Saints + Scripture: Solemnity of Saint Joseph

The Popish Plot
vLent 2019: "Saint Joseph"

'Tis the Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary (floruit first century B.C.-first century A.D., prior to 33; of Nazareth): Guardian-link ūnus, Guardian-link duo, & Wikipedia-link; Wikipedia-link Saint Joseph's Day.

Commentary: Wayback Machine. Quoth the Holy Redeemer bulletin:

Legal father of Jesus Christ. Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Prince & patron of the Universal Church.

Quoth Minute Meditations from the Popes:

Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mother of God, teach me increasingly all the Divine truth & all the human dignity contained in the vocation of spouses & parents.

Wikipedia-link Josephology & Wikipedia-link Redemptoris custos.

Scripture of This Day
Mass Readings—Solemnity of St. Joseph
The Second Book of Samuel, chapter seven, verses four, five(a), twelve, thirteen, fourteen(a), & sixteen;
Psalm Eighty-nine, verses two & three, four & five, & twenty-seven & twenty-nine;
The Letter to the Romans, chapter four, verses thirteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, & twenty-two;
The Gospel according to Matthew, chapter one, verses sixteen, eighteen thru twenty-one, & twenty-four(a);
or, the Gospel according to Luke, chapter two, verses forty-one thru fifty-one(a).

Commentary: Reflection by Bishop Robert Barron (Word on Fire):

Friends, today’s Gospel centers on the intriguing figure of Joseph. Joseph is one of the most beloved of the saints, featured in countless works of art and prominent in the devotional lives of many.

We know almost nothing about him, yet some very powerful spiritual themes emerge in the accounts of Joseph. He had become betrothed to Mary, and this union had been blessed by God. And then he finds that his betrothed is pregnant.

This must have been an emotional maelstrom for him. And, at a deeper level, it is a spiritual crisis. What does God want him to do? Then the angel appears to him in a dream and tells him, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home." He realizes at that moment that these puzzling events are part of a much greater plan of God’s. What appears to be a disaster from his perspective is meaningful from God’s perspective.

Joseph was willing to cooperate with the divine plan, though he in no way knew its contours or deepest purpose. Like Mary at the Annunciation, he trusted and let himself be led.

Reflect: In what situation, right now, are you having difficulty trusting and letting yourself be led?

Video reflection by Father Greg Friedman, O.F.M.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Scripture Study—Exodus 90: Day 58
The Book of Exodus, chapter twenty-five, verses ten thru twenty-two.

Commentary: The Ark of the Covenant (Exodus, 25:10-22).

Papal Quote o' This Day

"Joseph obeyed. Filled with joy, he offered up the tremendous human sacrifice that was asked of him. He would be the father of the one born not of flesh, but from love. He was publicly the husband, but really only the guardian, the witness & defender of the immaculate virginity & the Divine Maternity of Mary."
—Pope St. John XXIII (1881-1963, feast day: 11 October)

Little Flower Quote o' This Day

"St. Joseph, how I love him! What does me a lot of good when I think of the Holy Family is to imagine a life that was very ordinary, just like our own."
—St. Thérèse of Lisieux, Doctor of the Church (1873-1897, feast day: 1 October)

Saint Quote o' This Day

"He was chosen by the eternal Father as the trustworthy guardian & protector of His greatest treasures, namely, His divine Son & Mary, Joseph’s wife. He carried out this vocation with complete fidelity until at last God called him, saying ‘Good & faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Lord.'"
—St. Bernardine of Siena (1380-1444, feast day: 20 May)