Archdiocese of Denver

I n more recent times, leaders of the Church have recog- nized the importance of St. Joseph and have sought to bring devotion to him to the forefront of the faithful's hearts and minds. In 1870, Blessed Pope Pius IX declared St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church, and it was for the 150th anniversary of this occasion that Pope Francis declared a Year of St. Joseph in the first place. In 1889, Pope Leo XIII released Quamquam Pluries, an encyclical in which he presented St. Joseph as a model of virtue while dealing with the challenges of modernity at the turn of the century. From this, he began to delineate a theology of St. Joseph that has since developed and been carried into today's world. Then, in 1989, for the centenary of Quamquam Pluries, Pope St. John Paul II released his own Apostolic Exhor- tation on St. Joseph, Redemptoris Custos (Guardian of the Redeemer). The exhortation drew upon the wisdom of St. John Paul II's predecessors but also offered his own wisdom on St. Joseph and how both the Church and individuals can learn from his powerful example. The following five key insights from Redemptoris Custos remain strikingly relevant to the modern world, especially as we honor St. Joseph in this year dedicated to him. S T. J O S E P H I S A M O D E L O F O B E D I E N CE A N D FA IT H FU L N E S S Let's face it: Nobody likes to do hard things, let alone something like agreeing to raise a child who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and marrying the holy woman who bore him. You can't fault St. Joseph for seeking an out; but when the Lord's messenger appeared and told him to take Mary as his wife, he obeyed. Like Mary's "fiat," St. Joseph's "yes" is an oft-overlooked yet critical detail in the story of Jesus. As St. John Paul II writes, "He took her in all the mystery of her motherhood. He took her together with the Son who had come into the world by the power of the Holy Spirit. In this way he showed a readiness of will like Mary's with regard to what God asked of him through the angel" (RC, 3). In today's world, the only rules people like to obey are their own, but Christians are called to something far more ful- filling. St. Joseph beautifully exemplifies how obedience to God's will first and foremost is what bears the greatest fruits. S T. J O S E P H WA S A T R U E FAT H E R TO J E S U S Yes, Jesus was the Son of God, but he was also son to St. Joseph. St. John Paul II aptly notes: "Joseph's marriage to Mary is the juridical basis of his fatherhood. It was to assure fatherly protection for Jesus that God chose Joseph to be Mary's spouse. It follows that Joseph's fatherhood […] comes to pass through marriage to Mary, that is, through the family" (7). In fact, St. John Paul II argues that "while it is important for the Church to profess the virginal concep- tion of Jesus, it is no less important to uphold Mary's mar- riage to Joseph, because juridically Joseph's fatherhood depends on it" (7). It makes perfect sense when you think about it; St. Joseph merited fatherhood through his marriage to Mary, and as such, Jesus truly was his son: "The Son of Mary is also Joseph's Son by virtue of the marriage bond that unites them" (7). Would you call an adoptive father any less a father to his adopted children? Of course not! So, too, with Joseph and Jesus. Like a true father, St. Joseph rose to the challenge of raising Jesus and forming him into the man he became; it is so important and encourag- ing to remember this! Quoting St. Augustine, St. John Paul II continued: "Joseph is the one whom God chose to be the 'overseer of the Lord's birth,' the one who has the respon- sibility to look after the Son of God's 'ordained' entry into the world, in accordance with divine dispositions and human laws. All of the so-called 'private' or 'hidden' life of Jesus is entrusted to Joseph's guardianship." 1 2 THE YEAR OF ST. JOSEPH | ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER

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