Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 1,16.18-21.24a
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.
Saint Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church
1) Prudent. St Joseph is the father of prudence. When you are faced with hard situations, you should not act out of passion, instead, you must hold your head and heart high and follow God’s decision, not yours. We must learn from St. Joseph, the capacity to act at the right moment, not being controlled by the situation or the circumstances. There are times you will not know where to go and must ask St. Joseph for prudence.
2) Humble. St. Joseph is the saint of saints. Humility is his main characteristic and trait. His testimony in the Bible is crucial, even though he does not appear often, but when he does you notice him. This is how we should live, not showing off to the world what we do or say, but acting in silence and giving light to others.
3) Hardworking. His work was to take care of this family. Work dignifies, like St. Joseph showed us; he worked for his family not for extravagance. In this world, we generate our own needs. St. Joseph is a great example of what one must do in life, lead a simple life, work to provide for your family. We should not work to get the latest iPhone or iPad or the latest car. The goal of work is to earn a wage to live well and support your family, not to have the latest items just for showing off. Today, let’s ask St. Joseph to help us value what we have. And let’s pray for Pope Francis as well, since he formally began his ministry as the pope, on St Joseph’s day.
God bless you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. And remember, Heaven is our goal.
