18th December, Friday
I. Jer 23: 5-8
II. Mt 1: 18-25
Theme: Joseph the Just Man
Today’s Gospel gives us the opportunity to focus on St Joseph, one of the main figures in the stories of the Birth of Our Lord. The Infancy Narratives in the Gospel of Luke present Joseph as the foster father of the Lord, but the main focus outside of Jesus is placed on Mary. It’s the Gospel of Matthew, today’s gospel to be exact, that focuses on Joseph.
But the Gospel also makes it clear that Joseph was not the natural father of the Lord. Mary was a Virgin. The child was conceived through the Holy Spirit. So, why is Jesus seen as part of the line of David through Joseph? This is because Joseph names the child. For the ancients this meant he had made the child his own. We can even say that he adopted the child. Now we view adoption as a legal procedure. The ancients viewed adoption as both a legal act and a spiritual act. When a man adopts a child, all that he is, his background, his ancestry, all of this poured out upon the child. When Joseph named the child, which means he adopted child Jesus. King David, King Solomon, and all that was part of Joseph’s ancestry became part of Jesus’ ancestry. The prophets predicted that the Messiah would come through the line of David. This takes place through Joseph.
St Joseph enjoys many titles like, he is the guardian of the Holy Family and the protector of the universal Church. The patron of the workers and most of all is a just man. Today’s Gospel is the proof that he was a just and righteous man. Being a just and righteous person, he does not doubt the message of the Angel, but obeyed God and placed himself at the service of Mary and Jesus. He clearly understood the mission what God has entrusted to him and he remained faithful to it. So, like Joseph we too are given with same Divine Mission according to our own abilities, therefore when we are faithful to it, we can be also Just and Righteous before God.
Bro. Santhosh
III BTH