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"Be Fathers who Communicate Love and Esteem to Children": Bishop Paolo on the Solemnity of St.Joseph
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March 21, 2023Abu Dhabi.
The Solemnity of St. Joseph was celebrated at St. Joseph's Cathedral Abu Dhabi on Monday, 20 March 2023. The solemn mass on the patronal feast of the parish which is dedicated to St. Joseph was celebrated by Bishop Paolo Martinelli.
In his homily delivered during the Mass, the Bishop reminded us of the importance of St. Joseph, the guardian of the redeemer and the patron of the Church, in our daily life. He invited all fathers and mothers to love their children from the heart and encourage them on their journey especially the journey of faith.
"We must look to him and let ourselves be inspired by his simple faith", he insists us.
Below is the full of the homily.
Today our church is in great feast because we celebrate the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the Spouse of the Virgin Mary. Our Cathedral is dedicated to him, and we revere him with much love. Our parish bears his name. For this reason, St. Joseph profoundly marks the life of God's people who frequent our Church in large numbers to pray and participate in the Eucharist. Let us ask ourselves tonight why St. Joseph was and is such an important saint for the Church.
The word of God this evening helps us to understand his greatness. At the center, we find the Gospel passage in which Joseph, Mary's betrothed, faces great surprise: Mary finds herself waiting for Jesus even before they moved in together.
From the words of the Gospel, we understand that Joseph was completely surprised by this fact. He then decides to leave Mary in secret. Joseph wants to step aside. He does not understand his place in the life of Mary, a woman he loved very much.
But just as he was thinking about it, an angel appears to him in a dream and reveals to him that everything that is happening in Mary is the work of the Holy Spirit. Joseph himself will have to act as a father to Jesus. He will recognize him as his son and give him the name Jesus. In this way, the prophecy we heard about in the first reading is fulfilled: Jesus is born as a descendant of King David and thus fulfills the ancient promise.
Joseph wakes up and obeys the words of the angel. From that moment on, Joseph was always with Mary and Jesus. He always is by their side. In this way, Joseph manifests himself as a man of great faith and humble service. Joseph welcomes God's surprises. Pope Francis says:
“Often in life, things happen whose meaning we do not understand. Our first reaction is frequently one of disappointment and rebellion. Joseph set aside his ideas to accept the course of events and, mysterious as they seemed, to embrace them, take responsibility for them, and make them part of his history. Unless we are reconciled with our history, we will be unable to take a single step forward, for we will always remain hostage to our expectations and the disappointments that follow.”
Saint John Paul II reminded us so well that Saint Joseph was the guardian of the Redeemer with the tender heart of a father. But what did he guard?
By taking care of Jesus, he protected the relationship between Mary and the Son of God. If we reflect deeply, to take care of Jesus, Saint Joseph had to take care of Mary, his wife. When he became aware of the great things that were happening in her, he let himself be invested in an extraordinary and very humble mission: to guard the mysterious motherhood of the Virgin.
Joseph protected Mary in from the people; he found a place in a cave in Bethlehem for her to give birth to Jesus; he witnessed the birth and was deeply moved; he defended that fragile relationship between the child and his mother from any possible threat.
He rescued them from Herod's envious fury by fleeing with them to Egypt; he brought them safely back to Nazareth at the right time. He worked as a carpenter to support his family. Jesus will be identified, as in the Gospels, as "the son of Joseph", a humble carpenter: a silent and discreet man, the just man, animated by great faith, capable of deep affection for Jesus and chaste love for his wife, Mary.
In this way, we discover the importance of St. Joseph for us today: As he defended and cherished the relationship between Mary and Jesus in the face of threats, he intercedes today for the Church as its patron so that nothing separates us from Christ. He protects the Church from dangers and guards our relationship with the Redeemer.
Finally, as guardian of the redeemer and patron of the Church, Saint Joseph reminds us of what it means to be a father. In fact, today is also Father's Day.
We don't need masters who dominate other people. We need fathers who communicate love and esteem to their children.
I invite all fathers to love their wives with a chaste and profound love like that of St. Joseph. And you fathers and mothers love your children from the heart and encourage them on their journey especially the journey of faith. Be for them a sign of God's love.
Dear sisters and brothers, all parishioners of St. Joseph must look to him and let ourselves be inspired by his simple faith. Saint Joseph protects our Church and helps us be God's sons and daughters.
As he was able to show child Jesus the loving fatherhood of God, he helps us be joyful sons and daughters of God, in the certainty of being loved with an irrevocable love. Saint Joseph helps to make the supreme feeling of life grow in us: to exist means to be wanted and loved always in any circumstance of life.
Dear brothers and dear sisters, let us never forget this: we are loved by God forever. And may St. Joseph help us be a sign of this infinite love for others.