San Jose

Mt 1, 16. 18-21. 24

Jacob engendró a José, el esposo de María, de la cual nació Jesús, llamado Cristo.

Cristo vino al mundo de la siguiente manera: Estando María, su madre, desposada con José y antes de que vivieran juntos, sucedió que ella, por obra del Espíritu Santo, estaba esperando un hijo. José, su esposo, que era hombre justo, no queriendo ponerla en evidencia, pensó dejarla en secreto.

Mientras pensaba en estas cosas, un ángel del Señor le dijo en sueños: “José, hijo de David, no dudes en recibir en tu casa a María, tu esposa, porque ella ha concebido por obra del Espíritu Santo. Dará a luz un hijo y tú le pondrás el nombre de Jesús, porque él salvará a su pueblo de sus pecados”.

Cuando José despertó de aquel sueño, hizo lo que le había mandado el ángel del Señor.

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GospelMT 1:16, 18-21, 24A

Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke,
he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home.

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Meditacion:

Todos tenemos un gran aprecio por la Eucaristía, y nos emociona la lectura de las narraciones de la Última Cena. Pero quizá nunca nos hemos detenido a pensar que Jesús, en buena medida, no hizo sino lo que había visto hacer a San José en el hogar de Nazaret. La cena pascual judía era una celebración de carácter doméstico, no del templo ni de la sinagoga, presidida por el padre de familia.

San José tuvo la incomparable vocación de acompañar a Jesús en su formación como judío creyente, quizá enseñarle algunos salmos, llevarle a la sinagoga, recordarle los momentos clave de la historia religiosa del Pueblo. En otra época se tuvo más devoción a San José: se celebraban “siete domingos” en su honor, y, en muchos lugares, su fiesta –casi siempre en cuaresma- era el día del “cumplimiento pascual”. Pero tal vez fue una devoción más apoyada en leyendas discutibles que en datos consistentes. Mucho de aquello ha caído, y tenía que caer. 

Pero el evangelio, principalmente el de Mateo, nos transmite unos datos de gran interés teológico-espiritual. José es llamado “justo” y se le dice que no tenga “temor” en llevarse a María como esposa. Ese temor no puede ser sino la reverencia ante lo divino que sabe que habita en ella. Muy probablemente la traducción correcta sea: “no tengas temor… porque la criatura de que es portadora venga del Espíritu Santo” (aunque no se nos diga cómo llegó a saberlo). Para él, convivir con María será vivir en el templo; y él sabe que no es sacerdote, que no está habilitado para tal familiaridad. Este es el respeto, el “temor” religioso que practica José.

En su conjunto, la narración evangélica que hemos oído es la invitación a José a que no se asuste de vivir permanentemente en un ámbito sagrado, él, que es un hombre “justo”, es decir, “respetuoso de Dios”. Se le encarga incluso que realice funciones de padre con el hijo de Yahvé, que no es su hijo biológico, como es la de “imponerle el nombre”, que le custodie y acompañe en su minoría de edad… Es un hermoso relato de vocación.

Y todo culmina con la aceptación por parte de José, con la afirmación de su obediencia hacia lo que Dios espera de él. Al final del relato podría afirmarse de nuevo que era “justo”, y que, con todo el “estremecimiento” que ello le causara, dejó que Dios le condujese por caminos insospechados. Se nos invita a todos a vivir esa misma fe, al sobrecogimiento de quien se encuentra con lo sobrenatural, y a transmitir a otros esos mismos dones de que disfrutamos. E igualmente a confiar en Dios cuando nos parezca que nos propone algo superior a nuestras capacidades.

"San Jose en tu dia te pido la misma fe que tu tuviste al aceptar a la Madre del Creador" Amen

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We all have a great appreciation for the Eucharist, and we are excited to read the accounts of the Last Supper. But perhaps we have never stopped to think that Jesus, to a large extent, did nothing but what he had seen Saint Joseph do in the home of Nazareth. The Jewish Passover dinner was a celebration of a domestic nature, not of the temple or the synagogue, presided over by the father of the family.

Saint Joseph had the incomparable vocation of accompanying Jesus in his training as a Jewish believer, perhaps teaching him some psalms, taking him to the synagogue, reminding him of the key moments in the religious history of the People. In another era, there was more devotion to Saint Joseph: "seven Sundays" were celebrated in his honor, and, in many places, his feast - almost always in Lent - was the day of the "Easter fulfillment". But perhaps it was a devotion supported more by debatable legends than by consistent data. Much of it has fallen, and had to fall.

But the Gospel, mainly that of Matthew, transmits us some data of great theological-spiritual interest. Joseph is called "righteous" and is told not to be "afraid" of taking Mary as his wife. That fear can only be reverence for the divine that knows that it inhabits it. Most likely, the correct translation is: "Do not be afraid ... because the creature you are carrying comes from the Holy Spirit" (although we are not told how he came to know it). For him, living with Mary will be living in the temple; and he knows that he is not a priest, that he is not qualified for such familiarity. This is the respect, the religious "fear" that José practices.

As a whole, the evangelical narration that we have heard is the invitation to Joseph not to be afraid of living permanently in a sacred environment, he, who is a "just" man, that is, "respectful of God". He is even charged with performing father functions with Yahweh's son, who is not his biological son, such as "imposing the name" on him, guarding and accompanying him in his minority ... It is a beautiful story of vocation.

And it all culminates with Joseph's acceptance, with the affirmation of his obedience to what God expects of him. At the end of the story it could be affirmed again that he was "just", and that, with all the "shudder" that this caused him, he allowed God to lead him along unsuspected paths. We are all invited to live that same faith, to the awe of those who encounter the supernatural, and to transmit to others those same gifts that we enjoy. And equally to trust God when it seems that He is proposing something greater than our capabilities.

"Saint Jose in your day I ask you for the same faith that you had when accepting the Mother of the Creator" Amen