Homily

Friendship with St. Joseph as an Adequate Preparation During Advent

Sunday, December 23, 2007, 4th Sunday of Advent, Cycle A
Assumption Grotto Parish, Detroit

            (Note: My commentary on the Pope’s Encyclical will continue at a later date.)          

            So often in our lives, we need the solicitude of a helper, we need the protection of a father, we need the patronage of one who is great, we need the defense of someone who is strong. Following the narration of Joseph in today’s Gospel, I propose to you St. Joseph as the one to fit this tall order. What a loving protector, what an affectionate father, what a bastion of spiritual greatness and strength is he whom the Holy Trinity chose to be the earthly father of Jesus the Messiah.

            In recent memory, two Popes have written about St. Joseph, namely, Pope Leo XIII and Pope John Paul II. When Pope Leo XIII was in the 11th year of his pontificate, he wrote Quamquam Pluries, in which he encourages great devotion to St. Joseph, and exhorts the faithful to attend Mass – explicitly refraining from making it, however, a holy day of obligation, which it is not – on March 19, St. Joseph’s feast day.

Then Pope John Paul II, by some divine plan also in the eleventh year of his pontificate, and 100 years after Pope Leo’s encyclical, wrote an encyclical which is a deep reflection, philosophical and theological, about St. Joseph, called Redemptoris Custos. These encyclicals deserve much study, especially here, in this parish named after Our Lady, Assumption Grotto, who loved Mary so deeply, and was so profoundly loved by her, yet always in this celibate and virginal marriage.

As I wish to encourage all of us here today to increase our devotion to St. Joseph, I will quote something from St. Leo’s encyclical. The following quote shall fill those of you who are married with great hope for holiness in your marriages; it will help husbands be better husbands; it will show which way to go for our society to overcome its crisis in manhood; and it will show us to admire St. Joseph for his role in the Church and in salvation history.

The Pope says:

“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 honor, 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.”

            So the Pope on St. Joseph. Who is this man whom God chose for such an exalted mission? Who is this chaste lily, to whom the Eternal Father entrusted his daughter, the Virgin Mary, the most beautiful work of all his creation? Who is this mighty, wise and silent man who bore the name “guardian of the Redeemer”? He is Joseph, of the house of David. But know this: Joseph is still alive, in soul, in heaven, and his mission is not over. As he loved Jesus the Lord then, so now he loves the mystical Body of Christ now. And so St. Leo continues:

            “[St. Joseph] 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.”

            The logical conclusion we can draw from this is that St. Joseph continues to minister to the needs of all the Church, to you and me. And therefore I encourage you: go to St. Joseph. Entrust your marriages to him, and your families. And know that St. Joseph carries the title, “Terror of Demons.” So if you have any habit of sin which you desire to conquer: go to St. Joseph. Go to him! If you are far from God, he will help you get close to him. If you need protection, he will give it to you and lovingly. If you are spiritually small, he will help you grow to great heights of holiness. If you are weak, by God’s grace he will help you become strong in all the virtues.

            So, you may wonder, how can I go to St. Joseph? This is an important question today, especially in a world where manhood and fatherhood is in such a profoud crisis, and where so many don’t know how to relate well to even their own fathers, let alone a spiritual father. But in spite of this, I propose that you approach him as the spiritual father of your souls. Talk to him like a dad, like a good friend, ask him for advice, obey him when he obtains holy inspirations for you by his intercession, call out to him for help in the hour of temptation, open your heart to him in your many sufferings. And in this way you will know him, and love him, and imitate him as he imitated God. When this imitation of St. Joseph is achieved, in such a spontaneous way, you will know exactly how to go to St. Joseph, and he will lead you to the Holy Trinity, one God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit forever. Amen.