Scripture: II Samuel 7:4-5.12-14.16. Psalm 89:2-5,27.29. Romans
4:13.16-18.22. Matthew 16:18-21.24/Luke 2:41-51. Lectionary # 543

St. Luke and St. Matthew are the only evangelists who have some lines
mentioning St. Joseph. John simply on two occasions states that people knew
Jesus as the son of Joseph. We turn to the passage in Luke for this feast.
In reflecting upon in through our rereading of II Samuel 7 we discover that
this Evangelist was very familiar with the Greek version of the Old
Testament called the Septuagint. In his first two chapters where Joseph is
mentioned the style of Greek used by Luke is modeled on the Septuagint. He
will change this to a more common Greek in chapter 3. He also shows us
great literary skill in the way he introduces his Gospel, so we have an
evangelist who is a Gentile and who knows the Koine or common Greek of the
Mediterranean very well. He writes like the other evangelists in the first
century. In his magnificent nativity gospel we discover Joseph mentioned
in the introduction to Mary whose husband he will be from then on. He
appears as the Infancy Narrative or Gospel ends in chapter 2:41-51. Even
though Luke gives Mary a voice, we never hear one word from Joseph. In
Matthew the only word implicitly that Matthew will voice to is the name
Jesus (but does not that say it all!?). Luke does have a genealogy showing
descendance from Joseph in this way, "Jesus was about thirty years old when
he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph, son of
Heli..." (Luke 3:23). Luke then traces back the ancestry of Jesus through
Joseph to Adam (3:38). This shows us Jesus as the anointed ruler and
Savior for all of humankind. Jesus is to bring back all the sons and
daughters to God through Adam and Eve, the first humans according to Luke's
thought. Again in chapter 4 Jesus is thought to be Joseph's son
naturally--"Is not this Joseph's son?" (Luke 4:22). Luke probably used the
selection from II Samuel 7 to model his own narrative about Joseph and Mary
and Jesus. Several of the lines in our reading from Samuel mention the
promise of God made through David the anointed King of Israel. A promise
that says his kingdom will endure forever. Actually the Gospel scene may
reflect the last appearance of Joseph in the lives of Mary and Jesus.
Jesus is now twelve and has without his parents knowing it, remained in
Jerusalem among the learned ones discussing the Torah. We have learned
that it was customary for his righteous parents to go up to Jerualem at the
Passover. Mary's sword of sorrow now appears in her question to Jesus,
"Son, why have you done this to us? You see that your father and I have
been searching for you in sorrow." (Luke 2:48). We can be sure that Joseph
comforted Mary on this occasion. We learn that Jesus became obedient to
them and went down to Nazareth with Joseph and Mary. This obedience is but
an insight in his total willing and being obedient to God's plan for our
salvation. We are thankful that Pope Pius iX declared Joseph to be the
Patron of the universal Church and that John XIII gave us the Feast of
Joseph the Worker to be celebrated on May 1 offsetting Communism and giving
honor to the labor and work of all of us. Let us then as the Israelites
did of old, ITE AD JOSEPH, that is "Go to Joseph". Amen