HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. (1)

HOMILY FOR THE FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH, HUSBAND OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY.

THEME: Her husband Joseph; being a man of honour and wanting to spare her publicity, decided to divorce her informally.

BY: Fr. Diotacious Chikontwe SMA.

*READINGS OF THE DAY*
2 Samuel 7:4-5,12-14,16
Romans 4:13,16-18,22
Matthew 1:16,18-21,24

*LITURGICAL COLOUR*
WHITE

*INTRODUCTION*
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the Solemnity of St. Joseph, the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was also the Foster-father of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, Our Lord. That is why St. Joseph was accorded with such a great honour by the Church, as one of the important member of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and as the one who had taken care of the Lord in His early age, and was a great father figure to Him.

*ABOUT OUR FIRST READING*
In our first reading today, we heard, when God spoke to the prophet Nathan the words that he was to deliver to King David of Israel, detailing what God had intended for him and his family. King David was one of the most righteous and greatest among the kings of Israel, and he was full of love for the Lord and was also a great shepherd, guide and leader for the people entrusted to his care by God, just the way how he cared for his sheep when he was still a shepherd in his youth.

*FROM THE SECOND READING*
In our second reading today, we heard of the Lord’s promises made to Abraham and his descendants, of the Covenant that He has established with all of them. The Lord called Abraham from the land of his ancestors and for his faithfulness, righteousness and commitment to Him, He established a Covenant with him and his descendants, promising that he would become the father of many nations, and everything that God had promised did come true in the end.

*FROM THE GOSPEL READING*
We heard in todays Gospel reading how Joseph took care of the Holy Family, of Jesus and Mary, when danger was about to come. Back then, King Herod wanted to kill the Child Jesus, having seen Him as a rival and danger to his own hold on the throne of Judea. He ordered the slaughter of all the innocent children in Bethlehem aged two and below, in order to eradicate this potential threat to him and his rule. Joseph warned by God to bring the Child Jesus and His mother to Egypt, in order to hide there for a while until those who sought His death had passed on. Joseph obeyed this dutifully and carried on his role as the Protector and the father figure of his Family.

*CONCLUSION*
Joseph teaches us the importance of doing what we have to do as well as possible, even if what we are doing seems of little significance in the greater scheme of things. We are all interdependent. If we do what we have to do as well as we can, we make it easier for everyone else to do what they are called to do. Everything we do has greater significance that we realize. We all have vital roles to play within God’s greater purpose. We are all called to do God’s work, at every stage of our lives, each of us in our own particular way.St Joseph pray for Us and intercede for our families.

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