Feast of St. Joseph

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Saturday, 2 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 7-14

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “If you know Me, you will know the Father also; indeed you know Him, and you have seen Him.”

Philip asked Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that is enough.” Jesus said to him, “What! I have been with you so long and you still do not know Me, Philip? Whoever sees Me sees the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me?”

“All that I say to you, I do not say of Myself. The Father who dwells in Me is doing His own work. Believe Me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; at least believe it on the evidence of these works that I do.”

“Truly, I say to you, the one who believes in Me will do the same works that I do; and he will even do greater than these, for I am going to the Father. Everything you ask in My Name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. Indeed, anything you ask, calling upon My Name, I will do.”

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Saturday, 2 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 97 : 1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

Sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done wonders; His right hand, His holy arm, has won victory for Him.

The Lord has shown His salvation, revealing His justice to the nations. He has not forgotten His love nor His faithfulness to Israel.

The farthest ends of the earth all have seen God’s saving power. All you lands, make a joyful noise to the Lord, break into song and sing praise.

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Saturday, 2 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Acts 13 : 44-52

The following Sabbath almost the entire city gathered to listen to Paul, who spoke a fairly long time about the Lord. But the presence of such a crowd made the Jews jealous. So they began to oppose with insults whatever Paul said.

Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out firmly, saying, “It was necessary that God’s word  be first proclaimed to you, but since you now reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we turn to non-Jewish people. For thus we were commanded by the Lord : ‘I have set you as a light to the pagan nations, so that you may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.'”

Those who were not Jews rejoiced when they heard this and praised the message of the Lord, and all those destined for everlasting life believed in it. Thus the Word spread throughout the whole region. Some of the Jews, however, incited God-fearing women of the upper class and the leading men of the city, as well, and stirred up an intense persecution against Paul and Barnabas.

Finally they had them expelled from their region. The Apostles shook the dust from their feet in protest against this people and went to Iconium, leaving the disciples filled with joy and Holy Spirit.

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Friday, 1 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a great feast of the Church, that is of St. Joseph, the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ. If we are wondering why we are celebrating this feast day again so soon after another feast day of St. Joseph on the nineteenth of March, then we should reflect on the importance of the figure of St. Joseph in our faith.

St. Joseph is the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ, that is the adopted father of our Lord by his marriage to the mother of Jesus, Mary. And even though he is not the real or biological father to our Lord, but in his role as the legal father to our Lord, as his earthly father, he has been a great father and a role model for all fathers and for all families.

St. Joseph in this day is celebrated in his aspect as the Patron Saint of all workers, and all who labour. Today we commemorate the memory of this humble and yet God-fearing and hardworking carpenter of Nazareth, whose exemplary life and actions, as well as total devotion and obedience to the will of God marked him different from the rest among his profession and from among his people.

Jesus was mocked by His own people, His own townspeople in Nazareth, because they thought of Him as a mere carpenter’s Son, who somehow impossibly gained such a great and vast wisdom that could not be explained by His background and upbringing. This is because even though a carpenter’s work is a noble and honest one, but no one looked up at carpenters and other manual labourers, whom people often looked down at and ignored.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, if we heeded the earlier readings we heard, then we know that our Lord Himself had worked when He created the heavens and the earth, when He created all the things living on the earth, in the seas and on the sky. He laboured and toiled to create all these things, and He rested on the seventh day. This shows us that working is part of the nature of this universe, and no one who slacks and does nothing can gain anything or be any part of the Lord’s design.

And thus, today, we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, whose works and dedicated efforts remind us that there is no place in our faith and in our Church for people who idles and slacks. Firstly, as I have often mentioned, our faith requires active action and commitment, that we do not just pay lip service to God, but that we must also practice that same faith in our own actions and deeds.

And then, secondly, that as we work, we have to remember that we labour not for our own glory nor it is just for us to gain more money and possessions for ourselves, but rather, it should be for us to help one another and give glory to God through all of our works. This is where the phrase, Ora et Labora, comes to my mind. Prayer and work, and indeed, faith and works. These two are indispensable and inseparable elements of our lives.

As we know, our faith is one that requires inner spirituality, as well as outer action. Our faith is dead without action and work, as without action, our faith is meaningless, empty and superficial. And without faith and devotion, all of our works are meaningless as well. This is because our works without faith and devotion, would inevitably lead to the glorification of the self and the fulfillment of one’s own desires. And it is in selfishness and greed that our destruction is present at.

As we continue to live our lives in this world, let us all be awakened to the realities of our faith, that there are so many things which all of us can do, in order to make this world to be a better place. There are so many things which we can do, in order to help our brethren around us, especially those who are in need, and if we are able to help. Let our faith be one that is real, concrete, vibrant and filled with love and devotion towards one another.

May Almighty God, our Lord and Father awaken in us the spirit of workmanship and dedication, the spirit of respect for all workers, and to be filled with vigour and strength to carry out all of our works of faith, that we may be like St. Joseph, as brave and dedicated servants of our Lord. God bless us all. Now and forever. Amen.

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Friday, 1 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

John 14 : 1-6

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Do not be troubled! Trust in God and trust in Me! In My Father’s house there are many rooms; otherwise, I would not have told you that I go to prepare a place for you. After I have gone and prepared a place for you, I shall come again and take you to Me, so that where I am, you also may be. Yet  you know the way where I am going.”

Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”


Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)

Matthew 13 : 54-58

At that time, Jesus went to His hometown and taught the people in their synagogue. They were amazed and said, “Where did He get this wisdom and these special powers? Is He not the carpenter’s Son? Is Mary not His mother and are James, Jacob, Simon and Judas not His brothers? Are all His sisters not living here? How did He get all this?” And so they took offense at Him.

Jesus said to them, “The only place where prophets are not welcome is their hometown and in their own family.” And He did not perform many miracles there because of their lack of faith.

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Friday, 1 May 2015 : 4th Week of Easter, Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : White

Psalm 2 : 6-7, 8-9, 10-11

YHVH said, “Behold the King I have installed, in Zion, upon My holy hill!” I will proclaim the decree of the Lord. He said to Me : “You are My Son. This day I have begotten You.”

“Ask of Me and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, the ends of the earth for Your possession. You shall rule them with iron sceptre and shatter them as a potter’s vase.”

Now therefore, learn wisdom, o kings; be warned, o rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and fall at His feet; lest He be angry and you perish when His anger suddenly flares. Blessed are all who take refuge in Him!


Alternative reading (Mass of St. Joseph)
Psalm 89 : 2, 3-4, 12-13, 14 and 16

Before the mountains were formed, before You made the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity – You are God.

You turn humans back to dust, saying, “Return, o mortals!” A thousand years in Your sight are like a day that has passed, or like a watch in the night.

So make us know the shortness of our life, that we may gain wisdom of heart. How long will You be angry, o Lord? Have mercy on Your servant.

Fill us at daybreak with Your goodness, that we may be glad all our days. Let Your work be seen by Your servants and Your glorious power by their children.

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Thursday, 19 March 2015 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2nd Anniversary of the Installation of Pope Francis, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : White

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate the great feast day and solemnity of St. Joseph, who is the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ and the most devoted and chaste spouse of His mother, Mary. On this day we honour with great dedication the memory of the one person whose faith, devotion to God and whose hard works had brought so much good unto the works of Christ, whom as His adopted father, he did his best to smoothen the path of the Lord.

Indeed, Jesus is both fully God and fully Man at the same time, having assumed the flesh of Man through the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As God, He is omnipotent, All Powerful and All Knowing, but yet, in His humanity, He was also once a small and weak child, as all child are, and He was cared for very well by His parents, St. Joseph and Mary, His mother.

It was most likely St. Joseph who taught Jesus on the crafts and trades of the world, telling Him and teaching Him how to live well in this world, as all fathers are indeed supposed to do. Meanwhile, Mary most likely taught Him how to love and to be gentle to others, just as it was in her nature to love others. In that therefore, Jesus walked in the footsteps of His family, and He was also likely to be a carpenter as Hi foster-father Joseph was.

It was because of that then Jesus was persecuted and rejected by His own fellow townspeople, the people of Nazareth. These were the ones who had known Jesus since when He was just a Baby, and followed Him up as He grew in the care of His parents, Joseph and Mary. Being the Son of a carpenter certainly did not bring much prestige in those days, as even though the work of a carpenter is tough and honest, but no one is likely to want to have such a profession.

It was certainly not a job that brought about prestige, fame or human praise, and neither did it bring much wealth. The family of Jesus was most likely poor or even very poor, barely just making it through with the income they had and with meeting barely just the daily necessities. And yet, the Holy Family is indeed the happiest and most loving and perfect among the families ever present and ever will be in this world.

And part of that was because of St. Joseph himself and what he has done. St. Joseph was a righteous and upright man, who did not hesitate to do what is right and just before God and men alike. And he was also a person with a heart for mercy and love. This was shown when he found out that Mary had conceived a Baby prior to their marriage and consummation. This would have constituted adultery, and the ones involved in it would have been sentenced to death by stoning.

Being an upright man, as well as a loving person, St. Joseph did not want to subject Mary to this kind of suffering and humiliation. Although he did not know what had happened and even though he knew that Mary could not have committed adultery, given her character, St. Joseph was an upright and God-fearing man who would not let injustice be part of his action. Thus, to him the best act was to divorce her quietly, which would not bring about harsh punishment to Mary.

Yet, St. Joseph was told that he was being brought into the greater plan of God, which He had crafted and planned for many years and ages. Through Mary, God intended to bring about His salvation and to finally reveal Himself to the world. By the incarnation of the Divine Word and Son of God as the Son of Man, the Son of Mary, St. Joseph was made to be the foster-father or adopted-father of our Lord, by the ties of marriage which bonded him to Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Mother of our Lord.

And what St. Joseph had done in whatever little information we had on him, and from the Apostolic Traditions have shown us how a father in a family should have behaved like. As the father in the household, he is the head and leader of the family, and by leading his family, the Holy Family, through times of both difficulty and danger, and through times of happiness and joy, he had shown examples that would make many of us be ashamed.

He was a faithful and devoted husband who helped and who was with his wife Mary when she was heavily pregnant with Jesus and was about to give birth, and yet they had to travel a great distance from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, of whom Joseph is the heir and descendant. In this, the prophecies and words of the Scriptures were fulfilled, that the Heir and Son of David was to be born in His city, Bethlehem.

He endured on even as inns after inns and houses after houses rejected them. He found a stable where eventually the Saviour of this world was born into the world. He led the Holy Family, especially Jesus, to safety when king Herod wanted to kill Him out of jealousy and fear for his rule, which Christ would supplant eventually. He led them to live in Egypt for a while as an exile before leading them back to Nazareth after Herod’s death.

He was a dutiful and devout father, who presented Jesus in the Temple and brought Him to the Temple when He was of age. Although as mentioned in the Scriptures that Jesus recognised God as His true Father, nevertheless we also heard that He also obeyed His parents and followed their instructions as He grew up to be a Man filled with grace and blessing of God.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate this feast and solemnity of St. Joseph, all of us, especially fathers and parents among us, we should reflect on our actions in this life. We have to ask ourselves, on whether we have tried to live up to the standards of the works and actions of St. Joseph. If we have not done so, then we truly have a lot of work ahead of us.

Today we also commemorate the second anniversary of the Installation and Coronation of our Pope, Francis, the Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff, leader of the Universal Church who is called Holy Father because he is indeed like our father. In this we have to understand that we have to give our obedience to the Pope, the Magisterium and the entirety of the Church authority and teachings, all of which served to guard the true and authentic faith as passed down to us from the Lord through His Apostles.

In this season of Lent therefore, and from what we reflect on this solemn occasion, we should aim to follow the examples of St. Joseph, in his works, in his actions and also in his faith and devotion to God. There are many of us in this world who can benefit greatly by walking in the footsteps of the foster-father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the most faithful spouse and husband of our Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God. St. Joseph, pray for us all. Amen.

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Thursday, 19 March 2015 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2nd Anniversary of the Installation of Pope Francis, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Matthew 1 : 16, 18-21, 24a

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus who is called the Christ – the Messiah.

This is how Jesus Christ was born : Mary His mother had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.

Then Joseph, her husband, made plans to divorce her in all secrecy. He was an upright man, and in no way did he want to discredit her. While he was pondering over this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will bear a Son. You shall call Him ‘Jesus’ for He will save His people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had told him to do.


Alternative reading

Luke 2 : 41-51a

Every year the parents of Jesus went to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover, as was customary. And when Jesus was twelve years old, He went up with them, according to the custom of this feast. After the festival was over, they returned, but the boy Jesus remained in Jerusalem, and His parents did not know it.

They thought He was in the company, and after walking the whole day they looked for Him among their relatives and friends. As they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem searching for Him, and on the third day they found Him in the Temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking questions. And all the people were amazed at His understanding and His answers.

His parents were very surprised when they saw Him, and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Your father and I were very worried while searching for You.” Then 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 this answer.

Jesus went down with them, returning to Nazareth, and He continued to be subject to them.

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Thursday, 19 March 2015 : Solemnity of St. Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, 2nd Anniversary of the Installation of Pope Francis, Vicar of Christ and Supreme Pontiff (Second Reading)

Liturgical Colour : White

Romans 4 : 13, 16-18, 22

If God promised Abraham, or rather his descendants, that the world would belong to him, this was not because of his obeying the Law, but because he was just and a friend of God through faith. For that reason, faith is the way and all is given by grace; and the promises of Abraham are fulfilled for all his descendants, not only for his children according to the Law, but also for all the others who have believed.

Abraham is the father of all of us, as it is written : ‘I will make you father of many nations.’ He is our father in the eyes of Him who gives life to the dead, and calls into existence what does not yet exist, for this is the God in whom he believed. Abraham believed and hoped against all expectation, thus becoming father of many nations, as he had been told : ‘See how many will be your descendants.’

This was taken into account for him to attain righteousness.