MARCH 19 – ST. JOSEPH, SPOUSE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN AND PATRON OF THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH.
- St. Joseph, Patron of Universal Church. Spouse of the Blessed Mother, and foster father of Jesus, Solemnity (no fast or abstinence). (Current, Traditional)
ST. JOSEPH was by birth of the royal family of David, but was living in humble obscurity as a carpenter, when God raised him to the highest sanctity, and fitted him to be the spouse of His Virgin Mother, and foster-father and guardian of the Incarnate Word. Joseph, says the Holy Scripture, was a just man; he was innocent and pure, as became the husband of Mary; he was gentle and tender, as one worthy to be named the father of Jesus; he was prudent and a lover of silence, as became the master of the holy house; above all, he was faithful and obedient to Divine calls. His conversation was with angels rather than with men. When he learnt that Mary bore within her womb the Lord of Heaven, he feared to take her as his wife; but an angel bade him fear not, and all doubts vanished. When Herod sought the life of the Divine Infant, an angel told Joseph in a dream to fly with the Child and His Mother into Egypt. Joseph at once arose and obeyed. This sudden and unexpected flight must have exposed Joseph to many inconveniences and sufferings in so long a journey with a little babe and a tender virgin, the greater part of the way being through deserts, and among strangers; yet he alleges no excuses, nor inquires at what time they were to return. St. Chrysostom observes that God treats thus all his servants, sending them frequent trials to clear their hearts from the rust of self. love, but intermixing seasons of consolation. “Joseph,” says he, “is anxious on seeing the Virgin with child; an angel removes that fear; he rejoices at the Child’s birth, but a great fear succeeds; the furious king seeks to destroy the Child, and the whole city is in an uproar to take away His life. This is followed by another joy, the adoration of the Magi; a new sorrow then arises; he is ordered to fly into a foreign unknown country, without help or acquaintance.”It is the opinion of the fathers that upon their entering Egypt, at the presence of the child Jesus, all the oracles of that superstitious country were struck dumb, and the statues of their gods trembled, and in many places fell to the ground.” The fathers also attribute to this holy visit the spiritual benediction poured on that country, which made it for many ages most fruitful in Saints. After the death of King Herod, of which St. Joseph was informed in another vision, God ordered him to return with the Child and His Mother into the land of Israel, which our Saint readily obeyed. But when he arrived in Judea, hearing that Archelaus succeeded Herod in that part of the country, apprehensive he might be infected with his father’s vices, he feared on that account to settle there, as he would otherwise probably have done for the education of the Child. And therefore, being directed by God in another vision, he retired into the dominions of Herod Antipas, in Galilee, to his former habitation in Nazareth. St. Joseph being a strict ob. server of the Mosaic law, in conformity to its direction annually repaired to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Our Saviour, now in the twelfth year of his age, accompanied his parents thither: having performed the usual ceremonies of the feast, they were returning with many of their neighbors and acquaintance towards Galilee; and never doubting but that Jesus was with some of the company, they travelled on for a whole day’s journey before they discovered that He was not with them. But when night came on, and they could hear no tidings of Him among their kindred and acquaintance, they, in the deepest affliction, returned with the utmost speed to Jerusalem. After an anxious search of three days they found Him in the temple, discoursing with the learned doctors of the law, and asking them such questions as raised the admiration of all that heard Him, and made them astonished at the ripeness of His understanding; nor were His parents less surprised on this occasion. When His mother told Him with what grief and earnestness they had sought Him, and asked, “Son, why hast thou. thus dealt with us? Behold, thy father and I sought thee in great affliction of mind;” she received for answer, “How is it that you sought me? did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business ?” But though thus staying in the temple unknown to His parents, in all other things He was obedient to them, returning with them to Nazareth, and there living in all dutiful subjection to them. As no further mention is made of St. Joseph, he must have died before the marriage of Cana and the beginning of our Divine Saviour’s ministry. We cannot doubt that he had the happiness of Jesus and Mary attending at his death, praying by him, assisting and comforting him in his last moments. Whence he is particularly invoked for the great grace of a happy death, and the spiritual presence of Jesus in that hour.
REFLECTION: St. Joseph, the shadow of the Eternal Father upon earth, the protector of Jesus in his home at Nazareth, and a lover of all children for the sake of the Holy Child, should be the chosen guardian and pattern of every true Christian family.
WORD OF THE DAY
POLYGENISM. The theory that, since evolution is an established fact, all human beings now on earth do not descend from one human pair (Adam and Eve), but from different original human ancestors. This theory is contrary to the official teaching of the Church, e.g., Pope Pius XII, who declared: “It is unintelligible how such an opinion can be squared with what the sources of revealed truth and the documents of the Magisterium of the Church teach on original sin, which proceeds from sin actually committed by an individual Adam, and which, passed on to all by way of generation, is in everyone as his own” (Humani Generis, 1950, para. 38). (Etym. Latin poly, many + gen, race + ism.)
Modern Catholic Dictionary, Fr. John Hardon SJ (Get the real one at Eternal Life — don’t accept an abridged or edited version of this masterpiece!)
This image is a picture of St. Joseph holding baby Jesus with an image of the Sacred Heart in the background.
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Re: Polygenism
Y-chromosomal Adam is estimated to have lived between 120,000 to 156,000 years ago, while Mitochondrial Eve is estimated to have lived between 99,000 and 148,000 years ago. (Note the overlapping estimates)
Every person currently alive can be traced back to one female and one male. This is what science says and another example of how good science has never contradicted the Bible.
As a scientist, I’ve often wondered about the assumptions of the dating methods used to create these estimates. Carbon dating, for instance, assumes that carbon decay has been constant – but it’s more likely that it has not and thus, the dates would not be as long as they try to tell us.
Same with this – 120,000 years sounds too long. I just don’t think it’s been that long given other processes we can observe.
But yes, I do believe we all came from Adam and Eve. Mitochondria in everyone point back to a single mother to all.