At the general audience, Francis continued with his catechesis on the adoptive father of the Lord.  

Newsroom (11/24/2021 14:44, Gaudium Press) Today, at the general audience in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope continued with his cycle of catechesis on St. Joseph, which began last Wednesday.

The Pope showed that Jesus in the Gospels is presented as “son of Joseph” (Lk 3:23; 4:22; Jn 1:45; 6:42) and “son of the carpenter” (Mt 13:55; Mk 6, 3). Therefore, the evangelists Matthew and Luke give space to Joseph’s role when narrating Jesus’ childhood:

“Both of them compile a ‘genealogy’ to highlight the historicity of Jesus,” the Pontiff said, adding that the two evangelists “present Joseph not as the biological father, but in any case, as fully the father of Jesus.“

Through Joseph, “Jesus fulfils the history of the covenant and salvation between God and humanity.” The Pope stated that for the apostle St. Matthew “this history begins with Abraham,” while for Luke, it begins “with the very origin of humanity.”

According to Francis, the figure of Joseph, although always “discreet,” represents a fundamental piece in the history of salvation.

A discreet yet fundamental man

In St. Joseph, we contemplate “the man who goes unnoticed, the man of daily presence, of discreet and hidden presence, an intercessor, a support and a guide in times of difficulty.“

“He [St. Joseph] reminds us that all those who are seemingly hidden or in the ‘second row’ are unparalleled protagonists in the history of salvation. The world needs these men and women.”

St. Joseph is the Guardian of Jesus and Mary, and therefore he is also the Guardian of the Church, “for the Church is the continuation of the Body of Christ in history, even as Mary’s motherhood is reflected in the motherhood of the Church.”

Joseph continues protecting the Church, “he protects the Church – and by continuing to protect the Church, he continues to protect the child and his mother.” 

With information from Vatican News.

Compiled by Gustavo Kralj