4TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIMEC: JESUS, THE SON OF JOSEPH

4^th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

FEBRUARY 3, 2019

Jesus, I trust in you!

Jesus returned to Nazareth, his hometown. It was there where he grew up from the time he returned from Egypt until the time he began his public ministry. This is why his own townsfolk thought they knew him well. In Nazareth, Jesus’ childhood was quite ordinary. He played and studied like any other kid, with neither spectacle nor fanfare. He did not perform miracles as a child. He was no celebrity. He was not a child-star. He grew up as the son of a carpenter. He was obedient to Mary and Joseph.

That is why when they were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth when he preached in the synagogue, the first question they asked was “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” This was the mark of ordinariness: Jesus was called the son of Joseph. Jesus’ divinity was a well-kept secret. Remember that it was only at the River Jordan where Jesus’ divinity was revealed by the Father who publicly called him “his beloved Son.” The people of Nazareth did not know that Jesus was the Son of God. As far as they were concerned, Jesus was simply the son of Joseph.

Here, we see how Jesus valued the ordinary life. For 30 years, he was a nobody. He was simply the son of Joseph. He was like us in all things except in sin. We often forget this reality. We claim that we find difficulty in imitating him because we keep on looking at his celebrity status during his public ministry when crowds followed him who performed signs and wonders. We keep forgetting that the public ministry of Jesus comprised only the last 3 years of his life. We keep forgetting that for 30 long years, the Son of God was simply known as the son of Joseph. We keep forgetting that he was like us in every way…yes, in every way except in sin.

St. Paul explains this excellence of the ordinary in the 2^nd reading. He said: “Love is not pompous. It is not inflated. It is not rude. It does not seek its own interests. It is not quick-tempered. It does not brood over injuries. It does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Inasmuch as God is love, we must understand St. Paul’s hymn to love as referring to Jesus himself. Jesus is not pompous. He is not inflated. In other words, Jesus prefers the ordinary.

The ordinariness of Jesus’ youth became the hindrance to the faith of the Nazarenes. They failed to believe in him because they could not understand how someone so ordinary could speak words of great wisdom. Yesterday, on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Simeon spoke of the Child Jesus as becoming a sign that will be contradicted. Indeed, the words of the prophet came to pass in Nazareth. The people of Nazareth rejected him because they found it difficult to believe that someone so ordinary could be someone Divine. The place where Jesus grew in age and wisdom became the place where he would be rejected.

And oftentimes, our preference for spectacle becomes the hindrance to our faith. Waiting for big miracles, we fail to see the action of God in the ordinary things in life. Also, we wait for big opportunities to shine. And so we forget of the heroism of the ordinary. We are so engrossed with the celebrity mentality that we forget that love shines in the ordinary and in the forgotten. Let us not reject the ordinary for it is there where God manifests his presence. It is in the seeming weakness of the ordinary that God manifests his strength. It is in the ordinary where God manifests his constancy.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.

Simbang Gabi 2018 3: St. Joseph and Vocation

SIMBANG GABI 2018 3

YEAR OF THE YOUTH

DECEMBER 18, 2018

JESUS, I trust in you.

In the genealogy of Jesus, St. Joseph was not called the father of Jesus. He was simply referred to as the husband of Mary who, in turn, was called the Mother of Jesus. This clearly pointed to us that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. The Gospel reading today tells us that when Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child. In Jewish custom, a betrothal meant that a man and a woman have promised themselves to each other. The man is given a year to build their house and upon completion of the task, he goes to the house of the bride to claim her and bring her home with him. This was a beautiful custom which is unlike the co-habitation or living-in which many people do today. Today, couples live like husband and wife even without the benefit of marriage. They make a claim on each other’s persons and bodies but without asking God to seal their marital covenant. This was not the case for Joseph and Mary. They promised themselves to each other but they have not yet lived together because it was not yet the time. They had to wait for the proper time when they can consummate their marriage.

But before this could happen, Mary was found to be with child. But her pregnancy was not on account of fornication. Joseph respected Mary and protected her virginity. And Mary, on her part, was faithful to Joseph. Her pregnancy was the fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit. God had a special plan for mankind and this he intended to accomplish through Mary. St. Joseph had a dilemma. He was torn between his love for Mary and her exalted vocation. Could he keep Mary for himself or should he, out of generosity, step back quietly to allow God some space in order to accomplish his plan for her? He must have silently agonized over this problem. All he wanted was to accomplish God’s will. The Lord answered his prayer and sent the angel to convey his answer: “Do not be afraid to take Mary for your wife.” God wanted St. Joseph to be husband to Mary and also to be father to his only begotten Son. Mary will give God’s Son his flesh. Joseph will give him his name. Because of Joseph, Mary’s Son will be called “Son of David.” Joseph will make Jeremiah’s prophesy a reality: “I will raise up a righteous shoot to David; as King he will reign and govern wisely.” When God’s will was made clear to him, Joseph rose up to fulfill it. He took Mary and took her home with him as his wife.

Young people are often confronted by the question of vocation. What is the direction my life should take? Where is this leading me? Is this the right person for me? Am I called to this way of life? While there are many things to consider when making life choices, the most important consideration should be the discernment of God’s will. It is only in fulfilling God’s will where true happiness and a sense of fulfillment be found. And God’s will can only be discerned in constant prayer. It is to the praying heart that God reveals his will. When confronted by a difficult choice, do not simply ask yourself. Rather, ask God through prayer. This prayer is not a quick visit to the church for an Our Father or a Hail Mary. Rather, it is silently coming constantly before God. We should keep asking God until he makes his answer clear. St. Joseph will prove to be a reliable companion for discernment. Ask St. Joseph to help you pray to the Lord. Seek for the Lord’s enlightenment. Always bring everything to prayer.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.  

Simbang Gabi 3: The Spiritual Fatherhood of Priests

SIMBANG GABI 2017 3

YEAR OF THE CLERGY AND CONSECRATED PERSONS

DECEMBER 18, 2017

Jesus, I trust in you!

“Live with me and be my father and my priest!” (Judges 17: 10)

Definitely St. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. The Gospel reading was clear: “Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.” To allay doubts of the involvement of a third party, through a dream, the angel assured Joseph: “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.” However, even though he was not the biological father, St. Joseph was entrusted with the responsibility of being a father to God’s only Son. “You are to name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” Although Jesus did not come from his loins, he was still called “father” by our Lord. When the child Jesus was found in the temple, our Lady said to him, “Your father and I have been distressed looking for you.”

Is it not strange that on account of the discipline of celibacy, the priest has no biological children of his own and yet he is called “Father” by so many people. In the parish, I am even amused by the fact that people older than me still call me “Father.” Many still call me “father” even without knowing my name. I left the possibility to have a wife and children of my own and yet turned out to be father to so many people…so much more than I could ever beget for myself.

Why do Catholics call priests “father”? Christ is the true priest of the New Testament. As the first-born sons were the priests before the Levitical priesthood, so Christ, who is the first-born of all creation, is the priest of the new covenant. As the first-born is a fatherly relationship with his brothers, so Christ, the first-born, exercises a fatherly role with all of us.

All priests of the New Covenant pattern themselves after Jesus. They share in the priesthood of Christ. Thus, St. Paul says: “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children. For though you have countless guides in Christ, you do not have many fathers. I became your father in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (1 Cor. 4:14-15)  The fatherhood of priests is a spiritual fatherhood. Fatherhood is a life-giving task. Through Baptism, the priest brings about the rebirth of the children of God. In the Eucharist, the priest provides the Bread of life for his spiritual children. In Confession, the priest forgives sins and restores the penitent to the communion of the family of God. In the Anointing of the sick, the priest provides consolation and strength in times of bodily weakness. Acting in the person of Christ, the priest becomes the first-born son, and therefore, he exercises a fatherly role towards his brethren. He does not replace the one Father of all. Rather, he has been handed a share in the Fatherly role of God in the lives of his children.

The man who has given up marriage has become the eldest brother of the Christian family. Renouncing the possibility of having biological children of his own, the priest receives more brothers and sisters, more sons and daughters that he can ever have on his own. Thus, like what he did to Joseph, God has made the priest the head of his household and ruler over the King’s possession. (Ps. 105:2)

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

Late Post: 4th Sunday of Advent: The Virgin Birth

JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU!

It would be so easy to conclude that the 4^th Sunday of Advent is about St. Joseph. After all, he seems to be the protagonist of the Gospel Reading today. However, looking closely at the readings, we realize that the Word of God is revealing to us something more than St. Joseph’s righteousness and prudence. If there was any idea that gets to be repeated again and again, it would be that of the Virgin Birth of the Lord Jesus. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading tells us: “The virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” The story of St. Joseph’s interior struggle simply led to this point: Mary is a virgin and he had nothing to do with her pregnancy. The angel assured him that Mary’s pregnancy was not the fruit of fornication. Rather, “it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you shall name him Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.” In fact, the reading was cut short by one sentence that should have said: “Joseph knew her not (meaning, he did not have marital relations with her) till she brought forth her first-born son, and he named him Jesus.” (Matthew 1:25)

The insistence on the virginity of Mary is so obvious because it was repeated 4 times! Why this insistence? Well, it is because Mary’s simultaneous virginity and maternity is so difficult to accept. We know full well how nature works: virginity ends where maternity begins. A woman loses her virginity in order to become a mother. A virgin cannot be mother at the same time because reproduction demands marital relations. A woman loses her virginity the moment she engages in marital intercourse. And so, the Word of God repeats again and again: Mary is the virgin who conceived and bore a son. She did not lose her virginity to her maternity because she conceived not through marital relations but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Why does the Mother of the Messiah have to be a virgin? Why this insistence on the virginity of Mary? Why the virgin birth? The Catechism tells us why. “Mary’s virginity manifests God’s absolute initiative in the Incarnation.” Jesus is truly Son of God. Jesus was conceived “by the Holy Spirit without human seed.” “Jesus has only God as Father…He is naturally Son of the Father in his divinity and naturally son of his mother as to his humanity but properly Son of the Father in both natures.” (CCC, 503)

“Jesus is conceived by the Holy Spirit in the Virgin Mary’s womb because he is the New Adam, who inaugurates the new creation.” (CCC, 504) The first Adam was not born of any marital relations. And so the New Adam was not born also of any marital relations.

“By his virginal conception, Jesus, the new Adam, ushers in the new birth of children adopted in the Holy Spirit through faith.” (CCC, 505) “To those who did accept him (Jesus), he gave the power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name, who were born not by natural generation, nor by human choice, nor by a man’s decision, but of God.” (John 1: 12-13)

And we are the children born of the waters of Baptism that were fructified by the Holy Spirit. We are the new creation, children adopted in the Holy Spirit. As Jesus is the Son of the Virgin Mary, we are the sons and daughters of the virgin Church. We are “called to belong to Jesus Christ…(we are) the beloved of God, called to be holy.”

And so we rejoice for having been called to belong to Jesus. This grace cannot be attributed to anyone else but to God alone. The Messiah born of the Virgin is the evidence that salvation belongs to God and comes only from God. Only he can save his people from their sins.

O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

The Virginity of Mary and the Initiative of God

As Moses took off his shoes before the Burning Bush so did Joseph...

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

The genealogy of the Lord yesterday ended with a strange note. It started by saying that Abraham was the father of Isaac but it ended with Joseph, the husband of Mary. It was of her that Jesus was born. Everybody else was father of somebody except Joseph who was not called father of Jesus. He was simply called the husband of Mary. Why is this so? Today’s gospel explains why: When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary without any help from Joseph. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in fulfillment of the prophecy: Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name “Emmanuel” which means “God is with us.” This is absolutely a defiance of nature which dictates that the woman is a fertile soil on which the man plants his seed. Joseph did not plant his seed on Mary. The gospel writer was very clear: “When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. He had no relations with her…”

The virginal conception of the Lord Jesus is very important because it tells us that our salvation is completely the initiative of God. Salvation comes from God and not from man. The Savior is not the son of Joseph but of God. In fact, original sin is transmitted by man: “it is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all humankind, that is, by transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice.” (CCC, 404) Man cannot save himself. We could not save ourselves. Salvation can come from God alone.

And this is the reason for our joy: God saves us because he loves us. He sent us his Son to be born of the Virgin because he loves us: God so loved the world that he gave his only Begotten Son. Salvation comes from God. Salvation is motivated by his love for us. If he did not love, he would just have left us on our own. If he did not love us, he would have abandoned us. And no matter how much we try, we cannot save ourselves. We would not have been saved had the Lord not loved us.

And this is the joyful message of the child-bearing of the Virgin Mary. The Lord loves us that he sent His Son. He did not designate some other person’s son to die on the cross to save us. He sent us his OWN SON, his only begotten Son.

“By giving up his own Son for our sins, God manifests that his plan for us is one of benevolent love, prior to any merit on our part: ‘In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the expiation for our sins.’ God ‘shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’” (CCC, 604.)

Jesus, I trust in you. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

From Bethlehem to Jerusalem

Praised be Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!

Every first born male in the Jewish society was consecrated to the Lord and was redeemed at the price of a sacrifice of 2 turtle doves. To redeem is to “buy back” the life of the baby boy from God. to understand this, we must recall that blessed night of the Exodus when the angel of death was sent by God to the land of Egypt in order to slay every first-born son throughout the land. To save the Hebrew children, each family killed a lamb and its blood was painted on the lintels of the door of the house. The angel of death passed over that house and so the live of the babies were spared. This is the reason why today, the 40^th day of Christmas, Mary and Joseph went to the temple to present the Baby Jesus to the Lord and to ‘redeem’ his life at the price of the lives of 2 turtle doves.

God presented his Son to his people who waited for the fulfillment of the promise

But at this moment, it was not Mary and Joseph who presented the Baby Jesus to the Lord but it was God who presented his Son to his people who have been waiting for his promised coming. The Holy Spirit pointed the child Jesus to the aged Simeon who recognized him as the Salvation which God has prepared in the sight of all the people…”a light of revelation to the gentiles, and the glory of the people of Israel.” Mary and Joseph will not be permitted to redeem the life of this child who was destined for the rise and fall of many in Israel as he will be a sign that will be contradicted. The turtle doves will not be the sacrifice. It will be the child…the true Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. This child is the Redeemer who will buy us back at the price of his own blood. This child is the Son of God who shares in the blood and flesh of all humanity. His flesh will be sacrificed on the Cross and his blood will be shed. “Through death, he might destroy the devil who has the power of death and free those who through fear of death had been subject to slavery all their life.” (Ginawa niya ito upang sa pamamagitan ng kanyang kamatayan ay maigupo niya ang diyablo na siyang may kapangyarihan sa kamatayan. Sa gayon, pinalaya niyaang lahat ng naging alipin habang panahon dahil sa kanilang takot sa kamatayan.) This child is not only the offering but he is also the “merciful and faithful High Priest” who stands before God to expiate the sins of the people. This child will once again make the sacrifice of Judah and Jerusalem pleasing to the Lord, as in the days of old, as in years gone by.

Today, God presents his Son to his people: here is My Son in whom I am well pleased. Today, God gives us the Lamb for the sacrifice as foretold by Abraham to his son Isaac: “The Lord will provide the Lamb for the sacrifice” (Gen 22:8). This Lamb is his Son, who is enthroned in the arms of Mary the Ark of the Covenant, as he enters the temple. On the day Jesus consummates his sacrifice on the Cross, the great curtain of the Holy of holies will be rent into two for he shall put the temple sacrifices to an end as His sacrifice is the one and only sacrifice that will please the Father. Today, we come to church to meet him who is God, Priest, and Lamb. Our eyes behold him who is like us in every way except in sin. And we rejoice for God has fulfilled his promise. We begin preparing for the sacrifice that he was sent to do. Christmas ends and paves the way for the coming of Lent and the Easter Triduum. The days of feasting come to a close. The days of fasting will draw near. Mary and Joseph left Bethlehem and journeyed to Jerusalem to bring Jesus to the temple. It is now time for us to bid Bethlehem goodbye and begin fixing our eyes to Jerusalem. The Lamb who is truly unblemished has arrived…we shall now accompany him to his Sacrifice. Let us walk with him to Jerusalem. Let us prepare to be sprinkled clean by his Blood.

Jesus, I trust in you! O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

St. Joseph the Protector

Here is the English translation of the Homily of the Holy Father Francis on the occasion of his inauguration into the Petrine Ministry (March 19 2013)

Thanks to Romereports.com

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

“I thank the Lord that I can celebrate this Holy Mass for the inauguration of my Petrine ministry on the solemnity of Saint Joseph, the spouse of the Virgin Mary and the patron of the universal Church. It is a significant coincidence, and it is also the name-day of my venerable predecessor: we are close to him with our prayers, full of affection and gratitude.

I offer a warm greeting to my brother cardinals and bishops, the priests, deacons, men and women religious, and all the lay faithful. I thank the representatives of the other Churches and ecclesial Communities, as well as the representatives of the Jewish community and the other religious communities, for their presence. My cordial greetings go to the Heads of State and Government, the members of the official Delegations from many countries throughout the world, and the Diplomatic Corps.

In the Gospel we heard that "Joseph did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife" (Mt 1:24). These words already point to the mission which God entrusts to Joseph: he is to be the custos, the protector. The protector of whom? Of Mary and Jesus; but this protection is then extended to the Church, as Blessed John Paul II pointed out: "Just as Saint Joseph took loving care of Mary and gladly dedicated himself to Jesus Christ’s upbringing, he likewise watches over and protects Christ’s Mystical Body, the Church, of which the Virgin Mary is the exemplar and model" (Redemptoris Custos, 1).

How does Joseph exercise his role as protector? Discreetly, humbly and silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand. From the time of his betrothal to Mary until the finding of the twelve-year-old Jesus in the Temple of Jerusalem, he is there at every moment with loving care. As the spouse of Mary, he is at her side in good times and bad, on the journey to Bethlehem for the census and in the anxious and joyful hours when she gave birth; amid the drama of the flight into Egypt and during the frantic search for their child in the Temple; and later in the day-to-day life of the home of Nazareth, in the workshop where he taught his trade to Jesus.

How does Joseph respond to his calling to be the protector of Mary, Jesus and the Church? By being constantly attentive to God, open to the signs of God’s presence and receptive to God’s plans, and not simply to his own. This is what God asked of David, as we heard in the first reading. God does not want a house built by men, but faithfulness to his word, to his plan. It is God himself who builds the house, but from living stones sealed by his Spirit. Joseph is a "protector" because he is able to hear God’s voice and be guided by his will; and for this reason he is all the more sensitive to the persons entrusted to his safekeeping. He can look at things realistically, he is in touch with his surroundings, he can make truly wise decisions. In him, dear friends, we learn how to respond to God’s call, readily and willingly, but we also see the core of the Christian vocation, which is Christ! Let us protect Christ in our lives, so that we can protect others, so that we can protect creation!

The vocation of being a "protector", however, is not just something involving us Christians alone; it also has a prior dimension which is simply human, involving everyone. It means protecting all creation, the beauty of the created world, as the Book of Genesis tells us and as Saint Francis of Assisi showed us. It means respecting each of God’s creatures and respecting the environment in which we live. It means protecting people, showing loving concern for each and every person, especially children, the elderly, those in need, who are often the last we think about. It means caring for one another in our families: husbands and wives first protect one another, and then, as parents, they care for their children, and children themselves, in time, protect their parents. It means building sincere friendships in which we protect one another in trust, respect, and goodness. In the end, everything has been entrusted to our protection, and all of us are responsible for it. Be protectors of God’s gifts!

Whenever human beings fail to live up to this responsibility, whenever we fail to care for creation and for our brothers and sisters, the way is opened to destruction and hearts are hardened. Tragically, in every period of history there are "Herods" who plot death, wreak havoc, and mar the countenance of men and women.

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be "protectors" of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be "protectors", we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!

Here I would add one more thing: caring, protecting, demands goodness, it calls for a certain tenderness. In the Gospels, Saint Joseph appears as a strong and courageous man, a working man, yet in his heart we see great tenderness, which is not the virtue of the weak but rather a sign of strength of spirit and a capacity for concern, for compassion, for genuine openness to others, for love. We must not be afraid of goodness, of tenderness!

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important, those whom Matthew lists in the final judgment on love: the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and those in prison (cf. Mt 25:31-46). Only those who serve with love are able to protect!

In the second reading, Saint Paul speaks of Abraham, who, "hoping against hope, believed" (Rom 4:18). Hoping against hope! Today too, amid so much darkness, we need to see the light of hope and to be men and women who bring hope to others. To protect creation, to protect every man and every woman, to look upon them with tenderness and love, is to open up a horizon of hope; it is to let a shaft of light break through the heavy clouds; it is to bring the warmth of hope! For believers, for us Christians, like Abraham, like Saint Joseph, the hope that we bring is set against the horizon of God, which has opened up before us in Christ. It is a hope built on the rock which is God.

To protect Jesus with Mary, to protect the whole of creation, to protect each person, especially the poorest, to protect ourselves: this is a service that the Bishop of Rome is called to carry out, yet one to which all of us are called, so that the star of hope will shine brightly. Let us protect with love all that God has given us!

I implore the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, and Saint Francis, that the Holy Spirit may accompany my ministry, and I ask all of you to pray for me! Amen.”

St. Joseph Novena for the Church

As the Conclave opens soon, let us pray to St. Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church, for the Church and the Cardinal - electors. St. Joseph's Feast will be on March 19. March is the month of St. Joseph!

O glorious St. Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the Holy Family and then appointed by the Vicar of Christ to be the heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus, most confidently do I implore at this moment your powerful aid for all the Church militant on earth. Shield with your truly paternal love especially the (future) Supreme Pontiff and all the bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See of Peter. Be the defender of all who labor for souls amidst the trials and tribulations of this life, and cause all the peoples of the earth to submit themselves in a docile spirit to that Church which is the ark of salvation for all men.

Be pleased also, dear St. Joseph, to accept this dedication of myself which I now make to you. I dedicate myself wholly to you, that you may ever be my father, my patron, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent devotion to the interior life. Grant that following your example, I may direct all my actions to the greater glory of God , in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in union with you. Finally, pray for me that I may be a partaker in the peace and joy which were yours in the hour of your holy death. Amen.

BEHOLD a faithful and wise servant, whom the Lord has set over His household.

V. Glory and riches shall be in his house.
R. And his justice shall endure forever and ever.

Let us pray:
O God, who by Your unspeakable Providence did vouchsafe to choose Blessed Joseph to be the Spouse of Your most holy Mother: mercifully grant that as we venerate him for our Protector on earth, we may be found worthy to be aided by his intercession in heaven. You who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.

Feast of St. Joseph

Pictures of the Solemn High Mass on the Feast of St. Joseph at the Holy Family Parish, Roxas District, Quezon City, Philippines

Myself as Celebrant, Fr. Rodel Lopez, OMI as deacon, and Fr. Mark Sese of the Diocese of Pasig as subdeacon

Thanks to Dennis Maturan for the pictures

Prayers at the foot of the altar

Elevation of Our Lord's Body

Elevation of the Chalice

2nd Confiteor

for posterity

To St. Joseph, Patron of the Dying

Faithful Joseph, with the fulfillment of the Lord's promise, you peacefully leave this world in Jesus and Mary's hands. Your faith transforms death into the sowing of life; thus, God considers you to be a just man. Your heart overflows in the presence of the Lord. With your hands outstreched to God, your night is filled with prayers. Surrounded by the living, you embark upon the great march to the Promised Land.

Open our eyes that we may glimpse the road to Life that lies beyond death. May nothing, not denial, anger, nor depression, separate us from the love of God. Strengthen our faith in God who always finds ways of preserving us in His friendship. Be beside us to hold our hands when we take our first steps toward the Eternal Kingdom.

Amen.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Catholic Church

On this feast of St. Joseph, let us pray to the humble husband of the Blessed Mother and the foster father of our Lord, for the Church which is in most need of his protection. He is the patron of the Catholic Church. Let us ask him to protect the Church today as once he protected the Child Jesus.

O glorious Saint Joseph, chosen by God to be the foster father of Jesus, the chaste spouse of Mary ever Virgin, and the head of the Holy Family and then appointed by the Vicar of Christ to be the heavenly patron and defender of the Church founded by Jesus, most confedently do I implore at this moment they powerful aid for all the Church militant on earth. Do thou shield with they truly paternal love especially the Supreme Pontiff and all the Bishops and priests who are in union with the Holy See of Peter. Be the defender of all who labor for souls amidst the trials and tribulations of this life, and cause all the the peoples of the earth to submit themselves in a docile spirit to that Church which is the ark of salvation for all men.

Be pleased also, dear Saint Joseph, to accept this dedication of myself which I now make unto thee. I dedicate myself wholly to thee, that thou mayest ever be my father, my patron, and my guide in the way of salvation. Obtain for me great purity of heart and a fervent devotion to the interior life. Grant that, following thine example, I may direct all my actions to the greater glory of God, in union with the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and in union with thee. Finally pray for me that I may be a partaker in the peace and joy which were thine at the hour of thy holy death. Amen.

from the Raccolta