Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wednesday March 19, 2025

Solemnity of Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Wednesday March 19, 2025

Today’s Readings, from the USCCB:

Reading 1

2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16

The LORD spoke to Nathan and said: "Go, tell my servant David, 'When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins, and I will make his kingdom firm. It is he who shall build a house for my name. And I will make his royal throne firm forever. I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me. Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever.'"

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29

R. The son of David will live for ever.

The promises of the LORD I will sing forever; through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness, For you have said, "My kindness is established forever"; in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.

R. The son of David will live for ever.

"I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: Forever will I confirm your posterity and establish your throne for all generations."

R. The son of David will live for ever.

"He shall say of me, 'You are my father, my God, the Rock, my savior.' Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him, and my covenant with him stands firm."

R. The son of David will live for ever.

Reading 2

Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

Brothers and sisters: It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason, it depends on faith, so that it may be a gift, and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham, who is the father of all of us, as it is written, I have made you father of many nations. He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead and calls into being what does not exist. He believed, hoping against hope, that he would become the father of many nations, according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be. That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.

 

Verse Before the Gospel

Psalm 84:5

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, O Lord; they never cease to praise you.

Gospel

Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the 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.” When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.

or

Luke 2:41-51a

Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions, and all who heard him were astounded at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them. He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them.

 

The Silent Weight of Fatherhood

Feast of St. Joseph

"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home… When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him." – Matthew 1:20, 24

There is something about Joseph’s silence that echoes through time.

He doesn’t speak a single recorded word in Scripture.

And yet, his life speaks volumes.

Today, on the feast of St. Joseph, I can’t help but reflect on what it means to be a father who sacrifices quietly…who trusts without full understanding…who bears the weight of family, faith, and fear without complaint.

That’s where I live most days.

Quietly.

I’ve taken the back seat more times than I can count – so my wife could chase her career dreams, so my sons could attend a better school, so the family could move forward even if it meant I had to let go of my own. I gave up teaching – my dream job – so they could have more than I had.

And sometimes, I wonder…

 Was it enough?

Am I enough?

Carrying the Covenant Quietly

God’s covenant with David in today’s first reading is all about promise.

"Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me; your throne shall stand firm forever."

But covenants aren’t always loud.

They aren’t always wrapped in recognition.

They are often quiet, unfolding over years of choices, sacrifices, and hope.

Like Joseph – no accolades, no fame, no fanfare.

Just a man who was righteous and obedient in the silence.

I relate to him.

Because I, too, have held the weight of responsibility in silence.

I’ve absorbed the stress so others wouldn’t have to.

I’ve said yes to difficult choices with no guarantee they’d ever be acknowledged.

And while I don’t need applause, sometimes I wonder if God sees me.

Especially when I pray for my children – really pray – and it feels like nothing changes.

When I watch my sons face disappointment, and I wonder if God is punishing them for my sins, or for how many times I’ve failed to lead spiritually.

When I see their independence grow and feel my own worth shrinking because they no longer need me the way they once did.

That’s a different kind of ache.

One that feels hard to name out loud.

But maybe that’s the very place where Joseph lived.

Hoping Against Hope in the Quiet

Today’s reading from Romans talks about Abraham’s faith – his hope against hope.

And that’s powerful.

But for me, it’s Joseph’s faith I cling to.

Joseph didn’t have the whole picture. He didn’t get a grand covenant speech or stars in the sky like Abraham.

He got a dream.

A command.

And silence.

But he trusted anyway.

That’s the kind of faith I’m trying to hold onto.

Even when I feel disconnected at Mass – looking around and wondering how many people are really feeling it…because I’m not.

Even when I question what “real” faith is, because mine feels fractured and hollow some days.

Even when I feel excluded from the promises, like everyone else has been invited to the covenant, and I’ve been left outside, unnoticed.

Joseph reminds me that obedience is faith.

That trust without clarity is sacred.

That staying, even when I feel unseen, is participation in God’s plan.

The Legacy I Want to Leave

I don’t need a throne like David.

I don’t need generations to sing my name.

I just want my sons to be good men – kind, thoughtful, spiritually awake.

I want them to know how to listen and really hear.

I want them to give without expecting anything back.

And maybe that’s what “building a house for God” looks like for me.

Not a temple of stone – but a legacy of quiet faith.

A home built on sacrifice.

A family shaped by love in action.

A heart that keeps believing even when it’s hard.

And maybe – just maybe – that’s more than enough.

Because if Joseph taught me anything, it’s that sometimes the most powerful voices are the ones that never need to speak at all.