Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a

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

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

Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22

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.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you invite me to believe in you and trust in you as my loving Father. When I sin, I reject you, your plan, and your love. When I sin, I mistakenly trust in myself. Never let me doubt your love and be separated from you through sin.

Encountering the Word of God

1. A Humble and Hidden Son of David in Nazareth: Matthew’s Gospel opens with the genealogy of Jesus and traces the royal line from King David to Joseph. Luke’s Gospel complements this genealogy and emphasizes that Joseph isn’t just a descendant of David, but is of the royal house of David (Luke 2:4). From what we can piece together, it appears that members of the house of David moved north and established themselves in the town of Nazareth sometime before or during the second century B.C. It is interesting to note that when the Hasmoneans, also known as the Maccabees, defeated the Seleucids in 164 B.C., they did not put someone from the Davidic line on the throne. The Hasmoneans were from the tribe of Levi and not from the tribe of Judah or the line of David. What the Gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us is that the true royal son of David was Joseph, who lived as a humble carpenter and hidden king in Nazareth. Matthew especially draws out a marked contrast between the evil King Herod and the humble king, Joseph. How am I imitating the example of Joseph as a humble worker and king?

2. Son of David and Adopted Son of God: The First Reading is taken from 2 Samuel 7 and records God’s covenant promises made to David. Among the promises was that the sons of David would be “sons of God.” God uses the covenant formula: “I will be his father, and he shall be my son” (2 Samuel 7:14). In the Davidic covenant, the sonship rejected by the people of Israel in the book of Exodus is now being given to King David and his royal sons. Joseph is a royal son of David and enjoys the adoptive sonship given to the royal sons of David. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke’s Gospel tells us that Jesus was the son of David by biological descent through Mary, while the genealogy of Matthew establishes that Jesus is the king of Israel by legal right through Joseph. Joseph received adoptive divine sonship through the Davidic covenant, but we have received adoptive divine sonship through the New Covenant and the Sacrament of Baptism, and so we can ask ourselves: How am I living my divine sonship? Where can I be more docile to the promptings of the Holy Spirit? How can I live out more perfectly the loving and filial obedience of faith?

3. The Son of David who Built a House for the Lord: In the Davidic covenant, God promises that one day, in the future, David’s son will build him a house. The initial fulfillment of this promise happened through King Solomon, who built the Temple in Jerusalem for God. Another fulfillment of this promise happens through Joseph, who provided a home for God the Son first in Bethlehem, then in exile in Egypt, and finally in Nazareth. The ultimate fulfillment of this promise, however, happens through Jesus, who established the Church, his Body, and its members as the new Temple of God. We can ask ourselves: How am I building a dwelling for God in my heart, in my family, and in my community?

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Son of David, I trust in you as my Savior. Help me imitate Saint Joseph, who welcomed you, cared for you, and embraced his role in the divine plan of salvation. Help me to welcome you in the stranger, care for you in the poor, and embrace the Father’s will for me.

Living the Word of God: As we celebrate the solemnity of Joseph today, we contemplate him as a model of faith and trust in God. We should strive to imitate Joseph, asking God to increase our faith and help us in our unbelief. Second, as we meditate today on Joseph’s role in the history of salvation, we ask God to enlighten us about our own mission, and we ask God for the grace and strength to fulfill that mission as Joseph did.