The Lord’s Caretaker Fr. Dominic Emmanuels Article in Asian Age Mystic Mantra 19th March, 2014 Readers of this column have read the lives of many saints in the past, including Ignatius, Francis of Assisi, Anthony, Teresa and others. They are all venerated for different reasons. One of the important saints, whose name is pronounced during the Holy Mass along with that of Mother Mary, is St. Joseph. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that Joseph, by profession a carpenter, was the foster father of Jesus and by virtue of that fact acquires great significance in the Christian calendar and tradition. His feast day is celebrated solemnly in the Universal Catholic Church on March 19. It is a name that many Christian parents want their sons to have. The reference to Joseph is closely associated with Jesus’ birth in the Gospels. “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to put her away quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus’…”. St. Joseph is always presented as a model of ideal Christian, especially for men, for, apart from being a just and good man, for which he was awarded the privilege to be the foster father of the Lord Jesus, he was also totally obedient to God’s command. Despite being displeased with Mary, he not only took her as his wife to save her from shame, but also fulfilled all the duties of a father to Child Jesus during his growing up years. Following the order of the governor of Rome in the reign of King Augustus, he brought his pregnant wife to Bethlehem to be registered for the census. Again, fearing King Herod who wanted to do away with Jesus, Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt and returned to Nazareth after the death of King Herod. St. Joseph, one of the most venerated saints, continues to inspire a whole lot of men and women to emulate examples of humility, obedience and justice from his own life.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 05:26:49 +0000
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