{"id":1679,"date":"2018-03-18T05:00:47","date_gmt":"2018-03-18T09:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sjcmetheology.wpengine.com\/?p=1679"},"modified":"2019-03-21T13:37:40","modified_gmt":"2019-03-21T13:37:40","slug":"reflections-on-saint-joseph-in-st-john-paul-iis-redemptoris-custos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/reflections-on-saint-joseph-in-st-john-paul-iis-redemptoris-custos\/","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on Saint Joseph in St. John Paul II’s Redemptoris Custos"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 1989, Pope John Paul II (a recently canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church) \"\"<\/a>promulgated <\/span>Redemptoris Custos<\/span><\/i>, an apostolic exhortation \u201cOn the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church.\u201d \u00a0In the Introduction of this document, the Pope notes that, in composing the exhortation, he wished to highlight the centenary of Pope Leo XIII\u2019s encyclical <\/span>Quamquam Pluries<\/span><\/i> by offering reflections regarding St. Joseph, into whose guardianship the Father entrusted the precious treasures of the Virgin Mary and her son, Jesus. \u00a0Additionally, the Pope hoped that his thoughts would evoke greater devotion to St. Joseph, the Patron of the Universal Church and the one who served the Savior in an outstanding way. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Section I of <\/span>Redemptoris Custos, <\/span><\/i>which is entitled \u201cThe Gospel Portrait\u201d, focuses on Joseph\u2019s marriage to Mary. \u00a0The Pope refers to the angel\u2019s annunciation to Joseph that he need not fear to take Mary as his wife, that she is pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit, and that Joseph should name the child to be born – Jesus, that is, God saves. (See Mt. 1:20 \u2013 21) \u00a0The Pope notes that Mary was already betrothed, that is, married to Joseph so that the angel\u2019s words to Joseph that he \u201cnot fear to take Mary as his wife\u201d meant that Joseph should not hesitate to take Mary into his home, which was, at the time, Jewish practice after a year of betrothal. The Pope explains that before the angel\u2019s annunciation to Joseph in a dream, Joseph was faced with the possibility that Mary had committed adultery. \u00a0If this were the case, Jewish Law demanded that Mary be stoned to death and, since Joseph was legally her husband, he would have to cast the first stone at his wife. Before the angel\u2019s appearance to Joseph in a dream, Joseph had resolved his dilemma: he would quietly divorce Mary. However, when Joseph awoke from his dream, he acted in faith; he settled Mary into his home in Nazareth (though this was before the year of betrothal was completed) and awaited the unfolding of the mystery of her astonishing maternity. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In Section II of his apostolic exhortation, the Pope discusses Joseph as the \u201cGuardian of the Mystery of God.\u201d \u00a0With Mary, Joseph assented to the revelation he received concerning the Incarnation of the Word of God and the mission of Redemption associated with it. \u00a0The Pope stresses that, by virtue of his marriage to Mary, Joseph was able to enjoy great intimacy with her son Jesus and that, in the shared life of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, the true meaning of family which is \u00a0\u201cto guard, reveal, and communicate love\u201d (p. 5*) was eminently evidenced. As the head of his family, Joseph provided for his wife and exercised great fatherly care of Jesus. In regard to Joseph\u2019s latter role, the Pope states<\/span><\/p>\n

Since it is inconceivable that such a sublime task would not be matched by the necessary qualities to adequately fulfill it, we must recognize that Joseph showed Jesus all the love, all the affectionate solicitude that a father\u2019s heart can know. (p. 6) <\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Section II of the apostolic exhortation also includes reflections on \u00a0the census, the birth at Bethlehem, the circumcision, the presentation in the Temple, the flight into Egypt, \u00a0Jesus\u2019 stay in the Temple, and the support and education of Jesus. Because Caesar Augustus had declared an empire-wide census, Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem, Joseph\u2019s home town. \u00a0It was here that Joseph became an eyewitness to Jesus\u2019 birth, which took place, as the Pope describes \u201cin conditions that, humanly speaking, were embarrassing \u2013 a first announcement of that \u2018self-emptying\u2019 (cf. Phil. 2:5 \u2013 8) which Christ freely accepted for the forgiveness of sins.\u201d (p.7) Also, in Bethlehem, along with Mary, Joseph watched shepherds adore the newborn baby and later witnessed magi from the East pay homage to him. Of note is the fact, as the Pope explains, after Jesus\u2019 birth, Joseph officially inserted the name Jesus, son of Joseph of Nazareth (cf. Jn. 1:45) into the registry of the Roman Empire. In effect, in this civil way, Joseph secured the legitimacy of Mary\u2019s son. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eight days after Jesus\u2019 birth, Joseph met his religious obligation to have his adopted son circumcised. \u00a0During the ceremony, Joseph declared that the boy\u2019s name was Jesus. In his exhortation, the Pope explains that \u201cIn conferring the name, Joseph declares his own legal fatherhood over Jesus, and, in speaking the name, he proclaims the child\u2019s mission as Savior.\u201d (p. 8) Forty days after Jesus\u2019 birth, Joseph met his fatherly obligation to present his son in the Temple in Jerusalem. \u00a0According to the Pope, in this Jewish rite, \u201cRepresented in the first-born is the people of the covenant, ransomed from slavery in order to belong to God.\u201d (p. 8) As the Pope notes, since Jesus already belonged to God by virtue of his being the Word of God, while formally fulfilling the Jewish rite, in actuality Jesus transcended it.<\/span><\/p>\n

After the presentation in the Temple, in a dream Joseph received a message from an angel that King Herod, in fear that the newborn child would usurp his throne, had ordered the mass murder of all boys in Bethlehem two years old or under that age. Given the angel\u2019s instruction to flee to safety in Egypt, Joseph immediately departed from Bethlehem with his family, where he sought asylum until after Herod died. \u00a0As the Pope indicates, this experience fulfilled the words of the Old Testament prophet Hosea: \u201cOut of Egypt have I called my son.\u201d (Hos. 11: 1) <\/span><\/p>\n

After returning to their homeland, Joseph settled his family in Nazareth, a quiet village wherein it was improbable that Herod\u2019s son, Achelous, who, like his father sought to kill Jesus, would succeed in his plot. When Jesus was twelve years old, as was customary in the Jewish religion, Joseph arranged for his family to travel to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover feast. \u00a0After a day\u2019s travel back to Nazareth after the feast, realizing that Jesus was nowhere to be found, Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem. Three days later, they discovered Jesus in the Temple conversing with learned Jewish teachers. Jesus\u2019 reply to his mother\u2019s statement that she and Joseph had anxiously been searching for him: \u201cDid you not know that I must be in my Father\u2019s house?\u201d (Lk. 2:49 \u2013 50) was Jesus\u2019 way of communicating to his parents that he understood that his Father in heaven had sent him to earth to fulfill the messianic mission of redemption. After this Temple encounter, Jesus returned to Nazareth and was obedient to Joseph and Mary. \u00a0With his wife, Joseph raised Jesus to adulthood. In keeping with a father\u2019s responsibilities, Joseph made sure Jesus was educated in the Law and apprenticed his son as a tekton, a highly skilled artisan who worked in wood, iron and, perhaps, stone. <\/span><\/p>\n

Section III of the Pope\u2019s apostolic exhortation is entitled \u201cA Just Man, A Husband\u201d. \u00a0As the Pope indicates, that Joseph was a just man is most evident in his decision to take his pregnant wife Mary into his home. \u00a0In so doing, Joseph chose to protect his wife\u2019s honor and to honor her virginity as communicated to him by an angel who explained Mary\u2019s mysterious pregnancy. \u00a0According to the Pope, as a spouse \u201cThrough his complete self-sacrifice, Joseph expressed his generous love for the Mother of God and gave her a husband\u2019s \u2018gift of self.\u2019\u201d (p. 11) Just as Mary\u2019s motherhood was taken up in the mystery of Christ\u2019s incarnation, so, too, was Joseph\u2019s fatherhood and, as the Pope notes, this was possible as a consequence of the hypostatic union, that is, \u201chumanity taken up into the unity of the Divine Person of the Word-Son, Jesus Christ.\u201d (p. 12) <\/span><\/p>\n

Section IV of the apostolic exhortation is entitled \u201cWork as an Expression of Love\u201d. Here, the Pope stresses that Joseph\u2019s work as a tekton gave expression to the sanctification of daily life through his labor of love in support of the life of his family at Nazareth. \u00a0Referring to Joseph and Jesus\u2019 co-laboring in the carpenter\/artisan trade, the Pope asserts: <\/span><\/p>\n

Along with the humanity of the Son of God, work too has been taken up in the mystery of the Incarnation, and has also been redeemed in a special way. \u00a0At the workbench where he plied his trade together with Jesus, Joseph brought human work closer to the mystery of the Redemption. (p. 12)<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In Section V of his exhortation, \u201cThe Primacy of the Interior Life\u201d, the Pope discusses Joseph\u2019s mature spirituality that enabled him to consistently respond positively to the graces he received in his life as Mary\u2019s husband and Jesus\u2019 father. \u00a0In regard to Joseph\u2019s latter role, the Pope stresses that \u201cJoseph experienced \u2026 that pure contemplative love of the divine Truth which radiated from the humanity of Christ and the demands of love \u2026 required for his [Joseph\u2019s] vocation to safeguard and develop the humanity of Jesus, which was inseparably linked to his divinity.\u201d (p. 14) Furthermore, the Pope reflects upon the fatherly love of Joseph and Jesus\u2019 filial love as mutually beneficial in the ongoing deepening of their relationship. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In the final section (Section VI) of <\/span>Redemptoris Custos<\/span><\/i>, the Pope highlights Joseph as the \u201cPatron of the Church in Our Day\u201d. Just as Joseph kept watch over the Holy Family so, too, \u00a0he safeguards the Church in its ongoing history. Referring to Joseph\u2019s role in the \u201ceconomy of salvation\u201d and to him as a model for all Christians, the Pope writes: <\/span><\/p>\n

Recalling that God wished to entrust the beginnings of our redemption to the faithful care of St. Joseph, she asks God to grant that she [Church] may faithfully cooperate in the work of salvation; that she may receive the same faithfulness and purity of heart that inspired Joseph in serving the Incarnate Word; and that she may walk before God in the ways of holiness and justice, following Joseph\u2019s example and through his intercession. (p. 15) <\/span><\/p>\n

Conclusion: \u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

In <\/span>Redemptoris Custos,<\/span><\/i> Pope St. John Paul II depicts St. Joseph as an icon of faith, that is, one whose life exemplifies what it means to listen to God\u2019s words and, in an unwavering way, act courageously upon them. \u00a0<\/span>Redemptoris Custos <\/span><\/i>marks a watershed moment in reflection on the role of St. Joseph in the history of Christianity. \u00a0In this document, the Pope interweaves biblical exegesis and profound theological insights regarding Joseph\u2019s pivotal role in God\u2019s plan of salvation. \u00a0\u00a0In an outstanding way, the Pope highlights St. Joseph as loving father, faithful spouse, laborer, and patron of the universal Church. It is most fitting that the Pope concludes his exhortation with the following prayer: \u00a0\u201cMay St. Joseph obtain for the Church and for the world, as well as for each of us, the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Dr. Marilyn Sunderman, RSM<\/strong>, is Professor of Theology and Chair of the on-campus Theology Department of Saint Joseph\u2019s College of Maine.<\/p>\n

In this essay, all references to <\/span>Redemptoris Custos <\/span><\/i>(August 15, 1989) \u2013 John Paul II are taken from the online document at <\/span>http:\/\/w.2.vatican.va\/content\/john-paul-ii\/en\/apost_exhortations\/documents\/hf_jp-ii_exh_15<\/span><\/a> retrieved on 1.22.2018.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bibliography: \u00a0Gary Caster, <\/span>Joseph, The Man Who Raised Jesus, <\/span><\/i>Servant Books, 2013; Francis L. Filas, <\/span>Joseph Most Just: Theological Questions About St. Joseph, <\/span><\/i>The Bruce Publishing Co, 1956; J. . . B. Midgley, <\/span>Companion to Saint Joseph, <\/span><\/i>CTS Publication, 2002; Pope Leo XIII, <\/span>Quamquam Pluries: Encyclical on Devotion to St. Joseph, <\/span><\/i>1889, \u00a0Libreria Editrice Vaticana; <\/span>Joseph, The Silent Saint<\/span><\/i> [DVD], Art and Design, 2008, A&E Television Networks. (Note: In composing the above essay, the author read all texts in this listing and watched the DVD. \u00a0Hence, the essay reflects the author\u2019s study of <\/span>Redemptoris Custos<\/span><\/i> viewed through the lens of insights gained from these other sources.) <\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

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In 1989, Pope John Paul II (a recently canonized saint in the Roman Catholic Church) promulgated Redemptoris Custos, an apostolic exhortation \u201cOn the Person and Mission of Saint Joseph in the Life of Christ and of the Church.\u201d \u00a0In the … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":1681,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,23,24,1],"tags":[230,274],"class_list":["post-1679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-saints","category-spirituality","category-the-pope","category-uncategorized","tag-redemptoris-custos","tag-st-joseph"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2018\/03\/St-Joseph.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1679"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1679\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sjcme.edu\/theology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}