St. Joseph and Manhood

Archdiocese of Washington ^ | 03-19-17 | Msgr. Charles Pope

[Salvation]

St. Joseph and Manhood

Msgr. Charles Pope • March 19, 2017 •

I remember once being amused to hear that a 19^th century Franciscan theologian (whose name I cannot recall) wrote a six-volume set called “The Life of St. Joseph.” How could one possibly get enough material to fill six volumes? We know so little about Joseph from Scripture. He seems to have been the strong, silent type. Not a word of his is recorded, but his actions have much to say, especially to men.

On this feast of St. Joseph, we do well to ponder him as a model for manhood, for husbands and fathers.

1. Joseph is a man who obeys God and clings to his wife. Joseph was betrothed to Mary. This is more than being engaged; it means they were actually married. It was common at the time for couples to marry at a young age. Once betrothed they lived an additional year in their parents’ household while they became more acquainted and prepared for life together. At a certain point it was discovered that Mary was pregnant, though not by Joseph. Scripture describes Joseph as “a just man.” This does not mean that Joseph was fair and a nice guy (though I presume he was); it means that he was a follower of the Law. He based his life on the Jewish Law that God gave through Moses, as interpreted by the rabbis. The Law said that if a man discovered that his betrothed was not a virgin, he should divorce her and not “sully” his home. As a follower of the Law, Joseph was prepared to follow its requirements. However, he did not wish to expose Mary to its full force, which would have permitted her to be stoned. Hence, he chose to follow the Law by filing a divorce decree without publicly accusing her. He would remain quiet as to his reason for the divorce and Mary would escape possible stoning. To fail to divorce Mary would expose Joseph to cultural ramifications. Just men didn’t marry women guilty of fornication or adultery. To ignore this might have harmed not only Joseph’s standing in the community but also that of his family of origin. You know the rest of the story: Joseph is told in a dream that he should not be afraid because Mary has committed no sin. Matthew records, When Joseph awoke, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife (Matt 1:24). Now a man obeys God even if it is not popular, even if he has to suffer for it. Joseph is told to cling to his wife; he may suffer for it, but he “obeys God rather than men.” It takes a strong man to do this, especially when we consider the culture in which Joseph lived, and that he lived in a small town no less. Joseph model of strong manhood has something to say to the men of our day. In current Catholic wedding vows, a man promises to cling to his wife for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health. Our culture often pressures men to bail out when there is trouble. Joseph shows the proper way by obeying God over the pressures of the prevailing culture, even if he will personally suffer for it.
2. Joseph is a man whose vocation is more important to him than his career. In Bethlehem, Joseph is warned by an angel in a dream, Get up, take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him (Matt 2:13). Joseph may well have had much to lose in this flight. Back in Nazareth he had a business, a career if you will. He had business prospects, business partners, and contacts. Fleeing to a distant land might mean that others would take away his business. But Joseph was a father and husband before he was a businessman. His child was threatened and his first obligation was to Jesus and Mary. His vocation outweighed his career. Today, too many parents make their careers and livelihood paramount, relegating their children to day care; Joseph demonstrates different priorities. It is true that many parents feel they have no choice but to work, but it is also true that many demand a standard of living that requires extra income to maintain. Perhaps a smaller house and fewer amenities would permit their children to have a childhood without day care. Joseph shows the way for parents: vocation has priority over career. For fathers especially, Joseph shows that a man is a husband and father before he is a businessman.
3. Joseph is a man who protects his family. Joseph models a protective instinct that too many men lack today. Like Jesus, our children are exposed to many dangers. In the United Sates there aren’t a lot of physical dangers to fear, but moral dangers surely abound. Fathers, what are your children watching on television? What are they looking at on the Internet? Who are their friends? What do your children think about important moral issues? Are you preparing them to face the moral challenges and temptations of life? Are you and your wife teaching them the faith? Are you just a passive father, minimally involved in the raising of your children? A man protects his children from harm, physical, moral, and spiritual. Joseph demonstrates this aspect of manhood.
4. Joseph is a man of work. Scripture refers to Joseph as a “carpenter” (Matt 13:55). The Greek word used, however, is τέκτονος (tekton os), which can mean more than a woodworker. It can also refer to a builder or any craftsman. It seems unlikely that Joseph and Jesus would have worked exclusively in wood, as it was fairly rare in the Holy Land and used more sparingly than it is today. Stone was surely plentiful at that time, so it may be that Joseph worked with stone as well as wood. It was through His work that Joseph supported his family. It is the call of a man to work diligently and to provide for his family responsibly and reliably, and Joseph models this well. St. Paul felt it necessary to rebuke some of the men of his day for their idleness: In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us…. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ that with quietness they earn the bread they eat (2 Thess 3:10-12).
5. Joseph is a man who teaches his son. We learn from Scripture that Jesus was a carpenter (Mk 6:3). It is obvious that it was Joseph who taught Him this trade. Consider the hours that they spent together as Joseph patiently handed his trade on to Jesus, teaching Him its methods and intricacies. It is not enough for a father to provide for his children; he must also prepare them for life. He does this through modeling and teaching discipline, moderation, hard work, self-control, and many other life skills. Today it is relatively rare for men to teach a trade to their sons or to other children. In the end, a man prepares his children for life. Joseph models manhood by preparing Jesus for life as a tradesman. Some (e.g., St. Thomas Aquinas) argue that Joseph did not teach Jesus carpentry and that His knowledge was not learned, but I cannot square this with the Scripture that indicates Jesus grew in age, grace, and wisdom (see Lk 2:52). If Jesus can even grow in human wisdom, how much more so in lesser knowledge. At any rate, however much Jesus was taught by Joseph, every father should teach his sons and daughters!

Joseph is a model for manhood. Nothing he ever said was recorded, but his life speaks eloquently. He is referred to as the Guardian and Patron of the Universal Church. He has these titles because he was guardian, protector, and patron (provider) of the Church in its earliest stage: when the Church was just Jesus and Mary. Because the Church is the mystical Body of Christ, in protecting, providing, and preparing Jesus, he was doing that for us, for we are in Christ as members of His body. Men do well to imitate St. Joseph and invoke his patronage in all their endeavors as husbands, fathers, and providers.

St. Joseph, pray for us.

[metmom]

Throughout his life, St. Joseph behaved exactly as “the Lord had directed him” (Mt 1:24).

Yes, he took Mary AS HIS WIFE.

And a husband and wife have sex.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Nobody’s getting the vapors, metmom.

I need a gif with an eye-roll.

I’m pretty sure I’ve explained this two or three times before, but I’m not in a position to search that on my Kindle. When I get back to my desk, I’ll look it up for you.

I assure you most heartily it’s not an anti-sex thing. It’s a covenant love thing.

[Biggirl]

It is how you look at it.

[Elsie]

Joseph is a man who obeys God and clings to his wife.

Kinda BACKWARD; ain't it??

---

Genesis 3:16
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.

---

So; Mary...

...we just gonna cuddle again tonight?

[Elsie]

Joseph is a model for manhood.... St. Joseph, pray for us.

Izzat so?

Can you list some of the fine attributes he had that are to be found in the bible?

I know he chose not to divorce Mary; what else is there?

[Elsie]

Most likely from a prior marriage.

Got any DATA or EVIDENCE to back up this assumption?

I'll be in this thread awhile (unless my depiction of the 'MARY' that ROME has created gets me in trouble.)

[Elsie]

Otherwise you’re trying to bind believers to something not contained in the clear words of Scripture, aren’t you?

REALLY!!!???

---

 

---

The 15 promises

(Given to St. Dominic and Blessed Alan de la Roche)

1	Whoever shall faithfully serve me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall receive powerful graces.
2.	I promise my special protection and the greatest graces to all those who shall recite the Rosary.
3.	The Rosary shall be a powerful armor against hell, it will destroy vice, decrease sin, and defeat heresies
4.	It will cause virtue and good works to flourish; it will obtain for souls the abundant mercy of God; it will withdraw the hearts of people from the love of the world and its vanities, and will lift them to the desire of eternal things. Oh, that souls would sanctify themselves by this means.
5.	The soul which recommends itself to me by the recitation of the Rosary, shall not perish.
6.	Whoever shall recite the Rosary devoutly, applying Himself to the consideration of its Sacred Mysteries shall never be conquered by misfortune. God will not chastise Him in His justice, he shall not perish by an unprovided death; if he be just, he shall remain in the grace of God, and become worthy of eternal life.
7.	Whoever shall have a true devotion for the Rosary shall not die without the Sacraments of the Church.
8.	Those who are faithful to recite the Rosary shall have during their life and at their death the light of God and the plentitude of His graces; at the moment of death they shall participate in the merits of the Saints in Paradise.
9.	I  shall deliver from purgatory those who have been devoted to the Rosary.
10.	The faithful children of the Rosary shall merit a high degree of glory in Heaven.
11.	You shall obtain all you ask of me by the recitation of the Rosary.
12.	All those who propagate the Holy Rosary shall be aided by me in their necessities.
13.	I  have obtained from my Divine Son that all the advocates of the Rosary shall have for intercessors the entire celestial court during their life and at the hour of death
14.	All who recite the Rosary are my children, and brothers and sisters of my only Son, Jesus Christ.
15.	Devotion of my Rosary is a great sign of predestination.

 

"The Most Holy Virgin in these last times in which we live has given a new efficacy to the recitation of the Rosary to such an extent that there is no problem,

no matter how difficult it is, wheter temporal or above all spiritual, in the personal life of each one of us, of our families...that cannot be solved by the Rosary.

There is no problem, I tell you, no matter how difficult it is, that we cannot resolve by the prayer of the Holy Rosary."

Sister Lucia dos Santos

[Salvation]

Not according to these protestants and others!

Perpetual virginity
Is the Perpetual Virginity of Mary a Biblical View?
Aeiparthenos (An Anglo-Catholic Priest on Mary's Perpetual Virginity)
The Early Church Fathers on Mary’s Perpetual Virginity - Catholic/Orthodox Caucus
The Heõs Hou polemic is over: Radio Debate Matatics VS White & Svendsen on Perpetual Virginity Mary
Luther, Calvin, and Other Early Protestants on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary
Luther, Calvin, and Other Early Protestants on the Perpetual Virginity of Mary

[Elsie]

Guardian of virgins, pray for us.

HMMMmmm...

Unnamed.....

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The way it's written:

 

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship.

 

The way Rome teaches it:

 

Galatians 4:4-5

But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a....

 

Co-Redemptrix, 
Ark of the Covenant,
Cause of Our Joy,

Cause of our Salvation ,
Comfort of the Afflicted,
Destroyer of Heresy,
Ever-virgin ,
Favoured Daughter of the Father,
Gate of Heaven,
God-bearer,
Health of the Sick,
Help of Christians,
Holy Mary,
Holy Mother of God,
Holy Virgin of Virgins,
House of Gold,
Joy of the Just,
Majesty,
Mirror of Justice,
Morning Star,
Most Holy,
Mother Admirable,
Mother Inviolate,
Mother Most Amiable,
Mother Most Chaste,
Mother Most Pure,
Mother of Christ,
Mother of Divine Grace,
Mother of God,
Mother of Good Counsel,
Mother of Mercy,
Mother of Orphans,
Mother of Our Creator,
Mother of Our Redeemer,
Mother of Sorrows,
Mother of the Church,
Mother of the Poor,
Mother of the Word,
Mother Thrice Admirable,
Mother Undefiled,
Mystical Rose,
Nova Eva (the New Eve),
Our Lady of Compassion,
Our Lady of Confidence,
Our Lady of Victory,
Our Lady, Star of the Sea,
Our Mother of Perpetual Help,
Queen Assumed Into Heaven,
Queen Conceived Without Original Sin,
Queen of All Saints,
Queen of Angels,
Queen of Apostles,
Queen of Confessors,
Queen of Families,
Queen of Heaven,
Queen of Martyrs,
Queen of Patriarchs,
Queen of Peace,
Queen of Prophets,
Queen of the Most Holy Rosary,
Queen of Virgins,
Ravisher of Hearts,
Refuge of Sinners,
Seat of Wisdom,
She Who Shows the Way,
Singular Vessel of Devotion,
Spiritual Vessel,
Spouse of the Holy Spirit,
Tabernacle of the Lord,
Temple of the Most Holy Trinity,
Throne of Wisdom,
Tower of David,
Tower of Ivory,
Treasure House of God's Graces,
Untier of Knots,
Vessel of Honor,
Virgin God-bearer,
Virgin Most Faithful,
Virgin Most Merciful,
Virgin Most Powerful,
Virgin Most Prudent,
Virgin Most Renowned,
Virgin Most Venerable          born under the law, ⁵ to HELP redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship; sooner or later; and not spend TOO much time in Purgatory.

 

[Elsie]

I have already pointed out that your interpretation is incorrect. Am I right?

No; you are not.

You pointed out nothing; but merely CLAIMED it was incorrect.

[Elsie]

Throughout his life, St. Joseph behaved exactly as “the Lord had directed him” (Mt 1:24).

You've left OUT something...

Matthew 1:24-25

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

[Elsie]

Throughout his life, St. Joseph behaved exactly as “the Lord had directed him” Can you show this from the bible?

So Joseph was NOT a sinner; either?

[Elsie]

So why was ol’ Joseph frusterated?
‘cause his marriage just never was consummated!
With Mary he’d lie,
and silently cry;
Wondering why their relationship was complicated?

[Elsie]

So what’s the big problem if Mary had other children?

IT AIN'T what ROME teaches!!!

[Elsie]

That’s EXACTLY what it says!

Perhaps an explanation will be forthcoming.

[Elsie]

I need a gif with an eye-roll.

I don't understand?

[Elsie]

It’s a covenant love thing.

That is totally devoid of any evidence of it occurring.

[metmom]

But according to SCRIPTURE.

Man's opinion pieces notwithstanding.

Matthew 1:18-25 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

BEFORE they had come together, which clearly indicates that it happened.

And God TOLD him to take Mary *as his wife*.

[metmom]

And basically, that’s what it gets down to.

The heck with what Scripture says.

And I never really do expect any answers to my questions from the CATHOLICS about what is so all fired up important about Mary never having sex with Joseph.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

So why do Catholics get the vapors over the thought that Mary had sex and bore other children?

To uphold the bullwork supporting Mary as a DemiGoddess, she must be above human, but slightly below God.

So she is portrayed as without sin from birth (not found in Scripture).
So she is portrayed as having no "sinful" desires, like sex (not found in Scripture).
So she must not just be Jesus' mother, but everyone's mother
So she is able to answer prayer, appear as an apparition, bend Jesus to her will, etc.

ALL MADE UP OUT OF WHOLE CLOTH.