Menu
First Reading: 2 S 7:4-5, 12-14, 16
The LORD spoke to Nathan and said:
“Go, tell my servant David,
‘When your time comes and you rest with your ancestors,
I will raise up your heir after you, sprung from your loins,
and I will make his kingdom firm.
It is he who shall build a house for my name.
And I will make his royal throne firm forever.
I will be a father to him,
and he shall be a son to me.
Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;
your throne shall stand firm forever.’”
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29
R./ The son of David will live for ever.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever;
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness,
For you have said, “My kindness is established forever”;
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness.
R./ The son of David will live for ever.
“I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
I have sworn to David my servant:
Forever will I confirm your posterity
and establish your throne for all generations.”
R./ The son of David will live for ever.
“He shall say of me, ‘You are my father,
my God, the Rock, my savior.’
Forever I will maintain my kindness toward him,
and my covenant with him stands firm.”
R./ The son of David will live for ever.
Second Reading: Rom 4:13, 16-18, 22
Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
Gospel: Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24 (or Luke 2:41-51)
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 and he took his wife to his home.
Introduction
Today’s gospel calls Joseph “a just man.” It is a title that the scriptures of the Old and the New Testaments give to people who try to live according to God’s plans. Indeed, he played an important role in God’s plan of salvation; God entrusted our Savior, Jesus, to his care. He experienced that his important role brought him many difficulties, but he stood the test and served God well, as a man of faith, generous, and indeed “just.”
Opening Prayer
God our Father,
you entrusted your Son Jesus
to the dedicated care of St. Joseph.
Give us the faith of this just man,
the patron of your Church,
that we may always listen to you,
and serve you in everything you ask of us
also when we do not understand
where you are leading us.
Make us live close to your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Gospel Reading: Lk 4:24-30
When Jesus had come to Nazareth he said to the people in the synagogue, “No prophet is honored in his own country. Truly, I say to you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens withheld rain for three years and six months and a great famine came over the whole land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow of Zarephath, in the country of Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, the prophet, and no one was healed except Naaman, the Syrian.”
On hearing these words, the whole assembly became indignant. They rose up and brought him out of the town, to the edge of the hill on which Nazareth is built, intending to throw him down the cliff. But he passed through their midst and went his way.
General Intercessions
As we celebrate St. Joseph today, let us bring our intentions before the Lord.
– Lord, we pray you for your Church. Let it honor St Joseph, its patron, through a responsible and dedicated leadership, we pray:
– Lord, we pray you for those in public office, that they may lead their people with wisdom and justice, we pray:
– Lord, we pray you for heads of families, including single parents, that they may be dedicated to their children, we pray:
– Lord, we pray you for laborers who live by the work of their hands; may they do their work conscientiously and take pride in it, we pray:
– Lord, we pray you for ourselves. May we be people who know how to serve and to live in our presence, we pray:
Lord, may the help of St Joseph help us all to serve you with love. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord,
we bring before you bread and wine.
Let these gifts express
that we want to carry out
the task you entrust to us in life.
Dispose us to cooperate wholeheartedly with your plans
to bring your love and freedom
to this entire world,
that it may accept and serve
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
you have given us the food
that brings us the strength and the perseverance
to do the work you entrust to us.
Like St Joseph, may we serve you well
and put all our trust in you.
Make us responsible and just persons
who reflect your goodness and love.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Blessing
May the Lord make us his good and faithful servants, trustworthy and just. Let his blessing come down on us and accompany us on the road of life: the blessing of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
