Commentary on the Gospel of
Leant to say, Go to Joseph
Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of St. Joseph, the head of the Holy Family of Nazareth and the Patron of the Universal Church. Pope Francis in his catechesis on St. Joseph explained that “Jesus and Mary His Mother are the most precious treasure of our faith, and this treasure is guarded by St. Joseph.”
Our dreams during a sleep allow us to free up our subconscious from negative experiences or satisfy hidden desires. Frames of our past occur in them. We also dream with open eyes and project ourselves into the future: We imagine our future is already concluded and anticipate the joy of success. Even if only for a few moments, we enjoy such daydreams to escape from the depressing reality that worries us.
Sacred Scripture speaks of a third kind of dream, the dreams of the Lord. They are the mysterious plans of his love revealed to people —as happened to Abraham (Gen 15:5)—or in the endless night of struggle with God, as happened to Jacob (Gen 32:23-33).
Joseph, the husband of Mary, came into this dream. Detached from himself and from his personal projects, he was available at all times, as Abraham and Jacob were, to accept the will of the Lord. God made him partaker of his dreams. In reflection and prayer, he discovered the heavenly dreams about his family.
Today’s Gospel passage from Matthew is the solemn conclusion with which the evangelist proclaims a fundamental truth of the Christian faith: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary, is the expected descendant of David, the Messiah. Matthew highlights the figure of Joseph because it is through him that Jesus joins the family of David.
St. Joseph teaches us a beautiful mark of the Christian vocation: to guard. He teaches To guard life, to guard human development. To be a Christian is to be like St. Joseph: he must be a guardian. To be a Christian is not only to receive and to confess the faith, but also to guard life, one’s own life, the life of others, the life of the Church.”
The expression used to refer to the Joseph of the Old Testament, “Go to Joseph” (Ite ad Joseph) is applied to Joseph of Nazareth in the life of the Church. After all, God himself turned to Joseph and entrusted him with all that was precious to Him: Jesus and Mary. Let us entrust ourselves, our families and our Church to him as well. Let us decide today, to “Go to Joseph!”
