written this Apostolic Letter with Covid-19 pandemic very much on his mind.  Pope Francis states that this pandemic has helped us to see more clearly the importance of “ordinary” people who, though far from the limelight, exercise patience and offer hope each and every day.  These “ordinary” people resemble Saint Joseph who, as Pope Francis believes, is “the man who goes unnoticed, a daily, discreet and hidden presence,” who nonetheless played “an incomparable role in the history of salvation.”
 
Pope Francis writes that Saint Joseph “concretely expressed his father” by making an offering of himself in love—“a love placed at the service of the Messiah who was growing in maturity in his home.”  In this he echoes the thought of his saintly predecessor, Saint Paul VI.  Pope Francis continues by stating that because of Saint Joseph’s role at the crossroads between the Old and New Testaments, the foster-father of Jesus has always been venerated as a father by the Christian people.  Furthermore Jesus saw in Saint Joseph the tender love of God.  Joseph is the one who helps us accept our weaknesses because it is through and despite our fears, our frailties, and our weakness that most divine designs are realized.  Pope Francis continues, “Only tender love will save us from the snares of the accuser.”  Especially by encountering God’s mercy in the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation do we experience the truth and tenderness of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  In doing so, we come to know that God’s truth does not condemn us but instead welcomes, embraces, sustains, and forgives us.  Joseph is also a father in obedience to God.  With his statement of acceptance of God’s will he protects Mary and Joseph and teaches his Son to “do the will of the Father.”  Called by God to serve the mission of Jesus, Saint Joseph cooperated in the great mystery of Redemption and is truly a minister of salvation.
 
At the same time, Joseph is “an accepting Father,” because he “accepted Mary unconditionally”—an important gesture even today, says Pope Francis, “in our world where psychological, verbal, and physical violence towards women is so evident.” But the Bridegroom of Mary is also the one who, trusting in the Lord, accepts in his life even the events that he does not understand, “setting aside his own ideas” and reconciling himself with his own history.

Pope Francis also notes that Joseph’s spiritual path is not one that explains but accepts.  This does not mean that he is resigned but courageously and firmly proactive.  Saint Joseph is able to accept life as it is, with all its contradictions, frustrations and disappointments because of the Holy Spirit’s gift of fortitude and because he is a man full of hope.  Through Saint Joseph God is able to repeat to us, “Do not be afraid!” because faith gives meaning to every event, however happy or sad and makes us aware that God can make flowers grow up from stony ground.  Pope Francis observes that Saint Joseph did not look for shortcuts but confronted reality with open eyes and accepted personal responsibility for it.  For this reason Saint Joseph encourages us to accept and welcome others as they are, without exception and to show special concern for the weak.
 
We will continue our overview of the Pope’s Apostolic Letter next week.
 
Until then,
 
Fr. John