Solemnity of St. Joseph: Meditation on the Entrance Antiphon

"Behold a faithful and prudent steward, whom the Lord set over his household." - Entrance Antiphon for the Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Virgin Mary

Today all Lenten penances are forgotten (except the suspension of the Alleluia), and Holy Mother Church rejoices in that glorious and faithful man, who is spoken of and praised in the Scriptures, even though he himself never speaks. We, the Faithful of the Church, praise the Patron and Guardian of the Universal Church, St. Joseph, the Husband of Blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, and the Foster-Father of Christ!

However, even in the midst of all the joy the memory of this saint brings to our hearts, the Church would still have us remember the season we are in, the season of Lent. While we cannot speak for the life of St. Joseph outside of the Scriptures, the little glimpses we get within the Scriptures show us a life of sorrows for this great saint, yet they are filled with some of the greatest consolations received in history.

St. Joseph, who feared himself unworthy to be the spouse of our most pure Lady when she had conceived of God, was granted the privilege of being the very Foster-Father of God the Son. St. Joseph, who was not able to give his wife a suitable location for the birth of her Child, was able to be present at the very birth of Divine Majesty. St. Joseph, who had to flee into Egypt by night leaving his entire trade and live in exile to escape the wrath of Herod, was the one who guarded and sustained the Giver of all Life. St. Joseph, who was forced to pay the ransom of a poor man for the presentation of our Lord, was richer than all men in that his home was always sanctified by our Lord and Lady’s presence. And St. Joseph, who worked by the sweat of his brow to pay the penalty of Adam, although those he sweated for were free of this penalty, was able to die the sweetest death, in the arms of his greatest loves, Jesus and Mary.

How can our hearts not be moved at the virtue of this holy man?! How can we not desire to imitate him, not account of the rewards he received, but because of the love with which he served his foster-son and wife?

It was because of his holiness that he was set over the household of the Lord, and we may truly say he was set over the household of the Lord since the Gospel tells us Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph (Luke 2:51). When Joseph is first spoken of in the Gospel of St. Matthew, he is said to be, "a just man and unwilling to put her [Mary] to shame (Matthew 1:19)." We may make note here, that charity and holiness are always to be found together, for a person who is not filled with charity is not in union with God, as St. John tells us in 1 John 4:8. Likewise, he who is not in union with God cannot be filled with the theological virtue of charity, since it depends on holiness and sanctifying grace. Joseph’s love for Mary is evident here. While he fears God and does not think himself worthy for the exalted task, he is unwilling to let his wife be harmed in any way.

May we not also say that we see herein his prudence? For he carefully thinks how to preserve Mary’s integrity, yet at the message of the angel, he abandons all his plans to be obedient. Great prudence is exercised in this, for Joseph practices discernment in trying to figure out the best course of action for a just man to take. He deems himself unworthy of the task, and in humility he is correct, for there is no one who would be worthy to minister before God as Joseph would be called to. Although he may not have fully understood that Mary’s child was God, he would have known Mary’s integrity and purity and thus have known that the child must be from God, bearing a special and unique nature. And humility, when united with prudence will not attempt a task for honor, nor will it undertake a task it knows it cannot fulfill, unless the aid of God be assured.

We of course know that the aid of God was assured in this, for the angel told Joseph that God would be with him and to not be afraid (Matthew 1:20-21). This brings us to the other virtue of St. Joseph extolled in the Entrance Antiphon – his faithfulness. Joseph was faithful in all things to the will of the Lord, he was a descendent of the line of David the King in all things, not just blood. The Office of Readings today uses the first reading from the Book of Hebrews where the author recounts the faithfulness of some of the Patriarchs, especially Abraham. Abraham believed the Lord could work miracles through him, and in this sense Joseph is like him. The difference is that all of the Old Testament figures did not experience on earth what they longed for. Joseph, however, did experience what he longed for, he held the very Son of God in his arms! He saw Him born, He made sure Jesus was obedient to the Law of Moses in His Circumcision and His Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2).

But even though Joseph saw these things, his ordinary eyes saw but the normal circumcision and presentation of a male child. For this reason we may say his faith was even greater than that of the Patriarchs and Prophets, for they believed on account of signs and wonders! Joseph, however, saw with the eyes of faith past the physical order. He did not see the later miracles of Jesus, but only the Divine Humility, yet he believed. For this reason, we may call him our new father in faith, for just as Abraham was the father in faith of the Israelites, so Joseph is the Father in Faith of the Church, Who sees not wonders with the physical senses, but sees even greater wonders with the eyes of Faith!
And it is on account of Joseph’s great prudence and faith that the Lord was pleased to choose a kingly honor on him which surpassed that of his ancestor David. David commanded the entire Kingdom of Israel, and they were obedient to him; those who were not were subjected to him. Joseph, however, was given command of God’s Only-Begotten Son. Joseph’s request was the command of our Divine Lord!

These virtues of faith and prudence, then, are the admirable marks of Christian leadership, civil and ecclesiastical, male or female, domestic or public. These are the stewards whom God places in authority. As our Lady sings in the Magnificat, “He [the Lord] has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted those of low degree (Luke 1:52),” and our Lord says in the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5).” Anyone to whom the Lord has given the role of governing must have a prudent mind and faithful heart. They must draw their strength from the Lord and must give careful consideration to their actions. The ultimate test of their prudence and faithfulness, however, will be, as it was for St. Joseph their charity and humility.

It is for his admirable and astounding exercise of these virtues that Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph to be the Patron of the Universal Church, and it is providential that His Holiness, Pope Francis, was inaugurated to the Office of the Supreme Pontiff on this solemnity. The episcopal office is the greatest office where St. Joseph’s virtues need to be imitated, for the bishops are given governance over unseen mysteries. They must be faithful to the Lord in all their affairs; they must be prudent in their conduct, for they are examples to all. Lastly, the test for every bishop will of course be their charity towards all the members of the Church, especially the poor, and their humility, for they, like our Lord, have been appointed to serve (Mark 10:45), as the Pope styles himself the Servant of the servants of God.  

On this feast of St. Joseph, let us then pray for the entire Church, especially her leaders, and most especially the Pope himself, Francis. May they always exercise great faithfulness and prudence, with perfect charity and humility. Then, at long last, when they have completed their course of stewardship to the household they have been appointed to, may they die a happy death as St. Joseph did, in the arms of Jesus and Mary!