Dear Brothers and Sisters,
On this fourth Sunday of Advent, the Gospel of Saint Matthew tells us the story of Jesus’ birth through the eyes of Saint Joseph. He was betrothed to Mary, “but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit” (Mt, 1:18). The Son of God, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (cf Is, 7:14), became a man in the womb of a virgin, and this mystery shows God’s love, wisdom and power for humanity, hurt by sin. Saint Joseph is presented as a “righteous man” (Mt, 1:19), faithful to God’s law, and ready to do his will. For this reason, he becomes a party to the Mystery of the Incarnation when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Mt, 1:20-21). And so it came about that Joseph gave up the idea of quietly repudiating Mary, and took her in because at this moment his eyes could see in her the work of God.
In his commentary on Saint Luke, Saint Ambrose said, “in Joseph you find the friendliness of the righteous, to give greater worthiness to his standing as witness” (Exp. Ev. sec. Lucam II, 5: CCL 14, 32-33). “He,” Ambrose said, “could not contaminate the temple of the Holy Spirit, the Mother of the Lord, the womb fecundated by mystery” (ibid, II, 6: CCL 14, 33). Despite his turmoil, Joseph did “as the angel of the Lord ordered”, certain that he was doing the right thing. Even when he gave the name “Jesus” to the child who carries the universe, he joined the army of humble and faithful servants, like the angels and the prophets as well as the martyrs and the apostles, praised in ancient eastern hymns. Saint Joseph announced the marvels of the Lord and bore witness to Mary’s virginity, God’s selfless deed, whilst protecting the early life of the Messiah. Let us venerate Jesus’ lawful father (cf CCC, 532), because in him we see new man, who looked to the future with confidence and courage, who disregarded his own goals, but entrusted himself completely to the infinite mercy of the One who fulfils prophecies and opens time to salvation.
Dear friends, I wish to entrust all pastors to Saint Joseph, universal patron of the Church, urging them to “quietly present Christ’s words and actions each day to the faithful and to the whole world,” (Letter proclaiming a Year for Priests). May our life join more and more the Person of Jesus, because the “One who is the Word takes on Himself a body, comes from God as a man and draws to himself the whole of humanity, bringing it into the word of God (Gesù di Nazaret, Milan: 2007, 383).
Let us confidently call on the Virgin Mary, full of grace, “adorned with God”, so that on this coming Christmas, our eyes might open and see Jesus, and the heart rejoice in this admirable meeting of love.
Let us pray that we have the same sure faith that the good thief, St. Dismas had when we have an opportunity to express it.The rulers sneered at Jesus and said, He saved others, let him save himself if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God." Even the soldiers jeered at him. As they approached to offer him wine they called out, "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself." Above him there was an inscription that read,"This is the King of the Jews."Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying,"Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us." The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply,"Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
Son of Alphaeus, he lived at Capenaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a Roman tax collector, a position equated with collaboration with the enemy by those from whom he collected taxes. Jesus’ contemporaries were surprised to see the Christ with a traitor, but Jesus explained that he had come “not to call the just, but sinners.”
Matthew’s Gospel is given pride of place in the canon of the New Testament, and was written to convince Jewish readers that their anticipated Messiah had come in the person of Jesus. He preached among the Jews for 15 years; his audiences may have included the Jewish enclave in Ethiopia, and places in the East.
St. Joseph's St. Matthew statue is the first statue on the right side of the sanctuary by the presidential chair. Here are a couple of photo's:“Jesus saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office, and he said to him: Follow me.” Jesus saw Matthew, not merely in the usual sense, but more significantly with his merciful understanding of men.” He saw the tax collector and, because he saw him through the eyes of mercy and chose him, he said to him: “Follow me.” This following meant imitating the pattern of his life - not just walking after him. Saint John tells us: “Whoever says he abides in Christ ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.” “And he rose and followed him.” There is no reason for surprise that the tax collector abandoned earthly wealth as soon as the Lord commanded him. Nor should one be amazed that neglecting his wealth, he joined a band of men whose leader had, on Matthew’s assessment, no riches at all. Our Lord summoned Matthew by speaking to him in words. By an invisible, interior impulse flooding his mind with the light of grace, he instructed him to walk in his footsteps. In this way Matthew could understand that Christ, who was summoning him away from earthly possessions, had incorruptible treasures of heaven in his gift."
