APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS OF POPE BLESSED JOHN PAUL II

The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple

13. This rite, to which Luke refers (2:22ff.), includes the ransom of the first-born and sheds light on the subsequent stay of Jesus in the Temple at the age of twelve.
The ransoming of the first-born is another obligation of the father, and it is fulfilled by Joseph. Represented in the first-born is the people of the covenant, ransomed from slavery in order to belong to God. Here too, Jesus - who is the true "price" of ransom (cf. 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; 1 Pt l:19) - not only "fulfills" the Old Testament rite, but at the same time transcends it, since he is not a subject to be redeemed, but the very author of redemption.

The gospel writer notes that "his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him" (Lk 2:23), in particular at what Simeon said in his canticle to God, when he referred to Jesus as the "salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel" and as a "sign that is spoken against" (cf. Lk 2:30-34).

The Flight into Egypt

14. After the presentation in the Temple the Evangelist Luke notes: "And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Lk 2:39-40).
But according to Matthew's text, a very important event took place before the return to Galilee, an event in which divine providence once again had recourse to Joseph. We read: "Now when [the magi] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, 'Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him'" (Mt 2:13). Herod learned from the magi who came from the East about the birth of the "king of the Jews" (Mt 2:2). And when the magi departed, he "sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under" (Mt 2:16). By killing them all, he wished to kill the new-born "king of the Jews" whom he had heard about. And so, Joseph, having been warned in a dream, "took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, 'Out of Egypt have I called my son' " (Mt 2:14-15; cf. Hos 11:1).

And so Jesus' way back to Nazareth from Bethlehem passed through Egypt. Just as Israel had followed the path of the exodus "from the condition of slavery" in order to begin the Old Covenant, so Joseph, guardian and cooperator in the providential mystery of God, even in exile watched over the one who brings about the New Covenant.

Jesus' Stay in the Temple

15. From the time of the Annunciation, both Joseph and Mary found themselves, in a certain sense, at the heart of the mystery hidden for ages in the mind of God, a mystery which had taken on flesh: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14). He dwelt among men, within the surroundings of the Holy Family of Nazareth-one of many families in this small town in Galilee, one of the many families of the land of Israel. There Jesus "grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him" (Lk 2:40). The Gospels summarize in a few words the long period of the "hidden" life, during which Jesus prepared himself for his messianic mission. Only one episode from this "hidden time" is described in the Gospel of Luke: the Passover in Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old. Together with Mary and Joseph, Jesus took part in the feast as a young pilgrim. "And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it" (Lk 2:43). After a day's journey, they noticed his absence and began to search "among their kinsfolk and acquaintances." "After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions; and all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers" (Lk 2:47). Mary asked: "Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously" (Lk 2:48). The answer Jesus gave was such that "they did not understand the saying which he spoke to them." He had said, "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Lk 2:49-50)
Joseph, of whom Mary had just used the words "your father," heard this answer. That, after all, is what all the people said and thought: Jesus was the son (as was supposed) or Joseph" (Lk 3:23). Nonetheless, the reply of Jesus in the Temple brought once again to the mind of his "presumed father" what he had heard on that night twelve years earlier: "Joseph...do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." From that time onwards he knew that he was a guardian of the mystery of God, and it was precisely this mystery that the twelve- year-old Jesus brought to mind: "I must be in my Father's house."

The Support and Education of Jesus of Nazareth

16. The growth of Jesus "in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man" (Lk 2:52) took place within the Holy Family under the eyes of Joseph, who had the important task of "raising" Jesus, that is, feeding, clothing and educating him in the Law and in a trade, in keeping with the duties of a father.
In the Eucharistic Sacrifice, the Church venerates the memory of Mary the ever Virgin Mother of God and the memory of St. Joseph,(29) because "he fed him whom the faithful must eat as the bread of eternal life."(30)

For his part, Jesus "was obedient to them" (Lk 2:51), respectfully returning the affection of his "parents." In this way he wished to sanctify the obligations of the family and of work, which he performed at the side of Joseph.

29. Cf. Roman Missal, Eucharistic Prayer I.

30. Sacror. Rituum Congreg., Decr. Quemadmodum Deus (December 8 1870): loc. cit., p. 282.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS OF POPE BLESSED JOHN PAUL II

The Census

9. Journeying to Bethlehem for the census in obedience to the orders of legitimate authority, Joseph fulfilled for the child the significant task of officially inserting the name "Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth" (cf. Jn 1:45) in the registry of the Roman Empire. This registration clearly shows that Jesus belongs to the human race as a man among men, a citizen of this world, subject to laws and civil institutions, but also "savior of the world." Origen gives a good description of the theological significance, by no means marginal, of this historical fact: "Since the first census of the whole world took place under Caesar Augustus, and among all the others Joseph too went to register together with Mary his wife, who was with child, and since Jesus was born before the census was completed: to the person who makes a careful examination it will appear that a kind of mystery is expressed in the fact that at the time when all people in the world presented themselves to be counted, Christ too should be counted. By being registered with everyone, he could sanctify everyone; inscribed with the whole world in the census, he offered to the world communion with himself, and after presenting himself he wrote all the people of the world in the book of the living, so that as many as believed in him could then be written in heaven with the saints of God, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever, Amen."(28)

The Birth at Bethlehem

10. As guardian of the mystery "hidden for ages in the mind of God," which begins to unfold before his eyes "in the fullness of time," Joseph, together with Mary, is a privileged witness to the birth of the Son of God into the world on Christmas night in Bethlehem. Luke writes: "And while they were there, the time came for her to be delivered. And she gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn" (Lk 2:6-7).

Joseph was an eyewitness to this birth, which took place in conditions that, humanly speaking, were embarrassing-a first announcement of that "self-emptying" (cf. Phil 2:5-8) which Christ freely accepted for the forgiveness of sins. Joseph also witnessed the adoration of the shepherds who arrived at Jesus' birthplace after the angel had brought them the great and happy news (cf. Lk 2:15- 16) . Later he also witnessed the homage of the magi who came from the East (cf. Mt 2:11).

The Circumcision

11. A son's circumcision was the first religious obligation of a father, and with this ceremony (cf. Lk 2:21) Joseph exercised his right and duty with regard to Jesus.
The principle which holds that all the rites of the Old Testament are a shadow of the reality (cf. Heb 9:9f; 10:1) serves to explain why Jesus would accept them. As with all the other rites, circumcision too is "fulfilled" in Jesus. God's covenant with Abraham, of which circumcision was the sign (cf. Gn 17:13), reaches its full effect and perfect realization in Jesus, who is the "yes" of all the ancient promises (cf. 2 Cor 1:20).

Conferral of the Name

12. At the circumcision Joseph names the child "Jesus." This is the only name in which there is salvation (cf. Acts 4:12). Its significance had been revealed to Joseph at the moment of his "annunciation": "You shall call the child Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (cf. Mt 1:21). In conferring the name, Joseph declares his own legal fatherhood over Jesus, and in speaking the name he proclaims the child's mission as Savior.

28. Origen, Hom. XI in Lucam, 6: S. Ch. 87, pp. 196f.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS OF POPE BLESSED JOHN PAUL II

II
THE GUARDIAN OF THE MYSTERY OF GOD  4. When, soon after the Annunciation, Mary went to the house of Zechariah to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth, even as she offered her greeting she heard the words of Elizabeth, who was "filled with the Holy Spirit" (Lk 1:41). Besides offering a salutation which recalled that of the angel at the Annunciation, Elizabeth also said: "And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord" (Lk 1:45). These words were the guiding thought of the Encyclical Redemptoris Mater, in which I sought to deepen the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, which stated the Blessed Virgin advanced in her pilgrimage of faith, and faithfully preserved her union with her Son even to the cross,"(5) "preceding"(6) all those who follow Christ by faith.

Now at the beginning of this pilgrimage, the faith of Mary meets the faith of Joseph. If Elizabeth said of the Redeemer's Mother, "blessed is she who believed," in a certain sense this blessedness can be referred to Joseph as well, since he responded positively to the word of God when it was communicated to him at the decisive moment. While it is true that Joseph did not respond to the angel's "announcement" in the same way as Mary, he "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife." What he did is the clearest "obedience of faith" (cf. Rom 1:5; 16:26; 2 Cor 10:5-6).

One can say that what Joseph did united him in an altogether special way to the faith of Mary. He accepted as truth coming from God the very thing that she had already accepted at the Annunciation. The Council teaches: "'The obedience of faith' must be given to God as he reveals himself. By this obedience of faith man freely commits himself entirely to God, making 'the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals,' and willingly assenting to the revelation given by him."(7) This statement, which touches the very essence of faith, is perfectly applicable to Joseph of Nazareth.

5. Therefore he became a unique guardian of the mystery "hidden for ages in God" (Eph 3:9), as did Mary, in that decisive moment which St. Paul calls "the fullness of time," when "God sent forth his Son, born of woman...to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons" (Gal 4:4-5). In the words of the Council: "It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom, to reveal himself and to make known the mystery of his will (cf. Eph 1:9). His will was that men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in the Holy Spirit, and become sharers in the divine nature (cf. Eph 2:18; 2 Pt 1 4)."(8)

Together with Mary, Joseph is the first guardian of this divine mystery. Together with Mary, and in relation to Mary, he shares in this final phase of God's self-revelation in Christ and he does so from the very beginning. Looking at the gospel texts of both Matthew and Luke, one can also say that Joseph is the first to share in the faith of the Mother of God and that in doing so he supports his spouse in the faith of the divine annunciation. He is also the first to be placed by God on the path of Mary's "pilgrimage of faith." It is a path along which - especially at the time of Calvary and Pentecost - Mary will precede in a perfect way.(9)

6. The path that was Joseph's-his pilgrimage of faith - ended first, that is to say, before Mary stood at the foot of the cross on Golgotha, and before the time after Christ returned to the Father, when she was present in the upper room on Pentecost, the day the Church was manifested to the world, having been born in the power of the Spirit of truth. Nevertheless, Joseph's way of faith moved in the same direction: it was totally determined by the same mystery, of which he, together with Mary, had been the first guardian. The Incarnation and Redemption constitute an organic and indissoluble unity, in which "the plan of revelation is realized by words and deeds which are intrinsically bound up with each other."(10) Precisely because of this unity, Pope John XXIII, who had a great devotion to St. Joseph, directed that Joseph's name be inserted in the Roman Canon of the Mass-which is the perpetual memorial of redemption - after the name of Mary and before the apostles, popes and martyrs.(11)

The Service of Fatherhood

7. As can be deduced from the gospel texts, Joseph's marriage to Mary is the juridical basis of his fatherhood. It was to assure fatherly protection for Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary's spouse. It follows that Joseph's fatherhood - a relationship that places him as close as possible to Christ, to whom every election and predestination is ordered (cf. Rom 8:28-29) - comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family.

While clearly affirming that Jesus was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit, and that virginity remained intact in the marriage (cf. Mt 1:18-25; Lk 1:26-38), the evangelists refer to Joseph as Mary's husband and to Mary as his wife (cf. Mt 1:16, 18-20, 24; Lk 1:27; 2:5).

And while it is important for the Church to profess the virginal conception of Jesus, it is no less important to uphold Mary's marriage to Joseph, because juridically Joseph's fatherhood depends on it. Thus one understands why the generations are listed according to the genealogy of Joseph: "Why," St. Augustine asks, "should they not be according to Joseph? Was he not Mary's husband?... Scripture states, through the authority of an angel, that he was her husband. Do not fear, says the angel, to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. Joseph was told to name the child, although not born from his seed. She will bear a son, the angel says, and you will call him Jesus. Scripture recognizes that Jesus is not born of Joseph's seed, since in his concern about the origin of Mary's pregnancy, Joseph is told that it is of the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, he is not deprived of his fatherly authority from the moment that he is told to name the child. Finally, even the Virgin Mary, well aware that she has not conceived Christ as a result of conjugal relations with Joseph, still calls him Christ's father."(12)

The Son of Mary is also Joseph's Son by virtue of the marriage bond that unites them: "By reason of their faithful marriage both of them deserve to be called Christ's parents, not only his mother, but also his father, who was a parent in the same way that he was the mother's spouse: in mind, not in the flesh."(13) In this marriage none of the requisites of marriage were lacking: "In Christ's parents all the goods of marriage were realized-offspring, fidelity, the sacrament: the offspring being the Lord Jesus himself; fidelity, since there was no adultery: the sacrament, since there was no divorce."(14)

Analyzing the nature of marriage, both St. Augustine and St. Thomas always identify it with an "indivisible union of souls," a "union of hearts," with "consent."(15) These elements are found in an exemplary manner in the marriage of Mary and Joseph. At the culmination of the history of salvation, when God reveals his love for humanity through the gift of the Word, it is precisely the marriage of Mary and Joseph that brings to realization in full "freedom" the "spousal gift of self" in receiving and expressing such a love.(16) "In this great undertaking which is the renewal of all things in Christ, marriage-it too purified and renewed-becomes a new reality, a sacrament of the New Covenant. We see that at the beginning of the New Testament, as at the beginning of the Old, there is a married couple. But whereas Adam and Eve were the source of evil which was unleashed on the world, Joseph and Mary arc the summit from which holiness spreads all over the earth. The Savior began the work of salvation by this virginal and holy union, wherein is manifested his all-powerful will to purify and sanctify the family - that sanctuary of love and cradle of life."(17)

How much the family of today can learn from this! "The essence and role of the family are in the final analysis specified by love. Hence the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God's love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church his bride."(18) This being the case, it is in the Holy Family, the original "Church in miniature (Ecclesia domestica),"(19) that every Christian family must be reflected. "Through God's mysterious design, it was in that family that the Son of God spent long years of a hidden life. It is therefore the prototype and example for all Christian families."(20)

8. St. Joseph was called by God to serve the person and mission of Jesus directly through the exercise of his fatherhood. It is precisely in this way that, as the Church's Liturgy teaches, he "cooperated in the fullness of time in the great mystery of salvation" and is truly a "minister of salvation."(21) His fatherhood is expressed concretely "in his having made his life a service, a sacrifice to the mystery of the Incarnation and to the redemptive mission connected with it; in having used the legal authority which was his over the Holy Family in order to make a total gift of self, of his life and work; in having turned his human vocation to domestic love into a superhuman oblation of self, an oblation of his heart and all his abilities into love placed at the service of the Messiah growing up in his house."(22)

In recalling that "the beginnings of our redemption" were entrusted "to the faithful care of Joseph,"(23) the Liturgy specifies that "God placed him at the head of his family, as a faithful and prudent servant, so that with fatherly care he might watch over his only begotten Son."(24) Leo XIII emphasized the sublime nature of this mission: "He among all stands out in his august dignity, since by divine disposition he was guardian, and according to human opinion, father of God's Son. Whence it followed that the Word of God was subjected to Joseph, he obeyed him and rendered to him that honor and reverence that children owe to their father."(25)

Since it is inconceivable that such a sublime task would not be matched by the necessary qualities to adequately fulfill it, we must recognize that Joseph showed Jesus "by a special gift from heaven, all the natural love, all the affectionate solicitude that a father's heart can know."(26)

Besides fatherly authority over Jesus, God also gave Joseph a share in the corresponding love, the love that has its origin in the Father "from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named" (Eph 3:15).
The Gospels clearly describe the fatherly responsibility of Joseph toward Jesus. For salvation-which comes through the humanity of Jesus-is realized in actions which are an everyday part of family life, in keeping with that "condescension" which is inherent in the economy of the Incarnation. The gospel writers carefully show how in the life of Jesus nothing was left to chance, but how everything took place according to God's predetermined plan. The oft-repeated formula, "This happened, so that there might be fulfilled...," in reference to a particular event in the Old Testament serves to emphasize the unity and continuity of the plan which is fulfilled in Christ.

With the Incarnation, the "promises" and "figures" of the Old Testament become "reality": places, persons, events and rites interrelate according to precise divine commands communicated by angels and received by creatures who are particularly sensitive to the voice of God. Mary is the Lord's humble servant, prepared from eternity for the task of being the Mother of God. Joseph is the one whom God chose to be the "overseer of the Lord's birth,"(27) the one who has the responsibility to look after the Son of God's "ordained" entry into the world, in accordance with divine dispositions and human laws. All of the so-called "private" or "hidden" life of Jesus is entrusted to Joseph's guardianship.

5. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 58.

6. Cf. ibid., 63.

7. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, 5.

8. Ibid., 2.

9. Cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 63.

10. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, 2.

11. Sacred Congregation of Rites, Decree Novis hisce temporibus (November 13, 1962): AAS 54 (1962), p. 873.

12. St. Augustine, Sermo 51, 10, 16: PL 38, 342.

13. St. Augustine, De nuptiis et concupiscentia, I, 11, 12: PL 44, 421; cf. De consensu evangelistarum, II, 1, 2: PL 34, 1071; Contra Faustum, III, 2: PL 42, 214.

14. St. Augustine, De nuptiis et concupiscentia, I, 11, 13: PL 44, 421; cf. Contra Iulianum, V, 12, 46: PL 44, 810.

15. Cf. St. Augustine, Contra Faustum, XXIII, 8: PL 42, 470f.; De consensu evangelistarum, II, 1, 3: PL 34, 1072; Sermo, 51, 13, 21: PL 38, 344f.; St. Thomas, Summa Theol., III, q. 29, a. 2 in conclus.

16. Cf. Discourses of January 9, 16, February 20, 1980: Insegnamenti, III/I (1980), pp. 88-92; 148-152; 428-431.

17. Paul VI, Discourse to the "Equipes Notre-Dame" Movement (May 4, 1970), n. 7: AAS 62 (1970), p. 431. Similar praise of the Family of Nazareth as a perfect example of domestic life can be found, for example, in Leo XIII, Apostolic Letter Neminem fugit (June 14, 1892); Leonis XIII PM. Acta, XII (1892), p. 149f.; Benedict XV, Motu Proprio Bonum sane (July 25, 1920): AAS 12 (1920), pp. 313- 317.

18. Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (November 22, 1981), 17: AAS 74 (1982), p. 100.

19. Ibid., 49: loc. cit., p. 140; cf. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Genhum, 11; Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity, Apostolicam Actuositatem,11.

20. Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio (November 22, 1981), 85: loc. cit., pp. 189f.

21. Cf. St. John Chrysostom, In Matth. Hom. V, 3: PG 57, 57f.

22. Paul VI, Discourse (March 19, 1966): Insegnamenti, IV (1966), p. 110.

23. Cf. Roman Missal, Collect for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

24. Cf. ibid., Preface for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

25. Leo XIII, Encyclical Epistle Quamquam pluries (August 15, 1889): loc. cit., p. 178.

26. Pius XII, Radio Message to Catholic School Students in the United States of America (February 19, 1958): AAS 50 (1958), p.174.

27. Origen, Hom. XIII in Lucam, 7: S. Ch. 87, pp 214f.

APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS OF POPE BLESSED JOHN PAUL II

INTRODUCTION

1. "Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took his wife" (cf. Mt 1 :24).

Inspired by the Gospel, the Fathers of the Church from the earliest centuries stressed that just as St. Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ's upbringing,(1) he likewise watches over and protects Christ's Mystical Body, that is, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model.

On the occasion of the centenary of Pope Leo XIII's Encyclical Epistle Quamquam Pluries,(2) and in line with the veneration given to St. Joseph over the centuries, I wish to offer for your consideration, dear brothers, and sisters, some reflections concerning him "into whose custody God entrusted his most precious treasures."(3) I gladly fulfill this pastoral duty so that all may grow in devotion to the Patron of the Universal Church and in love for the Savior whom he served in such an exemplary manner.

In this way the whole Christian people not only will turn to St. Joseph with greater fervor and invoke his patronage with trust, but also will always keep before their eyes his humble, mature way of serving and of "taking part" in the plan of salvation.(4)

I am convinced that by reflection upon the way that Mary's spouse shared in the divine mystery, the Church - on the road towards the future with all of humanity - will be enabled to discover ever anew her own identity within this redemptive plan, which is founded on the mystery of the Incarnation.

This is precisely the mystery in which Joseph of Nazareth "shared" like no other human being except Mary, the Mother of the Incarnate Word. He shared in it with her; he was involved in the same salvific event; he was the guardian of the same love, through the power of which the eternal Father "destined us to be his sons through Jesus Christ" (Eph 1:5).
I
THE GOSPEL PORTRAIT Marriage to Mary

2. "Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Mt 1:20-21).

In these words we find the core of biblical truth about St. Joseph; they refer to that moment in his life to which the Fathers of the Church make special reference.

The Evangelist Matthew explains the significance of this moment while also describing how Joseph lived it. However, in order to understand fully both its content and context, it is important to keep in mind the parallel passage in the Gospel of Luke. In Matthew we read: "Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:18). However, the origin of Mary's pregnancy "of the Holy Spirit" is described more fully and explicitly in what Luke tells us about the annunciation of Jesus' birth: "The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary" (Lk 1:26-27). The angel's greeting: "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28) created an inner turmoil in Mary and also moved her to reflect. Then the messenger reassured the Virgin and at the same time revealed God's special plan for her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David" (Lk 1:30-32).

A little earlier the Gospel writer had stated that at the moment of the Annunciation, Mary was "betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David." The nature of this "marriage" is explained indirectly when Mary, after hearing what the messenger says about the birth of the child, asks, "How can this be, since I do not know man?" (Lk 1:34) The angel responds: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God" (Lk 1:35). Although Mary is already "wedded" to Joseph, she will remain a virgin, because the child conceived in her at the Annunciation was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.

At this point Luke's text coincides with Matthew 1:18 and serves to explain what we read there. If, after her marriage to Joseph, Mary is found to be with child of the Holy Spirit," this fact corresponds to all that the Annunciation means, in particular to Mary's final words: "Let it be to me according to your word" (Lk 1:38). In response to what is clearly the plan of God, with the passing of days and weeks Mary's "pregnancy" is visible to the people and to Joseph; she appears before them as one who must give birth and carry within herself the mystery of motherhood.

3. In these circumstances, "her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly" (Mt 1:19). He did not know how to deal with Mary's "astonishing" motherhood. He certainly sought an answer to this unsettling question, but above all he sought a way out of what was for him a difficult situation. "But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins'" (Mt 1:20-21).

There is a strict parallel between the "annunciation" in Matthew's text and the one in Luke. The divine messenger introduces Joseph to the mystery of Mary's motherhood. While remaining a virgin, she who by law is his "spouse" has become a mother through the power of the Holy Spirit. And when the Son in Mary's womb comes into the world, he must receive the name Jesus. This was a name known among the Israelites and sometimes given to their sons. In this case, however, it is the Son who, in accordance with the divine promise, will bring to perfect fulfillment the meaning of the name Jesus-Yehos ua' - which means "God saves."

Joseph is visited by the messenger as "Mary's spouse," as the one who in due time must give this name to the Son to be born of the Virgin of Nazareth who is married to him. It is to Joseph, then, that the messenger turns, entrusting to him the responsibilities of an earthly father with regard to Mary's Son.

"When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife" (cf. Mt 1:24). He took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her together with the Son who had come into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way he showed a readiness of will like
Mary's with regard to what God asked of him through the angel.

1. Cf. St. Irenaeus, Adversus haereses, IV, 23, 1: S. Ch. 100/2, pp. 692-694.

2. Leo XIII, Encyclical Epistle Quamquam pluries (August 15, 1889): Leonis XIII P.M. Acta, IX (1890), pp. 175-182.

3. Sacror. Rituum Congreg., Decr. Quemadmodum Deus (December 8, 1870): Pii IX P.M. Acta, pars I, vol. V, p. 282; Pius IX, Apostolic Letter Inclytum Patriarcham (July 7, 1871): loc. cit., pp. 331-335.

4. Cf. St. John Chrysostom, In Matth. Hom. V, 3: PG 57, 57f. The Fathers of the Church and the Popes, on the basis of their common name, also saw in Joseph of Egypt a prototype of Joseph of Nazareth, inasmuch as the former foreshadowed in some way the ministry and greatness of the latter, who was guardian of God the Father's most precious treasures-the Incarnate Word and his most holy Mother: cf., for example, St. Bernard, Super "Missus est," Hom. II, 16: S. Bernardi Opera, Ed. Cist., IV, 33f.; Leo XIII, Encyclical Epistle Quamquam pluries (August 15, 1889): loc. cit., p. 179.

5. Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, 58.

St. Joseph and the Genealogy in the Gospel of Luke

Though he does not center a good portion of his narrative on Davidic descent as Matthew does, Luke does clearly present the Son of God as the Davidic Messiah. Again it is through Joseph that Jesus is linked to David. The Protoevangelium of James and others since have attributed Davidic descent to Mary, but Luke never does so, and the fact that she is kin to Elizabeth of the daughters of Aaron (Lk 1:5,36) could be argued as placing her also in Aaron's rather than in David's line. In Luke 1:27 the phrase "of the house of David" which grammatically follows Joseph's name refers to him alone, as is consistent with Luke 2:4 and 3:23. Joseph is introduced as important for introducing Mary. Before hearing the angel's words to her, the reader must know that she is a virgin betrothed to a man of the house of David. Joseph's role is what makes understandable the announcement that the Son of God conceived in Mary will be given "the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever" (Lk 1:32-33).

The birth narrative similarly stresses that Joseph went for the census to Bethlehem, the city of David, "because he was of the house and lineage of David" (Lk 2:4). From their home in Nazareth, Mary journeys with him so that the child may be born in the city of David. Luke emphasizes Bethlehem more than Matthew, and the first announcement to the shepherds is that "in the city of David" is born a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord (Lk 2:11).

Luke's genealogy follows the infancy narrative and Jesus' baptism by John at the beginning of his ministry. John has told the people that being a descendant of Abraham is not sufficient for salvation, and that God's salvation is not limited by ancestry, for he can raise up children of Abraham from stones (Lk 3:8). At Jesus' baptism he is manifested as the beloved Son of heaven accompanied by the Holy Spirit (Lk 3:21-22). The genealogy sums up these two themes of human ancestry and divine Sonship by going back beyond Abraham, all the way to Adam and ultimately to God (Lk 3:38). Jesus initiates a course of history proceeding not only from Israel, but from humanity and from God Himself. Salvation is to be directed to all the children of Adam, equally created by God. Jesus' genealogy is traced through Joseph.

Jesus was "the son (as was supposed) of Joseph" (Lk 3:23). The "as was supposed" refers to the public being unaware of the virginal conception (Lk 1:27,34-37) and their considering Joseph to be the biological father, and to their not seeing beyond the human father to the divine Father of whom Jesus is Son in a more profound sense. Luke has portrayed Joseph as the transmitter of Davidic descent to Jesus quite apart from biological parenthood. Besides being the reputed father of Jesus, Joseph is the legal, genealogical father through whom Jesus traces his lineage.

Though the genealogy contains no markers, comments, or subdivisions, it has been shown to contain eleven groups of seven names, much as Matthew's three groups of fourteen could be broken into six groups of seven (the perfect number). Jesus has 77 ancestors listed, the last of whom is God. The names falling in the positions which are multiples of seven are significant, numbers 7 and 35 being two other Josephs. This list culminates with God whose number 77 is doubly perfect. It includes Abraham and David, the names given such importance by Matthew. It would seem that while using quite distinct forms, Matthew and Luke both emphasize Abraham, David, Joseph, and multiples of the number seven.

While agreeing on Davidic descent, Luke differs from Matthew in showing this descent to occur through Nathan rather than Solomon. What is certain is that it is through Joseph that Jesus is son of David and son of Adam, the first human. The Son of God (Lk 1:35; 3:22,38) traces his human ancestry all the way back through creation by means of Joseph.

Taken from http://www.osjoseph.org/stjoseph/scripture/part2sec2.php

St. Joseph and The Genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew

 

 

Matthew 1 clearly asserts the virginal conception and divine origin of Jesus, "God with us," "of the Holy Spirit" (Mt 1:18,20,23). The principal concern, however, is to explain Jesus' human origin to both Jews and gentiles. The very first verse states the purpose of the two chapters: "The book of the origin of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Mt 1:1).

Jews are shown that the Son of God is the Messiah promised to the royal line of David. Chapter 1 demonstrates this through the genealogy of Joseph, his legal father. Chapter 2 confirms it by the geography of his birth in Bethlehem, the town of David, even though he was raised in Nazareth.

With respect to gentiles, not always fully accepted by the Jewish Christian community, there is the reminder that the Messiah is also "the son of Abraham," who inherited God's promises for all. "I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness" (Mt 8:11-12). Matthew 1 breaks protocol to include gentiles in the genealogy. In Matthew 2 the gentile magi search for the newborn king to adore him, while the religious leaders of Jerusalem show no interest in seeking him and actually become accomplices of Herod's plot to kill him.

The genealogy that follows the opening verse does not totally agree with that of Luke 3. In fact, even the name of Joseph's father differs in the two: Jacob (Mt 1:16) or Heli (Lk 3:23), although their fathers' names are similar, Matthan and Matthat respectively. There is clearly a certain artificiality in Matthew's presentation of the genealogy in three groups of fourteen: "So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations" (Mt 1:17). It was common practice at the time to allow certain inclusions or exclusions to better serve the purpose of the writings. This purpose would be somewhat different for the different audiences to which Matthew and Luke were writing. Since Matthew is so concerned to draw parallels between the New and Old Testament Josephs, it is not surprising that their fathers are both "Jacob," a name used only of the patriarch throughout the whole of Scripture. There is no discrepancy whatsoever regarding Jesus' Davidic descent, nor any room to doubt the historicity of Joseph, his legal father, who belongs to the substance of the tradition shared by the independent sources of Luke and John.

From the time of King David, who lived a millennium before Christ, God's covenant with his chosen people was made through the king of Israel, anointed by God as shepherd of Israel, heir of the promises made to Abraham, and unifier of all the tribes into one people. When David decided to build a temple, God promised him a descendent, a son of God, who would establish his reign forever (2 Sam 7:12-16). Not too long after David's reign, the kingdom was divided and eventually it crumbled, but the messianic hope in the promise of the promised new son of David did not leave the people. The New Testament teaches in many places that Jesus is the "Son of David" fulfilling that promise, and establishing his Church as the new Israel for all peoples of the earth. More than any other, Matthew's Gospel emphasizes the title "Son of David" (Mt 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30,31; 21:9,15; 22:41-45). His very first task, then, is to begin his Gospel by showing how Jesus is of the royal line of David in accord with the promise.

Matthew's genealogy thus revolves around David, whose name occurs in the first verse (Mt 1:1), ends the first and begins the second of the three divisions (Mt 1:6-7), and is repeated in the concluding summary (Mt 1:17). This summary verse makes a point of repeating that the number of generations in each of the three parts is fourteen, a number which results from taking the sum of the numerical position of the Hebrew alphabet of DWD (4+6+4), the consonants for "David." David is the only one given the title "the king" (Mt 1:6).

The genealogy almost tediously repeats the formula A begot B, and B begot C, down to the very end when the pattern is clearly interrupted. Joseph does not beget Jesus, but is the husband of Mary of whom Jesus "was begotten." Other irregularities, such as the inclusion of four women in the genealogy help prepare for this most significant, final irregularity. This interruption in the pattern is explained by the following verses 18-25, the story of Joseph's vocation, which is strictly connected to the genealogy. The introductory verses (Mt 1:1,18) to both the genealogy and this following section contain the same Greek noun génesis "origin." The connection has often been obscured, since this same noun has often been translated as "genealogy" or something similar in verse 1, and as "birth" in verse 18. In the passage on Joseph's vocation, the angel of the Lord addresses Joseph as the "son of David" (Mt 1:20) and clarifies the mysterious verse 16, by showing how one born of the Holy Spirit is also the Son of David through Joseph, and thereby qualifies to be the promised Messiah.

In Jewish practice, biological fatherhood was not the only way to pass on genealogical descent, since adoptive fatherhood was no less valid. Matthew presents Joseph as the legal father who transmits Davidic descent without being the biological father. Joseph's fatherhood is much more than "adoptive," however, since he was already betrothed to Mary in a juridically binding manner at the time of the miraculous conception. By taking Mary into his home before Jesus' birth, Joseph was merely continuing with the normal final phase of Jewish marriage. The child he accepted as his own at the angel's bidding was not born to any other human father. Conceived not by any adulterous affair, but by the Holy Spirit, Jesus is certainly the legitimate offspring of Joseph's legitimate wife. Joseph is his only possible human father, and he is legally so because he is Mary's husband: "Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ" (Mt 1:16). Joseph is called to name the child, since this is a natural consequence of continuing the marriage and forming a household with his pregnant wife. Jesus the Christ, the divinely conceived Savior, can be recognized as the promised Son of David because Joseph is son of David.

Taken from http://www.osjoseph.org/stjoseph/scripture/part1sec2.php

Apostolic Epistle of Pope John XXIII - Saint Joseph is named Patron of the Second Vatican Council

To the local ordinaries and faithful of the Catholic world

Venerable brethren and beloved sons! Countless expressions of joy and expectation and of best wishes for the success of the Second Vatican Council have come to Us from every corner of the globe. They are stirring Us more and more to avail Ourselves of the good dispositions of all the many simple and sincere hearts whom We see so lovingly and generously devoting themselves to begging for God’s help, to growing in religious fervor, to achieving a clearer understanding of all that the celebration of the Council will require beforehand and will subsequently produce in the form of a development of the interior and exterior life of the Church, and of a spiritual revival throughout the whole world.

And now, as a new spring breaks into view and we stand on the threshold of the Sacred Easter Liturgy, we find ourselves face to face with the kind and gentle St. Joseph, stately spouse of Mary, a figure so dear to the minds and hearts of those who are most responsive to the appeal of Christian asceticism and the forms of religious devotion that are quiet and unobtrusive, but all the sweeter and more pleasing for being so.

Increase of devotion to Joseph

In the Holy Church’s worship, right from the beginning, Jesus, the Word of God made man, has enjoyed the adoration that belongs to Him, incommunicable as the splendor of the substance of His Father, a splendor reflected in the glory of His saints. Mary, His Mother, was close behind Him from the earliest times, in the pictures in the Catacombs and the basilicas, where she was devoutly venerated as “Holy Mother of God.”

But Joseph, except for some slight sprinkling of references to him here and there in the writings of the Fathers, for long centuries remained in the background that was so typical of him, like a kind of ornamental detail in the overall picture of the Saviour’s life. It took time for devotion to him to go beyond those passing glances and take root in the hearts of the faithful, and then surge forth in the form of special prayers and of a profound sense of trust and confidence. The fervent joy of pouring forth these deepest feelings of the heart in so many impressive ways has been saved for modern times; and it gives Us special pleasure to draw upon these treasures now for something quite pertinent and meaningful.

Saint Joseph in the words of the pontiffs of the last 100 years

The first two postulata that the Fathers of the First Vatican Council presented to Pius IX when they met in Rome (1869-1870) had to do with St. Joseph. Their first request was that devotion to him be accorded a higher place in the Sacred Liturgy; this document bore the signatures of 153 bishops. The other one, which had been signed by 43 superiors-general of religious orders, asked for the solemn proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church.

Pius IX

Pius IX greeted both requests with joy. At the very beginning of his pontificate [on September 10, 1847], he had set aside the third Sunday after Easter for the feast of the Patronage of St. Joseph. As early as 1854, in a devout and stirring talk, he had pointed to St. Joseph as the surest hope of the Church after the Blessed Virgin; and on December 8, 1870, when the Vatican Council had been suspended because of political events, he seized the occasion of the feast of the Immaculate Conception to issue a more solemn and official proclamation that St. Joseph was the Patron of the Universal Church and to elevate the feast of March 19th to the liturgical rank of double of the first class.

The decree of December 8, 1870, issued Urbi et Orbi, was brief but beautiful and wonderful and really worthy of the Ad perpetuam memoriam, an it opened a vein of rich and precious inspirations for the successors of Pius IX.

Leo XIII

For the feast of the Assumption in 1889, the immortal Leo XIII issued the letter Quamquam pluries, the richest and fullest document that a pope ever issued in honor of the foster father of Jesus; it pointed up his characteristic role as the model for fathers of families and for workers. This was the origin of the beautiful prayer, “To thee, O Blessed Joseph,” that did so much to enrich the time of Our childhood.

St. Pius X

The Holy Pontiff Pius X added many new expressions of devotion and love for St. Joseph to those of Pope Leo, and he was more than happy to permit a work on this devotion to be dedicated to him. He also added to the treasure of indulgences attached to reciting the litanies that are so dear to Us and so comforting to say.

What a beautiful sound the words of his grant have! “Our most holy Lord Pius to the renowned Patriarch St. Joseph, foster father of the Divine Redeemer, most pure husband of the Mother of God, and powerful patron of the Catholic Church before God” — just look at the depth of personal feeling — “whose glorious name has adorned it from the time of its birth, and whom it has embraced with a special constant love and devotion.” And the other words he used to give the reasons for granting the new favors: “to increase devotion to St. Joseph, the patron of the Universal Church.”

Benedict XV

At the outbreak of the first great European war, when the eyes of St. Pius X had closed on life here below, Divine Providence raised up Pope Benedict XV to move across the years from 1914 to 1918 like a kindly star bringing universal consolation.

He too was quick to promote devotion to the Holy Patriarch. It is to him that we owe the introduction of two new prefaces into the Canon of the Mass; the preface of St. Joseph and the one for Masses for the Dead; he wisely linked them together by issuing the two decrees on the same day, April 9, 1919, as if to remind men of the way in which sorrows and consolations are mingled and shared in two families; the heavenly one of Nazareth that had St. Joseph for its legal head and the immense human family that had suffered universal grief because of the countless victims claimed by devastating war. What a sorrowing but at the same time consoling and fitting combination: St. Joseph on one side and St. Michael, the standard-bearer, on the other, each presenting the souls of the dead to the Lord into the holy light.

The following year — on July 25, 1920 — Pope Benedict returned to the subject while preparations were being made for the fiftieth anniversary of Pius IX’s proclamation of St. Joseph as patron of the Universal Church, and he came back to it again from a theological point of view in the Motu proprio “Bonum sane,” that seemed to breathe an air of tenderness and unwavering trust. Oh! what a beautiful thing it was to throw new light on the meek and kindly figure of our saint and to have the Christian people call upon him, first of all to protect the Church militant at the very moment when they were beginning to rededicate their finest efforts to spiritual and material reconstruction in the wake of so many calamities; and second, to offer consolation to all the millions and millions of human victims, poised on the threshold of eternity, for whom Pope Benedict asked the bishops and the many pious societies throughout the world to offer up their prayers to St. Joseph, the patron of the dying.

Pius XI and Pius XII

The last two pontiffs — Pius XI and Pius XII — of dear and venerated memory — showed a deep and edifying fidelity in following this same path of recommending fervent devotion to the Holy Patriarch in all of their appeals, their exhortations, and their inspiring words.

At least four different times in solemn allocutions dealing with new saints, and very often at the annual celebrations of March 19th, for example in 1928, and again in 1935 and 1937, Pius XI took the opportunity to exalt the many glories that shone forth from the spiritual image of the Guardian of Jesus, the most chaste spouse of Mary, the pious and modest worker of Nazareth, and the patron of the universal Church, our powerful shield of defense against the efforts of world atheism, intent on wiping out Christian nations.

Pius XII picked up this keynote from his predecessor and made it echo forth in the same tones, in so many allocutions that were always beautiful, vibrant, and timely. As on the 10th of April in 1940, when he invited newlyweds to place themselves under the gentle, protective mantle of the Spouse of Mary; and in 1945, when he called upon the members of Christian associations for workingmen to honor Joseph as their lofty model and the staunch guardian of their ranks; and ten years later, in 1955, when he announced that the annual feast of St. Joseph the Worker had been instituted. This recently established feast, celebrated on May 1st, takes the place of the one on Wednesday of the second week after Easter, while the traditional feast of March 19th will henceforth mark the solemn celebration of St. Joseph’s Patronage of the Universal Church.

The same Holy Father, Pius XII, was pleased to adorn the breast of St. Joseph with a most precious garland in the form of a fervent prayer recommended for use by priests and faithful throughout the world in their devotions, and he enriched it with many indulgences. It is a prayer of a professional and social nature for the most part, and hence well-suited for those who find themselves subject to the law of work which is, for everyone, a “law of honor, of a peaceful and holy life, and a prelude to eternal happiness.” You find there these words among others: “be with us, St. Joseph, in times of prosperity, when everything seems to be inviting us to enjoy the honest fruits of our labors, but most of all be with us and sustain us in the hours of sadness, when it looks as if the heavens are about to close over us, and as if even the tools of our labor are about to fly from our hands.”

March 19th: Definite date for the feast of the Patronage

Venerable brethren and beloved sons! We felt that this particular March 19th would be a good time to recall these points of history and of religious devotion and offer them for devout consideration by you whose souls have been trained to a fine sense of how a Christian and Catholic should live and act and feel. We say this particular March 19th, because the feast of St. Joseph this year coincides with the beginning of passiontide and so helps prepare us to enjoy a deeper intimacy with the most profound and salutary mysteries of the sacred liturgy.

The dispositions that lead us to cover the images of Jesus Crucified, of Mary, and of the saints with a veil for the two weeks that come before Easter also invite us to holy inner recollection and to communicating with the Lord through a prayer that ought to involve both meditation and frequent, lively supplication. Our Lord, the Blessed Virgin, and the saints are waiting for us to express our trusting, heartfelt prayers; and it is only natural for these prayers to center on the things that most closely correspond to the needs of the Catholic Church universal.

Anticipation and the Ecumenical Council

There can be no doubt that the Ecumenical Council of the Vatican stands at the center and in first place among these needs and cares; it is now eagerly awaited by all those who believe in Jesus, the Redeemer, and belong to our Mother the Catholic Church, or to one of the various groups that are separated from it and yet still anxious — at least as far as many are concerned — for a return to peace and unity that will be in full accord with Christ’s teaching and His prayer to His Heavenly Father.

It is only natural for Us to have as Our aim, in thus recalling the words of the popes of the last century, to stir up the Catholic world to work for the success of this great plan for order, for spiritual improvement, and for peace, which constitute the purpose and goal of an Ecumenical Council.

The Council at the service of all souls

Everything about the Church as Jesus established it is great and worthy of attention. The celebration of a Council gathers the most distinguished persons of the ecclesiastical world together around the Fathers — those who are most richly endowed with the gifts of theological and juridical learning, of organizing ability, of apostolic zeal and fervor. This is what a Council is: the Pope at the summit and around him and with him the cardinals, bishops from every rite and every country, the best-qualified scholars and teachers from various levels and from various fields, in which they specialize.

But the Council is meant for the whole Christian people; they have an interest in it, for they will share in the more perfect communication of grace and of Christian vitality that will make it easier for them to acquire more quickly the truly precious goods of the present life and thus assure themselves of the riches of the eternal ages.

And so everyone has an interest in the Council, clerics and laymen, the great and the small from every part of the world, every social class, every race, every color; and since we need a heavenly protector on high during this period of preparation and of development to ask for that divine power that will enable it to live up to its promise and be an epoch-making event in the history of the Church in our times, there is no saint in heaven who can better be trusted with the task than St. Joseph, the stately head of the Family of Nazareth and protector of the Holy Church.

Pius XI on Joseph

Whenever We listen to the echoes of the voices of the popes of this last century of our history, as We have just done, Our heart is particularly moved by the words of Pius XI, which were so typical of him on their calm and carefully thought out way of expressing things. They come down to us from a talk he gave on March 19, 1928 — a few words in honor of St. Joseph, or as he liked to call him, dear and blessed St. Joseph — that he just could not and would not hold back.

“It is very thought-provoking,” he said, “to see two magnificent figures who were close to each other in the beginnings of the Church now standing alongside each other here close by and shining brilliantly: St. John the Baptist, who comes to us from the desert, sometimes with a thundering voice and sometimes with meekness and gentleness, sometimes like a roaring lion and at others like a friend basking in the glory of the bridegroom, and offering the wonderful testimony of his martyrdom to the whole world; then the powerful Peter who hears those magnificent words from the Divine Master: ‘go and preach to the whole world;’ and to himself personally: ‘thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.’ A great mission, with divine magnificence and acclaim.”

This was what Pius XI had to say. And then he went on in these wonderful words: “In between these two great personages and these two missions, you can make out the person and the mission of St. Joseph, as he moves along quietly and thoughtfully, almost unobserved and unrecognized in his humility and silence, a silence upon which light would be shed only later, a silence that was bound to be succeeded by a long, loud cry of acclaim and glory through the ages.”

Oh! the invocation of St. Joseph, the devotion to St. Joseph to bring his protection down on the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican.

Purpose of this letter

Venerable brethren and children of Rome, beloved children of the whole world!

This is what we wanted to lead up to and this is why we are sending this apostolic letter on the 19th of March; We wanted the celebration of the feast of St. Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church, to bring your souls the inspiration for an extraordinary renewal of fervor, that will come from a more lively, more ardent, and more constant prayerful participation in the cares of the Holy Church, your teacher and mother, your instructor and guide for this extraordinary event — the Twenty-first Ecumenical Council and the Second of the Vatican — to which the public press of the whole world has been devoting lively interest and respectful attention.

Needs of the Council

You know very well that the first phase of organizing the Council is moving along calmly, effectively and in encouraging fashion. Distinguished prelates and clergymen by the hundreds have come from every part of the world and are now meeting here in the City; they have been divided up into various well-organized sections, each with responsibility for some important work all its own; they are following the lines laid down by the priceless contents of a series of imposing volumes that have gathered together the thoughts and experience and suggestions that are the fruit of wisdom, intelligence and apostolic zeal that constitutes the real wealth and treasure of the Catholic Church of the past, present, and the future.

All the Ecumenical Council needs in order to reach a successful conclusion is the light of truth and of grace, the discipline of study and of silence, and a serene peace and trust in minds and hearts. This is on the human side. On the other hand, the Christian people must call down God’s aid from on high through their prayers and through their efforts to lead model lives that will be a forestate and a first evidence of the firm determination that each one of the faithful must make to apply and put into practice the teaching and directives that will be proclaimed at the end of the eagerly-awaited event — which is now well on its way to what promises to be a successful conclusion.

The altar of Saint Joseph

Venerable brethren and beloved children! That brilliant thought of Pope Pius XI on March 19, 1928 is still pursuing us.

Here in Rome, the sacrosanct Basilica of the Lateran always reflects the glory of the Baptist.

But the massive temple of St. Peter, where relics and reminders that are precious to all Christendom are venerated, also has an altar to St. Joseph; and today, March 19, 1961, We wish to express Our intention of seeing that altar of St. Joseph take on a new and fuller and more solemn splendor, and of having it become a point of attraction and of religious devotion for individual souls and for countless crowds.

For beneath these heavenly vaults of the Vatican temple, the ranks of those who make up the Apostolic College, drawn from every corner of the globe — even the most distant ones — will assemble around the Head of the Church for the Ecumenical Council.

Invocation to Saint Joseph

O St. Joseph! Here, here is where you belong as Protector Universalis Ecclesiae! Our intention was to use the words and the documents of Our immediate predecessors over the last century — from Pius IX to Pius XII — to offer you a garland of honor, which would crystallize the expressions of affection and veneration that are now rising everywhere — from Catholic nations and in mission regions.

Always be our protector. May thy inner spirit of peace, of silence, of good work, and of prayer for the cause of Holy Church always be an inspiration to us and bring us joy in union with thy blessed spouse, our most sweet and gentle and Immaculate Mother, and in the strong yet tender love of Jesus, the glorious and immortal King of all ages and peoples. Amen.

Given at Rome, at St. Peter’s, March 19, 1961, the third year of Our Pontificate.

Homily on the Feast of Saint Joseph, 27 March 1969 by Pope Paul VI

Dearest brethren, sons and daughters!

Today's feast invites us to meditate about Saint Joseph, Our Lord Jesus' legal and foster father. Because of that function which he performed in regard to Christ during his childhood and youth, he has been declared Patron or Protector of the Church, which continues Christ's image and mission in time and reflects them in history.

At first sight there seems to be no material for a meditation on Joseph, for what do we know of him, apart from his name and a few events that occurred in Our Lord's childhood? The Gospel does not record a single word from him; his language is silence. It was his attention to the angelic voices which spoke in his sleep; it was that prompt and generous obedience which was demanded from him; it was manual labour, in the most modest and fatiguing of forms, which earned Jesus the reputation of being "the son of the carpenter" (Mt. 13:55). There, is nothing else known of him, and it might well be said that he lived an unknown life, the life of a simple artisan, with no sign of personal greatness.

But that humble figure which was so near to Jesus and Mary, Christ's Virgin Mother, he who was so intimately connected with their life and so closely linked with the genealogy of the Messias as to be the fateful and conclusive representative of the descendants of David (Mt. 1, 20), is revealed as being full of significance if we look at him attentively. He is seen truly to possess those qualities which the Church attributes to him in her liturgy, which the devotion of the faithful also attributes to him, and which gave rise to a series of invocations that have taken the form of a litany.

A celebrated modern shrine of the saint, erected through the efforts of a simple lay brother, Brother André of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, at Montreal in Canada, illustrates those qualities in a series of chapels arranged behind the high altar. All the chapels are dedicated to Saint Joseph in honour of the many titles which have been offered to him, such as Protector of Childhood, Protector of Spouses, Protector of the Family, Protector of the Workers, Protector of Virgins, Protector of Fugitives, Protector of the Dying...

If we look carefully into this life that was apparently so unremarkable, we shall find that it was greater and more adventurous, more full of exciting events, than we are accustomed to assume in our hasty perusal of the Gospel story. The Gospel describes Saint Joseph as a Just Man (Mt. 1:19). No greater praise of virtue and no higher tribute to merit could be applied to a man of humble social condition who was apparently far from being equipped to perform great deeds. A poor, honest, hardworking, perhaps even timorous man, but one with unfathomable interior life, from which very singular directions and consolations came, bringing him also the logic and strength that belong to simple and clear souls, and giving him the power of making great decisions, such as that decision to put his liberty at once at the disposition of the divine designs, to make over to them also his legitimate human calling, his conjugal happiness, to accept the conditions, the responsibility and the burden of a family, but, through an incomparable virginal love, to renounce that natural conjugal love that is the foundation and the nourishment of the family; in this way he offered the whole of his existence in a total sacrifice to the imponderable demands raised by the astonishing coming of the Messias, to whom he was to give the everlastingly blessed name of Jesus (Mt. 1:21), whom he was to acknowledge as the effect of the Holy Spirit, and his own son only in a juridical and domestic way.

So Saint Joseph was a "committed" man, as we might say nowadays.

And what commitment! Total commitment to Mary, the elect of all the women of the earth and of history, always his virgin spouse, never his wife physically, and total commitment to Jesus, who was his offspring only by legal descendance, not by the flesh. He had the burdens, the responsibilities, the risks and the labours Surrounding the holy family. His was the service, the work, the sacrifice, in the shadows of that gospel picture in which we love to meditate on him; and we are certainly not mistaken, for we all know him now and call him Blessed.

This is Gospel in which the values of human existence take on a different dimension from that with which we are accustomed to appreciate them. What is little becomes big, and in this connection we do well to remember Jesus' fervent words in the eleventh chapter of Saint Matthew: "I give thee praise, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hidden these things (the things or the kingdom of the Messias!) from the wise and learned, but hast revealed them to little ones".

In the Gospel's account, what is lowly becomes worthy to be the social condition of the Son of God made son of man; that which is elementary and the product of fatiguing and rudimentary handwork served to train the maker and continuator of the cosmos in the skills of human hands (cf. Jn. 1:3; 5:17), and to give humble bread to him who was to describe Himself as "the Bread of Life" (Jn. 6:48); what was lost for love of Christ is here rediscovered (cf. Mt. 10:39), and whoever sacrifices his own life for Him in this world saves it for everlasting life (Jn. 12:25).

Saint Joseph was the type of the message of that Gospel that Jesus was to announce as the programme in the redemption of mankind, once he left the little workshop at Nazareth and began his mission as prophet and teacher. Saint Joseph is the model of those humble ones that Christianity raises to great destinies, and he is the proof that in order to be good and genuine followers of Christ there is no need of "great things"; it is enough to have the common, simple, human virtues, but they need to be true and authentic.

Our meditation now shifts from the humble Saint to our own personal circumstances, as is usual in the practice of mental prayer. We now turn to make a comparison and I contrast between him and ourselves; we have no reason to feel proud of the comparison, but we can derive some good suggestion from it for imitating him in some way which our own life condition allows, in our spirit and in concrete practice of those virtues which are so vigorously depicted in the Saint, and one especially, poverty, of which there is so much talk nowadays. And let us not be upset by the difficulties which poverty brings with it today, in this world which is all devoted to conquest of economic wealth, as if poverty were in contradiction with the line of progress which must be followed, a paradox, an unreality in a society of welfare and consumption.

Let us think again of Saint Joseph in his poverty and hard work, all his energy engaged in the effort of earning something to live on, and let us then remember that economic goods are indeed worthy of our Christian interest, on condition that they do not become ends in themselves, but are understood and used as means to keep going life which is directed towards other and higher goods, on condition that economic goods are not sought after with greedy egoism, but be rather a source and stimulus of provident charity, on condition again that they be not used as authorization for soft and easy indulgence in the so-called pleasures of life but rather be used for the broad and honest interests of the common good.

This Saint's laborious and dignified poverty, can still be in excellent guide for us to follow the path traced by Christ's footsteps in the modern world, and can also eloquently instruct us in positive and honest wellbeing, so that we may avoid losing Christ's path in the complicated and giddy world of economics, to avoid going too far on one side into tempting ambitions of conquest of temporal riches, and too far on the other side, into making use of poverty for ideological ends, as a power to rouse social hatred and systematic subversion.
So, Saint Joseph is an example for us, and let us try to imitate him; and we shall call upon him as our protector, as the Church has been wont to do in these recent times, for herself in the first place, for spontaneous theological reflection on the marriage of divine with human action in the great economy of the Redemption, in which economy the first, the divine one is wholly sufficient to itself, but the second, human action, which is ours, though capable of nothing (cf. Jn. 15:5), is never dispensed from humble but conditional and ennobling collaboration.

The Church also calls upon him as her Protector because of a profound and most present desire to reinvigorate her ancient life with true evangelical virtues, such as shine forth in Saint Joseph. Finally, the Church invokes him as her Patron and Protector through her unshakeable trust that he to whom Christ willed to confide the care and protection of His. own frail human childhood, will continue from heaven to perform his protective task in order to guide and defend the Mystical Body of Christ Himself, which is always weak, always under attack, always in a state of peril. Finally, we call upon Saint Joseph for the world, trusting that the heart of the humble working man of Nazareth, now overflowing with immeasurable wisdom and power, still harbours and will always harbour a singular and precious fellow-feeling for the whole of mankind. So may it be.

Excerpt from the Angelus Address of Pope Benedict XVI - March 19, 2006

The figure of this great Saint, even though remaining somewhat hidden, is of fundamental importance in the history of salvation. Above all, as part of the tribe of Judah, he united Jesus to the Davidic lineage so that, fulfilling the promises regarding the Messiah, the Son of the Virgin Mary may truly be called the "son of David".

The Gospel of Matthew highlights in a special way the Messianic prophecies which reached fulfilment through the role that Joseph played:  the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (2: 1-6); his journey through Egypt, where the Holy Family took refuge (2: 13-15); the nickname, the "Nazarene" (2: 22-23).

In all of this he showed himself, like his spouse Mary, an authentic heir of Abraham's faith:  faith in God who guides the events of history according to his mysterious salvific plan. His greatness, like Mary's, stands out even more because his mission was carried out in the humility and hiddenness of the house of Nazareth. Moreover, God himself, in the person of his Incarnate Son, chose this way and style of life - humility and hiddenness - in his earthly existence.

From the example of St Joseph we all receive a strong invitation to carry out with fidelity, simplicity and modesty the task that Providence has entrusted to us. I think especially of fathers and mothers of families, and I pray that they will always be able to appreciate the beauty of a simple and industrious life, cultivating the conjugal relationship with care and fulfilling with enthusiasm the great and difficult educational mission.

Excerpt from QUAMQUAM PLURIES - Encyclical of Pope Leo XIII on Devotion to St. Joseph

3. The special motives for which St. Joseph has been proclaimed Patron of the Church, and from which the Church looks for singular benefit from his patronage and protection, are that Joseph was the spouse of Mary and that he was reputed the Father of Jesus Christ. From these sources have sprung his dignity, his holiness, his glory. In truth, the dignity of the Mother of God is so lofty that naught created can rank above it. But as Joseph has been united to the Blessed Virgin by the ties of marriage, it may not be doubted that he approached nearer than any to the eminent dignity by which the Mother of God surpasses so nobly all created natures. For marriage is the most intimate of all unions which from its essence imparts a community of gifts between those that by it are joined together. Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life's companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honour, but also, by virtue of the conjugal tie, a participator in her sublime dignity. And Joseph shines among all mankind by the most august dignity, since by divine will, he was the guardian of the Son of God and reputed as His father among men. Hence it came about that the Word of God was humbly subject to Joseph, that He obeyed him, and that He rendered to him all those offices that children are bound to render to their parents. From this two-fold dignity flowed the obligation which nature lays upon the head of families, so that Joseph became the guardian, the administrator, and the legal defender of the divine house whose chief he was. And during the whole course of his life he fulfilled those charges and those duties. He set himself to protect with a mighty love and a daily solicitude his spouse and the Divine Infant; regularly by his work he earned what was necessary for the one and the other for nourishment and clothing; he guarded from death the Child threatened by a monarch's jealousy, and found for Him a refuge; in the miseries of the journey and in the bitternesses of exile he was ever the companion, the assistance, and the upholder of the Virgin and of Jesus. Now the divine house which Joseph ruled with the authority of a father, contained within its limits the scarce-born Church. From the same fact that the most holy Virgin is the mother of Jesus Christ is she the mother of all Christians whom she bore on Mount Calvary amid the supreme throes of the Redemption; Jesus Christ is, in a manner, the first-born of Christians, who by the adoption and Redemption are his brothers. And for such reasons the Blessed Patriarch looks upon the multitude of Christians who make up the Church as confided specially to his trust - this limitless family spread over the earth, over which, because he is the spouse of Mary and the Father of Jesus Christ he holds, as it were, a paternal authority. It is, then, natural and worthy that as the Blessed Joseph ministered to all the needs of the family at Nazareth and girt it about with his protection, he should now cover with the cloak of his heavenly patronage and defend the Church of Jesus Christ.

4. You well understand, Venerable Brethren, that these considerations are confirmed by the ,opinion held by a large number of the Fathers, to which the sacred liturgy gives its sanction, that the Joseph of ancient times, son of the patriarch Jacob, was the type of St. Joseph, and the former by his glory prefigured the greatness of the future guardian of the Holy Family. And in truth, beyond the fact that the same name - a point the significance of which has never been denied - was given to each, you well know the points of likeness that exist between them; namely, that the first Joseph won the favour and especial goodwill of his master, and that through Joseph's administration his household came to prosperity and wealth; that (still more important) he presided over the kingdom with great power, and, in a time when the harvests failed, he provided for all the needs of the Egyptians with so much wisdom that the King decreed to him the title "Saviour of the world." Thus it is that We may prefigure the new in the old patriarch. And as the first caused the prosperity of his master's domestic interests and at the same time rendered great services to the whole kingdom, so the second, destined to be the guardian of the Christian religion, should be regarded as the protector and defender of the Church, which is truly the house of the Lord and the kingdom of God on earth. These are the reasons why men of every rank and country should fly to the trust and guard of the blessed Joseph. Fathers of families find in Joseph the best personification of paternal solicitude and vigilance; spouses a perfect example of love, of peace, and of conjugal fidelity; virgins at the same time find in him the model and protector of virginal integrity. The noble of birth will earn of Joseph how to guard their dignity even in misfortune; the rich will understand, by his lessons, what are the goods most to be desired and won at the price of their labour. As to workmen, artisans, and persons of lesser degree, their recourse to Joseph is a special right, and his example is for their particular imitation. For Joseph, of royal blood, united by marriage to the greatest and holiest of women, reputed the father of the Son of God, passed his life in labour, and won by the toil of the artisan the needful support of his family. It is, then, true that the condition of the lowly has nothing shameful in it, and the work of the labourer is not only not dishonouring, but can, if virtue be joined to it, be singularly ennobled. Joseph, content with his slight possessions, bore the trials consequent on a fortune so slender, with greatness of soul, in imitation of his Son, who having put on the form of a slave, being the Lord of life, subjected himself of his own free-will to the spoliation and loss of everything.

Coelitum Joseph - Hymn Sung During Matins of the Solemnity of St. Joseph

Joseph, the praise and glory of the heavens,
Sure pledge of life, and safety of the wide world,
As in our joy we sing to thee, in kindness
List to our praises.


Thou by the world's Creator wert appointed
Spouse of the Virgin: thee he willed to honour
Naming thee father of the Word, and guardian
Of our salvation.


Thou thy Redeemer, lying in a stable,
Whom long ago foretold the choir of prophets,
Sawest rejoicing, and thy God adoredst
Humble in childhood.


God, King of kings, and Governor of the ages,
He at whose word the powers of hell do tremble,
He whom the adoring heavens ever worship
Called the protector.


Grant us, great Trinity, for Joseph's holy sake,
In highest bliss and love, above the stars to reign,
That we in joy with him may praise our loving God,
And sing our glad eternal strain.
Amen.

The Patriarch Type of the Saint

You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only as regards the throne will I be greater than you Gen 41:40

And she called his name Joseph, saying, "May the LORD add to me another son!" Gen 30:24

So what are we to make of St. Joseph? With such scant mention in Scripture how can we truly come to know the man and saint? While true there are only a few verses dedicated to Joseph, we will find that more has been revealed to us about him than may appear at first glance. The entirety of Holy Scripture is one. From the first verse of Genesis to the last “amen” of Revelation, the same mystery of redemption is revealed; at first veiled in a few prophetic words, on which hung the faith of the patriarchal Church; then illustrated by types and allegory both in persons and actions.

It is the allegorical sense with which the Fathers viewed the Old Testament. And it has been found often that the easiest way to convey a truth is to veil it under the form of an allegory or type. Thus, St. Paul tells us that the whole course of sacred history has the double sense of allegory and example.

The early Church viewed the Old Testament Patriarchs as foreshadowing the Savior – each resembled more or less the Son of God in His humanity, and each was endowed with graces and offices which foreshadowed the Messiah. The Church has also seen them as types of the great saints who followed Christ in so far as they resemble Him.

In such manner, the patriarch Joseph has a special likeness to that of Our Lord, and has many points of resemblance to that of St. Joseph. Indeed, the Church has long presented the life of the patriarch Joseph as an illustration of St. Joseph the husband of Mary.

Being our good teacher, the Church has long appointed the Homilies of St. Bernard on the patriarch Joseph to be read on the festival of the saint. Thus, Holy Mother Church places before us, her children, the patriarch as the type and likeness of the saint. Such a homily is presented below.

Homily by St. Bernard of Clairvaux
Hom. 2 super Missus est

Joseph's character and qualities can be deduced from the fact that God honored him with the title of father, and, although his doing so was a mere matter of convenience, this was what he was known as and believed to be. Joseph's own name, which as you know means "increase," supplies further indications. Call to mind the great patriarch of old who was sold into Egypt, and you will realize that it was not only his name that our saint received but also his chastity, innocence, and grace.

His brothers' envy had caused the earlier Joseph to be sold and taken to Egypt, thus symbolizing the selling of Christ: the later Joseph carried Christ into Egypt, fleeing before Herod's envy. The former Joseph kept faith with his master and would not become involved with his master's wife, while his namesake faithfully protected his own spouse, the mother of his Lord, acknowledging her virginity and remaining continent himself. The first Joseph had the gift of interpreting dreams: the second was given a revelation of the divine plan and a share in its accomplishment. Joseph the patriarch stored up grain, not for himself but for all the people: our Joseph was given custody of the living bread from heaven to keep safe both for himself and the whole world.

There is no doubt that the Joseph to whom the Savior's mother was engaged was a good and faithful man. He was, I say, the wise and faithful steward whom the Lord appointed to support his mother and care for himself in childhood, singling him out for his complete reliability to help him with his momentous plan.

Added to all this, scripture tells us that he was of David's house. Joseph was obviously of David's house, a true descendant of the royal line, a man of noble birth and still nobler disposition. That he was David's son was seen from the fact that he in no way failed to maintain his standard: he was a true son of David not only as regards physical descent, but also in his faith, holiness, and devotion. In him the Lord found, as it were, a second David, a man after his own heart, to whom he could safely confide his most holy and secret design. To him as to another David he revealed the unfathomable, hidden depths of his wisdom, and granted him knowledge of that mystery which was known to none of the princes of this world. In a word, that which many kings and prophets had longed to see and had not seen, to hear and had not heard -that was granted to Joseph. He was allowed not only to see and hear him, but also to carry him, guide his steps, embrace and kiss him, cherish and protect him.

It is not only Joseph, however, but Mary as well whom we believe to be a descendant of David, for she would not have been engaged to a man of David's line unless she herself had been of that line. Both of them, then, belonged to David's family, but it was in Mary that the oath which the Lord had sworn to David was fulfilled, while Joseph was privy to the promise and witnessed its fulfillment.

Life of Joseph in Few Verses of Scripture: Understanding Scripture Through the Study of the Quadriga

Only a few lines in Scripture contain all that is said about St. Joseph – a few lines in the first two chapters of the Gospel of St. Matthew and likewise the first two chapters of St. Luke. This is all we are told of the hidden life and death of the man who was husband to Mary and foster father to Our Lord. But from these few words we can gather the whole history and life of St. Joseph for the words of Scripture are divinely inspired and are full and perfect. In, by, and through the Grace of God, especially as it flows through the Magisterium of His Church, we can increase our understanding of them.

The Words of Scripture contain a depth of meaning that fills every faculty of our souls. The human soul has three powers; the will, the memory, and the understanding (or intellect). The Fathers of the Church taught that likewise there are four “senses” in Scripture; the historical or literal sense, the allegorical or typical sense, the tropological or moral sense, and the analogical or final sense.

The literal sense refers to the meaning expressed immediately and directly by the words of the sacred author. Proper literal sense refers to the obvious and natural meaning of the words. Improper literal sense refers to a derived or figurative use of words. “Abraham begot Isaac” expresses a proper use of the word “begot”. St. Paul uses a derived sense of “begot” when he speaks of “in Christ Jesus by the gospel I have begotten you”. To understand the literal sense of a verse, we only need to know the meaning of the individual words and their grammatical use in the sentence, allowing for an intended “improper” use of various words such as a figure of speech or metaphor.

In approaching any passage or verse in Scripture, we must first determine what the text really says before we can understand what it means. The basic facts that underlie any of the other senses of Scripture are all presented in the literal sense of the Scripture and in the Sacred Tradition and Magisterium of the Church.

In the allegorical sense, a passage or verse in Scripture serves to signify something else. St. Thomas Aquinas described the allegorical sense as: “so far as the things of the Old Law signify the things of the New Law.” Thus, the Flood can be considered a foreshadowing or type of Christian Baptism. St. Augustine described the creation of Eve out of the sleeping Adam’s side as an allegory for Christ and the Church speaking of John 19 as such: “The Evangelist has expressed himself cautiously; not struck, or wounded, but opened His side… To shadow forth this, the woman was made out of the side of the sleeping man; for this second Adam bowed His head and slept on the cross, that out of that which came therefrom, there might be formed a wife for Him.” Augustine also sees the water and blood coming forth from Christ’s side as a type of the waters of Baptism and the Consecrated Wine of the Eucharist because these two sacraments form the Mystical Body of Christ. Thus, New Testament Scriptures may also have an allegorical sense.

The moral or tropological sense turns the meaning of the Scripture back on us, the readers, so that it may be applied to our own lives. St. Thomas Aquinas says, “so far as the things done in Christ, or so far as the things which signify Christ, are types of what we ought to do, there is the moral sense.” Thus the parables have edifying moral lessons which we ought to apply to ourselves.

Finally, we come to the anagogical sense, which interprets the things related in Scripture “as they signify what relates to eternal glory.” This meaning is not restricted to the state of glory in Heaven, but also pertains to the contemplative participation in the heavenly realities here and now. An obvious example is when Jesus would tell parables involving a wedding feast. Here, the happiness of heaven is symbolized by the feast, which also typifies the eternal marriage of Christ with his bride, the Church.

This classical fourfold interpretation of Scripture has been used in the Church since the time of the Fathers. Studying Scripture in this manner keeps the texts alive and helps us glean dogmatic, moral, ascetical, and mystical theology directly from the inspired Word securely within the heart of the Church.